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Porta Nigra - Schöpfungswut review



Reviewer:
N/A

23 users:
6.39
Band: Porta Nigra
Album: Schöpfungswut
Release date: January 2020


01. Die Kosmiker
02. Das Rad Des Ixion
03. Die Augen Des Basilisken
04. Die Entweihung Von Freya
05. Unser Weg Nach Elysium
06. Schöpfungswut

Calling this "avant-garde" black metal is a bit of a stretch. Calling it "eclectic" black metal? I'm already twirling my imaginary mustache. But that's a stretch too.

Now admittedly this is a record that will disappoint a lot of people who have been fans of Porta Nigra since 2012's Fin De Siècle, as they already were when 2015's Kaiserschnitt dropped by. But only just now coming to know Porta Nigra, I don't have as much an attachment to their previous sound and can appreciate Schöpfungswut for what it is, which also seems to have worked with Kaiserschnitt.

So before listening to this, know that most of the avant-garde tendencies of Fin De Siècle have been dropped, instead mostly replaced by second-wave black metal. Accept the fact and adjust your expectations. Porta Nigra do sound less avant-garde in comparison to their previous stuff, but compare it to most similar stuff out there, Schöpfungswut is still pretty diverse both in how the sound is approached in vocal performances, and there are some ways that they try to play with the sound. The more conventional black metal approach here does often move in a very melodic direction that tries to create a pretty dark atmosphere.

Thing aren't pink though, as the best thing about the record is still the dual vocal performance, also in German, a language known for not sounding very friendly, but aside from the vocals some of the guitar work and mostly all of the drumming falls pretty flat. The vocal performance almost fooled me that this is better than it is, so much so that I constantly had to rewrite the first part of the review. But the more I listen to it, the more I think how much more can I listen to just tremolo picking and generic blasts, hoping that they will eventually do something interesting with this sound. Heck, now that I do compare it to most of the stuff out there, it doesn't really sound diverse at all. And that's not even comparing it to their previous stuff. And without even reaching the 50 minutes mark, none of the around-8-minutes-long songs really feel like they justify their length.

That are obviously attempts outside of the vocal performance to make this work, like blending the repetitive drumming and tremolo picking with some arpeggios and soloing, and constantly changing between the same two sections, but even those feel generic and fall flat after a while. Whenever there is a section that gives me some hope, it's actually quite sad, knowing that this could've actually been a pretty good record. Honestly this pretty much fails both as a Porta Nigra and as a traditional black metal one.







Written on 16.01.2020 by Doesn't matter that much to me if you agree with me, as long as you checked the album out.


Comments

Comments: 6   Visited by: 93 users
16.01.2020 - 09:35
Rating: 5
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
As of writing this, only the first three tracks have been released, and honestly it's a much better record with just those 3.
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Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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16.01.2020 - 13:27
nikarg

I hated you for being faster than me to claim this review from the promos because I really like Fin De Siècle a lot. I also thought that two of the three songs that were released sounded great, albeit not experimental at all. I'll listen tomorrow and see what happens, but I trust your judgement and I'm a bit disappointed because I expected something really good.
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16.01.2020 - 15:04
Desha
delicious dish
Written by RaduP on 16.01.2020 at 09:35

As of writing this, only the first three tracks have been released, and honestly it's a much better record with just those 3.

exactly what I feared, as the songs sound really really similar and I think I couldn't stand a whole album of this. Well maybe there will be one of the other three that I'll listen to once in a while, but this review kind of confirms what I was expecting. Was really excited for a new Porta Nigra, but alas they had other plans with their sound...
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You are the hammer, I am the nail
building a house in the fire on the hill
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16.01.2020 - 15:13
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
I remember really enjoying their previous album and its all around quirkiness. Must admit I'm not that excited to hear that they've tempered their Avantgarde-iness this time around, but will still be giving this a listen regardless.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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16.01.2020 - 15:14
Rating: 5
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by nikarg on 16.01.2020 at 13:27

I hated you for being faster than me to claim this review from the promos because I really like Fin De Siècle a lot. I also thought that two of the three songs that were released sounded great, albeit not experimental at all. I'll listen tomorrow and see what happens, but I trust your judgement and I'm a bit disappointed because I expected something really good.

Yeah the more I listened to it the less I was willing to overlook its flaws. I think even through the review you can kinda tell my enthusiams running low.
----
Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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18.01.2020 - 16:03
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Last Sentenced is reason Why i dont wanna check it. German languege is awesome
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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