Band:	Schattenbrandung
Album:	I - Apophänie
Style:	Black metal, Doom metal
Release date:	October 21, 2012
Guest review by:	Boxcar Willy

01. II - Reich der Wächter
02. III - Eine neue Ordnung
03. IV - Die Sonne auf Erden
04. V - Steppen des Geistes
05. I - Flammen der Reinigung
06. VII - Das Ende aller Träume

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This is it.

This is what it's about. All the time searching, looking and digging for those albums, all the time wasted listening to heaping piles some people call music; all that effort pays off now.


Schattenbrandung hail from the cold and isolated village of Stuttgart, Germany; they play black metal, the way black metal is supposed to be played. Intense, visceral riffs plunge deep into the darkness which has already been occupied by the dark and vicious vocals. The hateful drums come in to sink you deeper in the dark hole that is I - Apophänie.

The depressing musical approach has a tendency to lift you up with haunting melodies, only to have your spirit slammed back into the earth with an explosion of sound. The black metal played is definitely not that of its Norwegian forefathers, but a mix of doom and atmospheric black, and even occasionally some gothic clean vocals and guitar melodies. The thing that caught my ears the most with this release, however, is the fact that this is not a single play album. The creative song-structure and altogether oddness of this album compels the listener to stop and fully take in the music; once you focus completely on the music, strange and amusing things will start to appear.

The vocals are extraordinarily versatile on this record. They range from gothic and downright sad clean singing, to depressing, black metal wails and even the odd funeral moan in the vein of Ahab. I then noticed the incredibly strong guitar work displayed here. Another mix up of styles, from acoustic ballads and jazz pieces, to relentless black metal tremolo, and even soaring heavy metal solos. The mix up of styles would usually indicate a very inconsistent album, however, that is not the case. Every song here seems to flow and mingle together like a perfectly choreographed figure skating routine.

This, folks, is my choice for black metal album of the year. Listen now at their Bandcamp page. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.