Porta Nigra - Kaiserschnitt review
| Band: | Porta Nigra |
| Album: | Kaiserschnitt |
| Style: | Avantgarde black metal, Doom metal |
| Release date: | March 09, 2015 |
| A review by: | Auntie Sahar |
01. Die Mensur
02. Femme Fatale
03. Kaiserschnitt
04. In Stahlgewittern
05. Kein schönerer Tod
06. Mata Hari
07. Hepatitis Libido
08. Ich-Zerfall
09. Der letzte Ton
Alright, so we have album artwork of a weasel-looking thing, wearing a general's uniform and looking coked out of its mind, biting into a bleeding globe. I wouldn't put my money on it, but using the simple human power of deduction, I'd say that means we're in for a wild ride.
Today, ladies and gents, we are drinking an Avantgarde smoothie courtesy of Porta Nigra, a curious German duo that simply refuse to be classified. They couldn't narrow what fruit to use for the recipe down to one, so they said screw it and just tossed in all their favorites. As a result, Kaiserschnitt, their sophomore effort, is a total genre bender. Porta Nigra seem to prefer doom metal grapes above their other ingredients, and it's this flavor that mostly comes to dominate the eccentric sound (see "Femme Fatale" and the title track). The music is mostly midtempo, and even when it takes a turn into more black metal-ish territory, it still remains relatively crunchy and groovy. However, if there's one thing my various visits to Jamba Juice have taught me, it's that the look of a product can often be deceiving.
Such is the case with Kaiserschnitt. While this delicious smoothie of an album is composed mostly of doomy grapes (black ones, of course, for an additional kvlty edge), Porta Nigra cover many more bases, and it's a roller coaster of moods. Want some prog pineapples? The band's got you covered on "Hepatitis Libido". Some punky pomegranates? They're in your corner on "Ich-Zerfall". While perhaps of small note, these extra ingredients help to give music that extra push it needs into the territory of something truly unique and grand. To that end, the fact that the band's lyrics and song titles are in German also serves great benefit, really helping to reinforce the epic, theatrical feel of the album. It's something I've noticed happens a lot with German metal, and here Porta Nigra carry on this tradition splendidly.
Put simply, Kaiserscnitt is an album for those who love crazy and unexpected fusions of sounds. While the fruits Porta Nigra have thrown in their blender seem to have conjured a strange form of blackened doom, further tastes of their final result will reveal much more subtle and interesting flavors. But unlike most bands who combine styles, Porta Nigra do so in a much vaguer-than-usual way. The band blur our definitions of many of the genres they play around with here, and as a result it can be quite difficult and challenging to discern when exactly the shift from one to the next is taking place. But that's just part of the fun of it all, and listening to Kaiserschnitt, I can't help but feel like I haven't heard a band enjoying themselves this much in a good while.
Indulge in the nectary goodness.
Comments
Comments: 28
Visited by: 164 users
| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
I prefer their previous album Fin De Siècle by far to this one. Kaiserschnitt gets quite boring due to the fact the band isn't really all over the place any more but are way way way more streamlined and compact than before. Totally not as eclectic as on Fin De Siècle, a shame.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| mz Posts: 4824  |
I also agree with Marcel. Checked this earlier and it was disappointing tbh.
---- Giving my ears a rest from music.
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| DahliaRock Posts: 153  |
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 11.05.2015 at 13:31 I really don't get what you mean exactly. I'm coming back to that debut now and I hear more black metal in the mix than anything else, there's some variation around that, but it mostly sticks to that core and doesn't shy too far away from it into other territory. Here I would definitely say the doom dominates, but there's more of a variation in tempo, and I can hear more influences other than doom and BM on it as well. Definitely the more eclectic one if you ask me. I mean, listen to that guitar lead in Ich-Zerfall, or that piano-led fifth track. There was nothing like that on the debut, the debut was mostly just tracks like Der Letzte Ton here.
---- 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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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
There is no doom in the latest one, the first one has some doomy parts without being doom, hoewever. This one is primarily black and with less variation than Fin de Siècle.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 11.05.2015 at 14:46 I humbly disagree  I mean just listen to the title track on this dude, if that's not doom I honestly don't know what is.
---- 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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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 11.05.2015 at 14:47 Clearly you don't know what is  It starts off slow, but not as doom. Slow does not equal doom, as you might well know. The riffing over the slow parts later on is clearly black metal. But be it doom (which it is not ) or be it black (which it primarily is) it is a step down from the more eclectic debut, as mz agrees with me 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 11.05.2015 at 15:55 We've had that convo before, and I sure do know it, but the riffing on that track, and a good few others is clearly doom style. Even when that tremolo picking comes in towards the end, there's still that crunchy, doomy playing underneath it, so at the very least I'd say the band are blackened doom. And I've seen them labeled as such in a few other places, so obviously not the only one who's out of their mind. It's whatever, really. After a certain point all of this gets into such subjective territory dependent on the individual listener that it isn't really worth debating anymore. My position stands: better and more eclectic than the debut, and more doomy as well
---- 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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| barnesy Posts: 133  |
I quite enjoy this album. I never heard Porta Nigra until I tried out Femme Fatale on bandcamp and was hooked. I still feel like a dumbass next to all y'all when it comes to pinning down genres. I will say this, I can't place this band too well but I like their tunes.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by barnesy on 11.05.2015 at 16:23 It's very stylistically ambiguous, like I said, even though I think there's a mix of doom, black metal, and some punk and prog here, the band focus on how each can be incorporated into the other. Like what about doom can you also find in BM? What about BM can you also find in prog? They explore those hidden similarities and build upon them, and that imo is what makes a good genre-bending album.
---- 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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| Malignar Posts: 285 |
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| mz Posts: 4824 |
Let me just distinguish my position from Marcel's. I liked their previous one way more than this, regardless of how ambitious/ all over the place the two records are. But I also agree that there is not doom here, hell IMO there was no doom in their debut, too 
---- Giving my ears a rest from music.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by mz on 11.05.2015 at 17:33 I don't know what the fuck to call it then. It's NOT just black metal, I personally think labeling the band as such and just leaving it at that would be inaccurate
---- 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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| Eternity'sChild Posts: 152 |
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Eternity'sChild on 11.05.2015 at 19:28 Glad I could help man  Yes, I think the music here is definitely more accessible, but not so much in a "we're trying to please you way," but in more of a "let's make things a little catchier while still keeping them weird" way. The results are excellent.
---- 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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| Eternity'sChild Posts: 152 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 11.05.2015 at 19:46 Yeah, I agree. I really like how weird the album is, because it fits the concept so well. The other album just feels like there's something missing - at least for a guy that has started to like more "atypical music" not too long ago, like me. Maybe I just need more experience with this kind of experimental music, so I "learn" to listen to it properly. That's probably the cause for me liking the catchier album a lot more.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Eternity'sChild on 11.05.2015 at 20:00 You talk about the album concept and understanding the lyrics, so I'd assume you've read them? Care to share what you've discovered about the theme at work here?
---- 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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| Eternity'sChild Posts: 152 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 11.05.2015 at 20:04 No, I'm from Austria (so German native speaker) and I've researched a bit as well (interviews, overviews of the album), so I would say that I got quite a good idea what it's all about. It's about world war one and stories of various people around that time (e.g. Mata Hari). Some things are quite difficult to explain, since I'm not a native english speaker, but if you look up some song titles (mata hari, femme fatale, mensur) you'll get a rough idea as well. "Kein schönerer Tod" is about dying in battle, "In Stahlgewittern" is about the German Kaiserreich getting bombed (if I understood right). However I haven't found the lyrics anywhere so far, maybe there are chances that I write down what is decipherable (most of it isn't too difficult), so one can at least throw it through google translate.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Eternity'sChild on 11.05.2015 at 20:33 Interesting stuff. I figured the album (or at least parts of it) had something to do with war or battle, because I know "kaiser" means "emperor" in German, or something to that effect
---- 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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| Nethrakh Posts: 16  |
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62002  |
I don't like band oufit, in prom img, suits and way ugly, but don't judge the beer before you have not tried it well , same goes for cace if you know what I mean,,, god music but I liked old one better, this is good one.
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Bad English on 13.05.2015 at 14:49 No, I have no idea what you mean
---- 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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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62002 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 13.05.2015 at 14:58 don't judge people how they look , don't judge music in the way how looks musicians I hate suits btw ,,, listen music and then judge
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Erik M. Posts: 3104  |
Glad I can always count on Che's reviews for a Bandcamp link. Due to your reviews I'm so spoiled I actually hate reviews without Bandcamp links.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989 |
Written by Erik M. on 16.05.2015 at 17:03 I honestly don't know why more people don't do it, but whatever, it's their style I guess. I just like providing people with a full stream whenever possible, because I know the first question on peoples' minds after they read a positive review of mine is probably "sounds great, now where can I listen?"
---- 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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| Erik M. Posts: 3104 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 16.05.2015 at 20:02 Totally agreed. 
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by Erik M. on 22.05.2015 at 21:24 My style is based on amnesia. I always forget to add the sucker and I'm tired of bugging the staffers to edit my review and add a link. xD
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Erik M. Posts: 3104 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 23.05.2015 at 01:20 That's a bad style, then.
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