Band:	Negator
Album:	Die Eisernen Verse
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	November 14, 2005
A review by:	Jeff

Disc I
01. Eisen wider Siechtum
02. Old Stigma
03. Türme
04. Answer To All Questions
05. Honour Demise
06. Gloomy Sunday [Billie Holiday cover]
07. Das Erbe
08. Die eherne Replik
09. Harvester Of Storm

Disc II [limited edition DVD]
[Live at Metal Bash Open Air 2004]
01. Vernunft 1.0
02. Science Of Nihil
03. Der Infanterist
04. Free Bird

[Live at Party-San Open Air 2004]
05. Interludium
06. Katharsis
07. In The Unholy Halls Of Eternal Frost
08. Renegation
+ Making of "Die eisernen Verse"
+ Multimedia extras

If I must talk about Negator in one word, I can only use the word "blast". The blast of the drums that do that Negator is one of the more speedy and powerful Black Metal bands that I had the luck to listen to in 2005. This is not a proof of originality or a fact that will force me to say that it is the best Black Metal release of the year but still, it's always pleasant to hear this kind of drummer and after all even if there is nothing really outstanding in "Die Eisernen Verse", it's not however a bad release, at the opposite.

As I said, "Die Eisernen Verse" is an impressive piece of music. I don't talk about the composition, the songs are all more than honest and interesting to listen to but it's not something really special too. On the other hand, the guys knew how to produce a melodic Black Metal with some really cool "soft" passages but without any trendy clichés. I mean that we're not in front of an old school basic Black Metal, we have melodies in this album but we don't have keyboards for example. It's a pure aggressive and blasting Black Metal mixed with nice melodies (the proof is on "Das Erbe") and at the end it's good to listen to "Die Eisernen Verse".

But above all, I must admit that the point that "chocked" me (if I can use this word) is the extremely high musical level of the musicians, especially the drummer. This guy is probably an android or something like that because he is able to produce rhythms which flirt with the 300 beats seconds. No seriously Tramheim, like the two guitarists who know how to play awesome arpeggi and riffs, the really good bassist (the bass is omnipresent in this album) and the good voice of the singer are really complementary. The result is an album with an excellent production that you'll have the luck to listen to... I hope.

Negator is a good promising band and if they follow this road, let me tell you that we will hear about them in a really near future. "Die Eisernen Verse" is a good album of Black Metal, which could lead to the reconciliation between the fans of the old school Black Metal with the ones of the "new" generation. Maybe not perfect but classy and damn, what a bunch of great musicians...