Review by Alex on February 21, 2020.

Moving through the trenches amidst corpses of fallen soldiers stopped in their tracks by the unbearable burn of mustard gas eating the lungs; crawling amidst piles of dead bodies burying each other as they press against the choked canals in random positions still with the stare of horror, disbelief and wonder of who or what is the point of this blood-shed. If only they could see the profiteers and what would become of their homeland and what fate brewed for the lives of their families left behind before impetuously drafted to march their final steps in agony; grim all the while captivating through profound lyricism and music Minenwerfer magnifies the scope of tales.

No amount of words or fancy sentences could give this output the credit it deserves, it's just too strong, too deep too touching of an album to give literal representation, praise and justification to. Clocking in at just over an hour Minenwerfer with Alpenpässe deliver a mind-blowing and immeasurable recording. Conceptual it seems yet cut with the black end of a dagger, the songs here captivate and entrench the listener through its immense run-time by means of sorrowful landscapes, waves of combative or moderate drumming and guitar solos ever encompassing the many faces of a tale. Through the low dire depths of the trenches to the conquering heights of the mountains, Alpenpässe takes no shortcuts towards its destination and keeps the listener guessing around every corner of the journey.

With despondency, despair, triumph and fear battling against each other you can’t keep emotionally still, as any could be activated at a given period; thus, keeping you engaged in the music thoroughly. Each song a thing to remember and embrace, with the opening ascent being 'Der Blutharsch', the boulder-esque track length says it all with regards to the weight of the subject. You get nothing less musically, each section of the song brings the listener to face the towering melancholy mercilessly bearing down; while you would be relieved for a brief moment of the saddening reality on 'Dragging the Dead through Mountains High', that fierce warring posture diminishes with the entry of 'Cloaked in Silence'. Even more depressing than the opener, this raises the bar in the band's songwriting department through its 12-minute span and weaved tones of conquest and hopelessness. More of the same toggle of tones drain down on 'Kaiserjägerlied' and 'Withered Tombs', echoing heightened, exhilarating guitar work and overall compositions.

Almost haunting to hear the soldiers sing their hymns on the poetic 'Tiroler Edelweiss' thus adding another layer of emotional depth to the resonance of the album and I would have expected no less provided the scope of Alpenpässe.

Truly something to own on vinyl as I see it, which I understand will be receiving such a pressing sometime soon via Purity Through Fire, of whom have been putting out relatively high-quality releases; therefore it comes as no surprise Alpenpässe falls within the category of esteem. Minenwerfer have set foot for a second time leaving an un-erasable imprint with their third album Alpenpässe offering songs nothing shy of valor and might.

Rating: 9.2 out of 10

Review by Alex on February 21, 2020.

Moving through the trenches amidst corpses of fallen soldiers stopped in their tracks by the unbearable burn of mustard gas eating the lungs; crawling amidst piles of dead bodies burying each other as they press against the choked canals in random positions still with the stare of horror, disbelief and wonder of who or what is the point of this blood-shed. If only they could see the profiteers and what would become of their homeland and what fate brewed for the lives of their families left behind before impetuously drafted to march their final steps in agony; grim all the while captivating through profound lyricism and music Minenwerfer magnifies the scope of tales.

No amount of words or fancy sentences could give this output the credit it deserves, it's just too strong, too deep too touching of an album to give literal representation, praise and justification to. Clocking in at just over an hour Minenwerfer with Alpenpässe deliver a mind-blowing and immeasurable recording. Conceptual it seems yet cut with the black end of a dagger, the songs here captivate and entrench the listener through its immense run-time by means of sorrowful landscapes, waves of combative or moderate drumming and guitar solos ever encompassing the many faces of a tale. Through the low dire depths of the trenches to the conquering heights of the mountains, Alpenpässe takes no shortcuts towards its destination and keeps the listener guessing around every corner of the journey.

With despondency, despair, triumph and fear battling against each other you can’t keep emotionally still, as any could be activated at a given period; thus, keeping you engaged in the music thoroughly. Each song a thing to remember and embrace, with the opening ascent being 'Der Blutharsch', the boulder-esque track length says it all with regards to the weight of the subject. You get nothing less musically, each section of the song brings the listener to face the towering melancholy mercilessly bearing down; while you would be relieved for a brief moment of the saddening reality on 'Dragging the Dead through Mountains High', that fierce warring posture diminishes with the entry of 'Cloaked in Silence'. Even more depressing than the opener, this raises the bar in the band's songwriting department through its 12-minute span and weaved tones of conquest and hopelessness. More of the same toggle of tones drain down on 'Kaiserjägerlied' and 'Withered Tombs', echoing heightened, exhilarating guitar work and overall compositions.

Almost haunting to hear the soldiers sing their hymns on the poetic 'Tiroler Edelweiss' thus adding another layer of emotional depth to the resonance of the album and I would have expected no less provided the scope of Alpenpässe.

Truly something to own on vinyl as I see it, which I understand will be receiving such a pressing sometime soon via Purity Through Fire, of whom have been putting out relatively high-quality releases; therefore it comes as no surprise Alpenpässe falls within the category of esteem. Minenwerfer have set foot for a second time leaving an un-erasable imprint with their third album Alpenpässe offering songs nothing shy of valor and might.

Rating: 9.2 out of 10

Review by Stellarium on March 23, 2024.

The History / Concept of the Album:

“The Karelian Isthmus” is a section of land in South East Finland that shares a border (and territorial disputes) with Russia. Historically, this was considered part of Finnish Karelia, until the Russian Empire conquered it during the Great Northern War of 1712. When Finland achieved independence from Russia in 1917, the majority of the Isthmus remained Finnish. The area has been witness to many a battle and power struggle over the centuries, up to and including the events of WWII.

The Karelian Isthmus:

One of the tropes that Amorphis are best known for is their use of local and world literature and mythology. Before heavily featuring the Karevela (Epic collection of tales from Finnish folklore) as the bulk of their lyrical output, the group mixed a lot of Celtic and Arthurian references to form the general milieu of the group’s trope. Despite numerous departures, arrivals, and re-arrivals to the line-up, this is the only album to have the original Amorphis line-up of Tomi, Esa, Olli and Jan.

The record opens with “Karelia” which is a mood-setting intro track, (which at forty-two seconds is the shortest Amorphis song recorded). A melodic motif plays 16 times, slowing as it reaches its climax. You can imagine the warriors sailing on a Drakar as land appears on the Horizon. As the ship pulls in to dock, the track concludes, and the happiest part of the story comes to a swift end, as they know their lives (or what remains of them) will be irreparably changed forever.

“The Gathering” tells of the moment that the longboat disembarks, arriving at the battlefield. The piece is a slow melodic death composition, draped heavily in doom influences, marking a powerful contract to the previous piece - composing a poignant analogy between carefree life and imminent demise. Lyrically, this track veers very closely towards pagan metal. The song benefits from the light use of keyboards and synths, as they are discreetly used to add a layer of reflectiveness to the misery of the scene. The track ends extremely abruptly, as if an arrow has suddenly struck the poor narrator mid-flow. Powerful stuff.

"The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu" (Oosh-lyoo) is the best song on the album by an absolute landslide. Highly referencing Irish Mythology, this track refers to the consequences up to and surrounding the assassination of Noisiu. (Neesha) – who was the nephew of the King of Ulster. As the song develops, the music becomes heavier and more frantic before the vocals ascend into the deepest metal growls on the record. The story is lifted from the epic Celtic myth found in (Tahn Bo Coolnyeh) (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), which themselves are a part of the wider Ulster Cycle legends.

"Sign from the North Side" once again discusses Celtic Pride and references the region of Kernow (modern day "Cornwall") in the United Kingdom. It's a song about defending your land, and how your purpose is to do so. “I am the unburied child without a name, without a fate, fighting for peace and love… I am reborn…”

"Vulgar Necrolatry" is another track worth mentioning and is a cover of a track written by Finland’s Abhorrence (of which members of Amorphis were previously involved, so they’ve covered their own material in a roundabout way.) The track is a brutal piece that has synergy with the themes from the album and is a clever addition to closing off the release. It discusses death, the stench of rot, and the ambition to bring back the dead – with whatever means are necessary. This therefore completes the cycle of life and death, fighting and dying for gods that you don’t know if they exist or not, as in your dying moments, you find yourself swollen with pride and bruised with fear and doubt, knowing that whatever happens, you will live on, and history will be doomed to repeat itself for as long as man is flawed…

This is exactly why this album is a special, spiritual experience. The tracks and their meanings are ordered so beautifully and deliberately, the album creates an ouroboros of all the stages of life, death, and afterlife. The band also uses the music to great effect to reinforce this point. The tracks are designed to flow together and play on a near endless loop – no track stands out massively over any other, and despite their own complexities, the album sounds very samey throughout. The same sombre mood is used regardless of the composition, and it seems to genuinely suit the theme of the recording. It isn’t a story put to music – it is music put to a story and compressed to match it’s mood. It sits second to the tale of the warriors and their conflicts, never stealing away from the protagonist. There are no guitar solos, no examples of instruments breaking out and stealing the show – just a steady collection of melodic death metal that comfortably acts as a supporting character – much like the weaponry in the hands of the skilled Berserkers.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Adam on January 3, 2003.

Every time I say that melodic death metal has nothing else to offer, a band like Soulscar comes out and makes me eat those very words. It is not the fact that these guys are doing anything too different, because to be quite honestly, they are not. However, Soulscar do show a hell of a lot of style on their debut album ”Character Assassin” that can only serve well in their progression on future releases.

Soulscar consists of two full-fledged members, Andrew Staehling and Brent Mackenzie, with the others listed as supporting players. Staehling handles guitar, vocals, and keyboards while Mackenzie takes care of bass and extra vocals. They play fairly straightforward melodic metal. At times it strays away from the melodic death style to venture into more traditional metal territory, which was refreshing to hear. The only complaints I have here are with the vocals. They almost sound like whispered screams if there is such a thing. After all this time of listening to this CD, I still have not gotten fully used to them; therefore, I hope next time around they concentrate more on that aspect.

Without a doubt the standout track on “Character Assassin” is ‘Sacrifices.’ I suggest that Soulscar explore the clean vocals on this song a bit more in the future as they really add a whole new dynamic to their sound. The atmospheric guitar leads evident on the song would also be another interesting thing to see the group expand upon. Throughout the CD you notice little things like this. They even stick in the occasional Viking-inspired leads, which really stick out on “Character Assassin” and make it more interesting to listen to. Little things like this could really work to set Soulscar apart from their contemporaries if continued to expand upon.

If you are into melodic metal then I would suggest you keep a close eye on Soulscar. They have the uncanny ability to go from melodic to traditional to thrash and back again and still keep their style intact. This style, however, is still in the teenage stage and showing some growing pains yet that is only natural. These guys just may blow me away with their next disc if they choose to expand and concentrate on certain aspects listed above. Only time will tell!

Bottom Line: A modest introduction for the band. Give them a shot. I see good things for the future!

Categorical Rating Breakdown:

Originality: 7
Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Production: 6
Overall: 6.5

Rating: 6.5 out of 10