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 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 Felix on April 28, 2019.

The best days of Norwegian black metal are long gone, aren't they? The eclipse of "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" will remain untouched eternally, the hypnotic anthems of Burzum cannot be beaten and the majestic approach of Emperor still sends shivers down my spine. But sometimes an album brings back the glory of the old days, at least to a certain degree. This is where Dødsfall's latest album sets in, because it spreads very authentic Norwegian vibes. There is this cold atmosphere, this combination of icy guitars and gloomy breaks, for example in the opener "Hemlig Vrede" (pay attention to the piano lines). Dødsfall have not recorded this work in order to create the most violent full-length ever. This would have been probably doomed to failure. Of course, some blizzards blast across the snow-covered landscapes, but mid-paced sections and a certain melancholy also play an important part. Multi-talent Is, responsible for vocals, bass, guitar and song-writing, gives all that he has and the skillful drumming of his companion called Telal adds value to the album as well.

What I like is that the songs are not predictable. The smooth flow at the beginning of "Svarta Drömmar" comes to a quick end as soon as an acoustic break appears. The track develops fantastically, neither lacking black heaviness nor great melody lines and the nagging of Is fits perfectly, with this well-known mixture of hatred and insanity, the vocals leave its mark. Of course, both the voice and the music do not present something totally new. But I think that this has not been the goal of the duo. Tradition has always had its place in black metal, not only in terms of the musical approach, but also with regard to the lyrics. It is therefore great to hear that the band still does not use the English language. Black metal means home, nature and integrity; maybe a special form of integrity, but I guess you know what I want to say, and these cornerstones make it almost logical to prefer the mother tongue.

The continuous velocity changes lend the ten tracks a dynamic overall impression. The furious sections benefit from the fact that there are so many tempo variations. Thus, their impact is remarkable. Okay, it is also true that the album does not belong to the most intense works of the sub-genre. Formations such as Urgehal or Tsjuder prefer a rawer way of proceeding and those who worship only the narrow-mindedness of "Pure Holocaust" can keep kneeling in front of their Demonaz altar. By the way, the here reviewed album also has nothing in common with the rumbling production of Immortal's masterpiece. Quite the opposite, it sounds very mature and almost too clean for a black metal album from the top of Europe. Nevertheless, the production paints a coherent picture. This is no "good time black metal" or something like this, but an honest dose of darkness. Perhaps an absolutely outstanding highlight is missing here, but its homogeneity is exactly one of the biggest advantages of Døden skall ikke vente. All songs profit from a smooth flow. And so, this output does not mark a new milestone, but it keeps the church-devouring flames of Norwegian black metal burning.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10