Review by Nekrist on April 1, 2025.

Black Metal has always been an excellent vehicle for the transport and transmission of Dark Energies and philosophies, one of the most interesting of these dark thought patterns is the so-called “Thursian” path, in which its followers salute and praise the ancient and reveling Anti-Cosmic Giants known as “Thurses”, why? Because they are the guardians of the most primordial and liminal knowledge, so valuable that even the Gods wanted to learn from Them.

The most important and prominent band to expound this spiritual path was without a doubt Arckanum, the highly respected project of the pioneer in this current now known as “Ekortu” or “Vexior”. Ekortu was the one who planted the Thursian Anti-Cosmic seed that germinated years later in bands like the one I am going to review below, Nawaharjan.

This German band is for me one of the best to carry the Black Flame in recent years. This, their debut album titled “Lokabrenna”, explores with depth and conviction the darkest and most sinister aspects of Germanic/Norse Mythology, taking us on a path of ecstasy and liberation with each song, the titles of each one are arranged in an ascending manner in which it begins with consciousness (Warassuz) and ends in the much-appreciated liberation of the spirit (Hradjungo) through the exploration of the Dark Side.

Musically Nawaharjan plays a powerful, evocative, and melodic (at times) black metal that immediately connects with the listener, there are very memorable riffs that stay embedded in the psyche for quite some time, and that invite you to play the album over and over again to feel those nostalgic and epic feelings again, the drums are pristine and flawless, the blast beats act as a beating heart that gives a solid and stable structure to each of the songs, the voice is very reminiscent of Shamaatae (Ekortu), so much so that at times it seems like he was the one who did the vocals for this album, something really impressive and very welcome on my part. The lyrics are written in proto-Germanic, which adds an extra layer of depth and complexity to the message that is conveyed here.

In conclusion, a highly recommended album and only suitable for those looking for seriousness in extreme metal, these types of bands are the ones that keep black metal more alive than ever, thanks to their efforts and passion for the genre, a must-listen for all those who wish to immerse themselves in Chaotic Knowledge.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Fernando on March 11, 2020.

If you're into the more pagan side of black metal you're probably familiar with Swedish band Arckanum, which sadly dissolved in 2018. I bring this up because from Germany comes Nawaharjan, a band that will not only scratch that particular itch, maintain the Thrusatru tradition but is also a potential contender for best black metal album of 2020.

First and foremost, do not misunderstand, this band is not an Arckanum clone, far from that, I simply bring that band up for the sake of context and perspective, since like Arckanum, Nawaharjan is a black metal band which instead of Satanism and overt blasphemy, focuses on the Thursatru tradition and dark Germanic paganism, the tl;dr being that its basically Anti-cosmic Left Hand Path form of Nordic paganism, and they oppose the "Asatru " aka the well-known Nordic gods like Thor, Odin and so forth.

With all that out of the way and clarifying the one similarity with Arkcanum, let’s talk about what's important here, the music, and like I mentioned above, this is so far one of the best black metal albums of the year. The first thing to mention is how Nawaharjan play a style of black metal that perfectly balances the raw aggression of traditional black metal with much more melodic and dynamic soundscapes popularized by bands like Watain and Mgła. It’s the best of both worlds characterized by soaring guitars that create a chaotic wall of sound with sprawling melodies and dark atmospheres. The band even brings just enough progressive elements bolstered with a clean production to fully display all these musical elements. Moreover, and appropriately, the overall atmosphere the band created here is very ritualistic and hypnotic, the entire album is basically a retelling of the Loki myths from a Thrusian perspective, not unlike how other black metal bands write about Bible tales from the perspective of Satan. And the vocals by Skandaz are what truly sells this album and put the cherry on the album's atmosphere cake.

Skandaz has a very unique range and style. Instead of screeches common of black metal, his approach is much more savage and tribal-like, he snarls his vocals for the most part and seamlessly switches to ritual bellowing in the songs' choruses without losing any momentum or intensity. The overall feel is of a druid praising and calling Loki from the top of a hill, and that intensity is maintained throughout the whole hour of music. That's another element to point out, the album is very long and all the songs last from 6 to 10 minutes. The fact that the only major tricks the band used were a cleaner production to pull off such long songs without excessive instrumentation and guest vocals from Malte Langenbrinck of Chaos Invocation for one song is a testament of how effective and forward thinking this album is, while maintaining the DIY aesthetic of "TRVE KVLT" black metal; guitars, vocals, bass and drums. Excellent musicianship and production, what a novel concept! Not to mention that at no point the album has filler, or does it drag for longer than it should, you get a complete and satisfying experience from beginning to end.

There's very little to complain about overall. The band excels at all the black metal check-boxes, and have enough bold experimenting to make a truly unique album, and like I mentioned in the beginning, if you're a fan of Arckanum this album is decidedly for you and you'll thoroughly enjoy it.

Best songs: 'Skuwwe', 'Sunjo', 'Umbibrautiniz'

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by SzejkElRopa on April 8, 2026.

What happens when you combine Pink Floyd song lengths, atmospheric black metal, the majesty of the Alps, and World War I? In brief, a masterpiece.

The album starts with a slow melody and a speech from (I guess) a high-ranking soldier, but the booklet doesn't provide any information. This is like an introduction to the atmosphere throughout the album—cold, impressive, and brutal. As the album goes on, there are numerous atmospheric moments, such as in the middle of the opening "Der Blutharsch", when a beautiful, two-guitar melody can be heard. Another moment like this happens at the end of "Cloaked in Silence", when harsh and clean vocals collaborate, and the atmosphere can be described as emotionally charged with a sense of glory and sacrifice. The same can be said about "Tiroler Edelweiss". Overall, the atmosphere on this album is indescribable, glorious, very remarkable, and very different from many other black metal bands that focus on non-war-related topics.

There is one thing that I cannot simply forget about. Guitar solos. Of course, more and more bands nowadays decide to break the unspoken rule of not adding guitar solos to black metal, but this album is on another level. In "Der Bluthasch", for example, the whole song builds up tension to the fantastic, maybe even neoclassical guitar solo. Minenwerfer (precisely: Wachtmeister Verwüstung) can do more brutal guitar solos, which are in "Dragging the Dead Through Mountain Passes" or "MG 08/15 (Nullachtfünfzehn)". There are far more aggressive songs that perfectly fit these songs. Every song has its unique solo, and every single one is very different from the others. That is another thing that makes this album very, very special.

Moreover, throughout the album, there are speeches of, as far as I can guess, soldiers. This is another thing that conjures up the atmosphere of war, the fights on the Austrian front. One thing that was special about it was the song called "Kaiserjägerlied". Based on my translation, the song serves as an homage to the Kaiser, an Austrian military leader. The song starts with a recording of soldiers singing the first verse. I really appreciate the idea because it shows that Minenwerfer put some effort into making this album as realistic as possible.

Speaking of instruments, I wrote most things about guitars, but I will only add that riffs are very different; they range from tremolo picking "Dragging the Dead Through Mountain Passes" to very heavy, non-blackmetallish in "Withered Tombs". Drums are quite highlighted, have a unique sound, and are very varied. They are not overplayed in the atmospheric parts and play a significant role in this album. I take my hat off to Wachtmeister Verwüstung for achieving such proficiency on both drums and guitar, which requires remarkable skill. The vocal (by Generalfeldmarschall Kriegshammer) might be a little bit perplexing for some, because it is very harsh, but for me, it is perfect; I cannot imagine anything else. There are moments when the bass guitar is heard, and it's not only a little addition.

Overall, if you haven't tried this album yet, it is worth it. It's a bit of a shame that Minenwerfer left this style in "Feuerwalze", but this album is completely different from "Alpenpässe". This album is a real gem among the innumerable amount of black metal bands.

Rating: 10 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