Review by Alain on April 22, 2020.

Waldgeflüster is a German band coming from Munich. The German black metal scene is widely known and respected by the fans. There are tons of bands which play a quite orthodox form of black metal, while many others are more interested in playing a sort of black metal heavily influenced by the ancient history of their land, which is commonly known as the pagan black metal subgenre. The German scene of this subgenre is, in my humble opinion, one of the best and the range of bands playing this style is quite rich and interesting. While some bands have a heavy folk influence, using folk instruments more generously, other ones use them sparsely, being a secondary resource used to enrich the music in certain moments. I would place Waldgeflüster in this second group. Musically speaking, Waldgeflüster plays black metal with a certain somber touch, creating a melancholic atmosphere, without lacking the expected aggression in a band whose roots are the black metal genre.

Mondscheinsonaten is the fifth album of a band whose line-up has remained quite stable since it became a full band in 2014. Prior to this moment, it was a one-man band created by Winterherz. His talent was already clear in the first and impressive three records entitled Herbstklagen, Femundsmarka - Eine Reise in Drei Kapiteln and Meine Fesseln. Going back to the latest record, I can safely say that Winterherz's touch and talent are still in a very good shape. Mondscheinsonaten is a very nice piece of pagan influenced black metal with the aforementioned dark and somber touch, but with a good range of elements which make the album an excellent work. The album contains seven songs, being some of the quite long as the impressive 'Gripfelstürme', probably one of the best if not the best track of this album. It's a very varied and dynamic track with tastefully composed sections and melodies. This lengthy track includes excellent melodies, some powerful and pagan-esque clean vocals which accompany the usual high-pitched shrieks, as well as intelligently placed atmospheric keys. 'Rotgoldene Novemberwälder' is the single of the album and summarizes perfectly the main characteristics of this album. It is an excellently structured song with impressive guitars and background vocals, which make the sound epic yet mournful. Once again the clean vocals, both in the front and in the background, play a major role in making these songs emotional. Even though the top-notch guitars and the already mentioned touching clean vocals are the ones which have the most import roles in Mondscheinsonaten, Waldgeflüster successfully use other resources to enrich this work, as some very nicely composed atmospheric keys which are one of the highlights in the very intense and hypnotic track entitled 'Und der Wind'. Acoustic guitars are also used in different tracks, mainly as a song opener, which is sometimes abruptly interrupted by a purely black metal-ish section or as an introduction to an acoustic esque sung section as it happens in the album closer 'Staub in der Lunge'. This song perfectly closes this excellent work leaving us a permanent feeling of melancholy.

Mondscheinsonaten is undoubtedly an impressive work which confirms Waldgeflüster as one of the best bands in the German pagan black metal scene. With songs having a strong black metal base, the German guys build an album rich in the use of different elements, which makes the listener keep interested from the very beginning to the end. It’s an emotionally very intense album, which I think is something great and makes the music even more special.

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Review by Felix on September 23, 2020.

Körgull the Exterminator… well, what can I say? Since their very first steps, the musicians under this banner wrote songs that embodied pure bestiality, hatred, rudeness and, last but not least, an omnipresent “f**k you” attitude. Their blackened thrash inferno has always been the polar opposite of clemency, mildness and radio-friendly music. And if we can believe in the song titles of Sharpen Your Spikes, we can be sure that KtE still sounds black. We receive the 'Prophecy of Black Blood', visit 'The Black Goat of the Woods' and learn that 'A Black Bird Is Always a Warning'. More blackness is forbidden. But can we really trust these song names?

Obama said: yes, we can. I agree in this case. KtE haven’t changed their way of proceeding. A rolling thunder of thrashing riffs, vehement drumming and a voice that reminds of Sabina Classen’s most toxic days convert my cosy living room to a sonic battlefield. I freely admit that the stage-setting intro sounds like the beginning of a ballad of Blackie (!) Lawless (I nearly hear him lamenting “where is the lo-ove?”), but that’s just the calm before the storm. Snot meets inferno as soon as the first regular track (and simultaneously the first highlight) sets in. Lilith, the only female survivor after the departure of Steel Maniac in 2013, negates all of her feminine charms and her rude performance does not only re-vitalize the spirit of Wendy O. Williams. It also motivates the male part of the Spanish team to extraordinary dedication. Therefore swirling guitars clear a path through the jungle of mainstream music which has been so meticulously treated with pesticides. Moreover, some compositions possess a fascinating element of hellish catchiness. The guitar leads and the chorus of the title track find their way into my long-term memory very quickly – and that’s just one example.

Yet it is a matter of course that Sharpen Your Spikes has other dominating traits than catchiness. The aforementioned black goat, for instance, has probably been a bulldozer in a previous life. However, no challenge is too big for this squadron. No matter how dry the ground is, the relentless quintet ploughs through it with great ease. And it is not only 'The Black Goat of the Woods' which shows that an extra dose of malicious heaviness and the temporary neglect of ultra-fast rhythms can go hand in hand. This does not mean that KtE dish up doomy sections, but Lady Necrobitch and the boys know the power of a precisely killing mid-tempo part very well. Moreover, they love to come to the point directly. Tracks like the straight, murderous and sharp 'Battle Ram' have no single gram of fat. They just split skulls with great ease, the more the better – and the fury they reflect is simply impressive. Okay, maybe it is true that KtE slightly run out of breath during the (still strong) closer, which almost sounds like a Desaster song with “medieval” melodies. In addition, it might be true that one could optimize one or two further pieces. But to speak about these details would be small-minded and petty in view of the overall quality of this output. Instead, enjoy this feast of howling guitars or collapse and let yourself re-animate softly by “real heavy music”, for example Accept’s “Metal Heart” or comparable shit.

Last but not least, the production must be mentioned. In short: excellent. It develops a gargantuan power and proves evidence that transparency and dirt do not exclude each other. The mix of Sharpen Your Spikes is a demonstration of fierce power and it gives the already breath-taking songs the final touch. Enough written. This album with its perfect centre consisting of the title track, 'Battle Ram' and 'The Black Goat of the Woods' is nothing less than a must-have for all those who love structured noise. No doubt, we can trust in the song titles I mentioned at the end of the first paragraph. They do not promise too much, albeit the almost poetic name 'A Black Bird Is Always a Warning' can lead the audience on a wrong track. Körgull the Exterminator are neither sensitive nor poetic – but they are stronger than ever and they are back… in black.

Rating: 9.1 out of 10