Review by Felix on May 5, 2024.

Almost 40 years ago, Holy Moses presented “The New Machine of Liechtenstein”, but now Herzog bring us “The New Armageddon from Belgium”. The science fiction compatible intro spreads an ominous feeling and the first regular track “Acheminement” ploughs through crusted soil, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly and always violently. Herzog open wide the gates to their totalitarian sound cosmos. The density of their lava approach is impressive, while the nearly absurdly deep vocals are rather dubious. Anyway, the first (real) song does not lack dynamic, gloominess, and annihilation.

But a good opener is easy, a strong album difficult to pen. While Herzog surf on the waves of their pulsating sound, they lose direction from time to time. Especially “The Craftsmen”, an overlong instrumental, lacks focus and orientation. Dissonant guitar lines and monotonous rhythms are no substitution for fiery intensity and the integrated breaks and tempo shifts are not able to lend the song an interesting structure. Moreover, this track damages the entire flow of the full-length. That’s regrettable, because in its best moments, the material of the guys creates an apocalyptic, oppressive mood. Broad parts of “Oath of Weakness” are not far away from the exciting art that Poland's Deus Mortem constantly delivers. The essence of black metal gets obvious and shows its terrifying face. Indeed, this number unites ferocity, fury and morbidity to a man-made monster.

However, this song and the opener form the undisputed and unfortunately only highlights. Certainly, Herzog do not lack passion or dedication, but sometimes their pieces just meander aimlessly. It remains a secret to me whether the Belgians wanted to create individual songs or a kind of soundtrack for mankind’s overdue downfall where the single tracks are just a building block for the good of the whole. Either way, the protagonists are not able to realize their vision completely successful. Despite a perceptible number of solid and mostly menacing parts, the album does not have the necessary impact on me for a high rating. Every now and then I miss a coherent flow of the individual tracks, and hopefully you agree that the use of unconventional song patterns is no end in itself. Therefore this debut leaves me with mixed feelings. The fairest thing that fans of black and / or death metal can do is giving this album a chance unbiasedly. To me, the album is a little disappointment. I rather go back in time and enjoy Liechtenstein's machine again.

Rating: 5.8 out of 10