Review by Michael on July 2, 2025.

Do you know the beauty when it's frozen and the branches, leaves and sometimes even the remaining (or just fresh) blooming flowers have hoarfrost on their surface? This is a very special moment every time I can see it and it doesn't last too long because the increasing temperature is melting everything away. What remains then is some rotten organic mass that is going to decay very soon. Okay, what's the matter with that? Well, I'll tell you. Musically, "Tuiflsrijtt" is maybe an adequate equivalent to that image.

Starting with some chilly intro, blowing icy winds straight from the Bavarian Alps into the dusty valleys, everything gets frozen instantly. Together with that, the Krampus are coming to bring fear and terror over the Bavarian people (and hopefully Bayern München). And so it begins. Not too much in the shape of some horrifying mystical creatures but much more in the form of cold, raging black metal. Let's get into some more details now.

With the title track you get to know why I used this frozen image at the beginning. Starting again with furious black metal, they soon set in some really sad melodies that show another facet of the band. Here you get to hear some sad, almost vulnerable tunes between the harsh tremolo picks. This is the beauty I meant. Okay, the lyrics aren't really matching to that (the chorus is about suffering, poisoning and torture) but I guess nobody would expect some romantic words here, would you? And so the very depths of hell are melting that beautiful frozen ice away quite soon and only decay and darkness remain.

"Hexntreyber" which is the first real track on their debut album is sheer rage with many tremolo pickings. The song creates a very dense and sinister atmosphere and vocalist Krámpn sounds as if he is a rabid revenant. Here and there some ghastly, demonic chorus lines and keyboards are heard in the background but mainly this is some good old orthodox black metal popular in Scandinavia during the mid-90s. Sounds promising, doesn't it?

"Seelengift" ("Soul Poison") is a little bit catchier but again with a lot of, sorry for that pun, with a lot of poison and foam in the vocals and with a lot of fantastic arrangements in the orchestral arrangements. Only the drums sometimes sound a little bit tinny but that's just a point of criticism when you listen too closely to it (or it depends on my deaf ears because of the cold I am almost dying of at the moment).

"Rutengang – Ritus Der Habergoaß" ("Dowsing – Rite Of The Habergoat") starts with some folkloristic tunes before the song turns out into a more or less direct continuation of the title track. Almost the same riffing and pace, only some nuances have changed and there are some more great keyboard tunes in it. And again, the vocals sound pretty rough and devilish so that we have a very dark atmosphere.

"Rouhnåchtszauberey" ("Twelfthtidesorcery") is the longest and probably the most diverse track on the album. Intermitting between some creepy and mid-tempo parts, the guys have even incorporated a pretty spooky cinematic part. Just check it and name the movie of the keyboard melody. Oh my God. Father. This is a really cool idea and works very well. Even on a warm summer day I get shivers down my spine when I hear that. This is a really scary, eerie and haunting part. After that the track continues with some very devilish screams and a superb atmospheric outro (again reminding me at the very end of some TV documentary about nature). And so the circle closes. Chapeau!

But of course the other tracks on the album don't appear to be weaker in any way. This is a sort of black metal album that doesn't come out every decade. Maybe one of the reference that works for it might be the mighty "In The Nightside Eclipse" if you know what I mean.

Well, maybe you can read my enthusiasm about that album in my words but let me assure you that this is absolutely well deserved. "Tuiflsrijtt" is a top-notch album with rousing tracks which will take you on a VVylde Hunt!!! Horns up.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10 Krampen