Review Summary: While strictly adhering to the original ideals of the underground one-man black metal project (programmed drums, harsh mixing, and an overall bedroom recording vibe), Kravt durch Krebs now focuses on deeper immersion. With an abundance of ambient elements
I was introduced to Kravt durch Krebs by my friend and coworker, who sent me Schmerzkorper. This 2021 album was a raw black metal work, very primordial and simple, featuring both good and bad aspects of underground amateur production. Full of angst, basic recording, and sordid sound, this German act never stood out from the European black metal stable, possessing a certain value to the inner circle of local fans and (as I got it from the available public descriptions) the author himself.
Four years later, a slew of new releases was uploaded to Spotify, with Schmerzlernen among them. This caught my attention, and I gave it a spin – this time, Knecht Geiper made something much deeper and diverse.
While strictly adhering to the original ideals of the underground one-man black metal project (programmed drums, harsh mixing, and an overall bedroom recording vibe), Kravt durch Krebs now focuses on deeper immersion. With an abundance of ambient elements implemented throughout the release, the atmosphere of empty snow fields and nameless humans buried among them now is stronger than ever. The sounds of footsteps crackling the thin ice crust, an ethereal keyboard avalanche, and unedited acoustic riffs build up a massive presence of something filled with solitude, omnipotence, and everbeing.
In a way that reminds one of early Liturgy, all this is shifting to classic black metal pieces with no apparent beginning or end. Spoken word lyrics in German also gain additional weight in such surroundings.
After all, Schmerzlernen turned out to be a huge step forward in both quality and songwriting for the band, showcasing great potential and captivating storytelling.
