Release date: 7th December
Well, this is rather impressive. Unterm Gipfelthron is the third full-length release from black/folk metal outfit Rauhnåcht and it’s one of those albums you’ll keep wanting to come back to.
Getting off to a powerful start with first track Zwischen den Jahren, the melodies coupled with the aggressive vocals and wall of guitars really give the track an extra punch, as the two juxtaposing approaches work well in making the song memorable. Another great inclusion is third track Gebirgsbachreise, which is almost entirely melodic, and adds a nice bit of ambience to the album, with just a little bit of guitars for effect.
One of the best elements of the album is the versatility of the vocal performance. The layered clean vocals sound stunning (just listen to the line at 2:45 in fourth track Ein Raunen aus vergess’ner Zeit!) and the harsh vocals have this wonderfully raw quality to them that adds a stunning roughness to the melodies underneath. Additionally, the more folky instrumental sections really make the album sound refreshing and give it a more unique vibe, blending in nicely amongst the more traditionally black metal ideas.
Unterm Gipfelthron may have been my first insight into Rauhnåcht, but you can be certain that I’ll be immersing myself into this project’s back catalogue as well. This is an exciting and engaging piece that stands out for all the right reasons, and is an album that should not be missed.
9.5/10
