Sieben is the latest offering from German black metallers Shrike and it certainly hits all the right notes.
A good blend of energy and aggression, whilst still managing to maintain the atmospheric tone that’s standard in a lot of black metal, whilst it may not contain any massive surprises, it’s a decent enough release and is certainly worth more than just a fleeting listen.
One of the best things about this release is that it’s a seamless listen, with the songs leading well into one another whilst still being seperate entities. It’s almost like the album is a continuous song, but with five very distinct sections within it, which is a good touch, and a particular highlight is penultimate song Von den Farben den Sehnsucht, a slightly slower number that’s wonderfully haunting, with deep and mysterious tones at the start of the track that lead into a fuller sound that’s maintained for the rest of the song.
The release ends with Grimassen, one last all-out burst of energy before finishing with silence, a good way to end it all because it gives the listener a little bit of time to fully digest the album and take it in.
Whilst admittedly it doesn’t contain any surprises or anything that really stands out from the crowd, it’s a good solid release and an all-round great affair.
7/10
