Felsenreich- Tiefe

“German lads Felsenreich give us 13 pieces compromised of dark metallic gothic rock not unlike Century Media darlings Moonspell or Europe’s prominent Lacrimosa with a stellar clarity of classical influences neatly laced around their inner demons. They seem to enjoy creating a grandeur sense of dramatic ambiance Victorian style and the carnivorous gloomy dark rock that beats with fiery life as foreboding anthems are shed from the moonlight. Lush violin strings arch in a cacophony frenzy towards the funeral procession “Nightmare” and their bleak rock doesn’t let up for much air either on “Island Part 2” where sorrow reigns and the classical passages seem to only increase towards praises to an underworld on edgy Germanic horizons. “Am Meer” and “Die Bruke” shows a style much in the same vein as Atrocity and Type ‘O Negative armed to the teeth with violins, horns, and subtle electronics jumping nihilistically about. The avalanche anthem “Ein Hauch” roars proudly in their native language that’s a prime example of raw gothic metal well composed and perspiring pints of dismal sonics and high aesthetics only the Europeans can capture so precise. “Use the Fire” and “Starchild” explores much the same territory while the desolate ballad “In My Dreams” at this point slows things down here in an acoustic version showing this dark outfit has a heart that still doesn’t seem to shake off their melancholic character. On “Angel” Felsenreich seems to have lost their metal edge and gravitated towards a more stripped down gothic rock sound with a slight dance edge as does the following track “Animal” that pens an epilogue to the land beyond the forest with keen vision. “Desert” morphs back into their cold metal guise with their orchestral prowess at their disposal lit like hallways. The last track and instrumental piece “Januar” goes into much more electronic territory abandoning all that had come before but certainly not eschewing the darkness. Your almost left wondering if your were listening to the same record. While Felsenreich might not come across to some as breaking new ground they do know how to craft deviant and lustful hard hitting ballads, and they really care about their work with the cd booklet layout getting a 10 for stunning photography and art. Strongly recommended to fans of Tanzwut, ASP, Chamber, etc.” –Marcos

www.felsenreich.de