Ellende – Zerfall
Ellende – Zerfall
AOP Records
02/01/2026
9/10
Review by Oli Gonzalez
Just when you think you’ve heard and seen it all in the world of Black Metal, a band like Ellende comes and shakes things up! See, I’ve headbanged to the likes of Emperor, 1349, Carpathian Forest and other seminal genre artists, while seeing names such Schammasch, Ultha, and Der Weg Einer Freiheit offer new and modern twists to the genre. Yet Ellende came and shook things up with their release “Zerfall”. Originally beginning life as a solo project by L.G in Austria – not a traditional Black Metal hotbed – he surely must have been influenced by those earlier artists. Though in a world full of corpse paint, blast beats, and an obscene amount of references to Satan, it’s easy for the genre to become cliché and to get lost in the shuffle. Ellende have clearly observed the masses and gone in a complete opposite direction to achieve a sound that’s fresh and original.
Throughout the album, you’ll find yourself not being pummelled by the usual barrage of blast beats and KVLT shrieks. Rather, there’s a much slower more ambient vibe, and almost post rock feel to the album, such are the inviting and warm shoegaze style guitar leads and melodies. The tones offer a sense of warmth and melody often not associated with the genre, which again is refreshing. Make no mistake though, this is still to be handled with caution. The vocals are fierce throughout, and when it’s needed, the speed can dramatically increase as can the overall intensity, especially when the blast beats come in and the distortion is cranked right up. This is used sparingly, and this scarcity really makes you feel it right to the core.
Can we just sit back and admire some of the gorgeous guitar tones too? What about the cleaner chant-like vocals adding a wonderful juxtaposition to L.G’s harsher shrieks and screams? The extra depth in the sound achieved with the use of strings, bells, and other subtle orchestral elements is a thing of beauty too (‘Ubertritt’ is a great example of these elements combining).
If you listen to an album once, it was probably ok. If you come back for seconds, you know it was good. If you’re on your fourth or fifth listen like me (and will probably have listened to it more by the time this is published) then you know the album was pretty special! If you’re tired of Black Metal cliches and want something fresh and original, the “Nerfall” and Ellende are certainly for you!
TRACKLISTING:
01. Nur
02. Warheit Teil I
03. Warheit Teil II
04. Zerfall
05. Ubertritt
06. Ode ans Licht
07. Zeitenwende Teil I
08. Zeitenwende Teil II
09. Reise
LINKS:
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