Are you ready to embrace the elements? Careful as this time you may well get scorched! Last album from Austrian duo Inve and Eviga was ‘In Luft Geritzt’ (Scribed In Air) [all translations to songs provided by Google so may not be totally accurate] which despite having Dornenreich’s normal passion and maturity was slightly lighter and indeed airier than we have heard from them in the past. Now a few years later we move onto ‘Flammentreibe’ (Flame Shoots) which to be clichéd really does have a hot headed mindset and a highly fiery spark about it. The pair (now bolstered by drummer Dragomir) have always contrasted elements of light and dark by combining acoustic and blackened parts to their music. ‘In Luft Geritzt’ sat on the light side of the scales but now the balance teeters over the precipice and it is quickly established that we are again peering over the abyss and entering a much heavier elemental with less emphasis on acoustic and neo-folk elements than before. That is not saying they are not there too but the heaviness really makes its presence felt.
Soft whispers and gentle strum ignite the match as ‘Flammenmensch’(Flame Man) is approached but he quickly explodes in a welter of concussive drums, rabid yaps and strumming guitars. It’s impossible not to be caught up in the fervour as this really is incendiary stuff which burns at both ends, impossible to put out. Eviga goes into near temper tantrum vocally and although I do not know exactly what he is singing about (German lyrics) he sounds mighty pissed. It does make a slight change hearing the return of a guitar assault rather than violin but we know those are going to have their voice before long too and the rage is slightly abated by a splash of acoustic guitar smouldering before the song makes a final flourish to end with bombastic flair. Then the violins of ‘Der wunde Trieb’ (The Drive Wound) flirt around the guitars and install a wonderful sense of melody as the two cut a mad dervish around the vocals. This is ‘sturm und drang’ and boy is it passionate as it envelopes and takes you over. In case you wondered the band name actually translates as thorny and if you listen to the guitar work heralding in ‘Tief im Land’ (Deep Within The Land) you will see why this is so apt. There are some really dreamy and evocative parts to ‘Wolfpuls’ (Wolf Pulse) and these are tempered by heavy chugging guitar parts, heavy as lead. It’s like combing a lullaby with a storm, the cradle is rocked and as the tree is hit by lightning falls to its doom.
Half way through and it is obvious that there is not a shred of filler here and that the album has been written over time with exquisite attention to detail. It should also be mentioned that the artwork looks gorgeous and I am sure if you get the full package rather than rely on download, as much attention has be given to the packaging as the music itself. ‘In allem Weben’ (which apparently means ‘In Particular, Weaving’) really drags you through a hedge backwards, here the jagged guitar and throbbing bass are particularly tumultuous and it is impossible to listen without fist slamming and neck cracking action in time with the music. Finally we arrive at last track and I say finally but the album is only a fraction over the ¾ of an hour mark but it just seems so damn epic. ‘Erst deine Träne löscht den Brand’ (Your Tears Only Extinguish The Fire) is more ponderous and reflective as the acoustic strains take over, has the fire been extinguished? No, it has life in it still but this excellent instrumental closer definitely acts as its rite of passage.
It’s a bit too early to get excited about albums of the year but this should certainly be a contender, there is so much emotion packed into this that Flammentreibe has the scope to be a timeless album, it is one whose impact is going to be remembered for a long time and is an eternal flame that burns oh so brightly!
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