These Germans are classed as death metal/grindcore although reading their history on their website, they are more comfortable known simply as guitar-laden rock. Well, downtuned noise, experimental rock/metal is what I would say. If you are a fan of Neurosis and maybe Cave In, this may be your thing, although Eisenvater’s style is pretty individual and not that similar to the aforementioned bands in terms of aggression, but simply by the experimental off the wall approach you hear. There are certain doom elements to their sound riddled throughout the album that make it an interesting listen.
This is another album this month from the same label I have been given to review, and again an album in the German language. This however sits more comfortably with this style of music and gives the whole disc an atmosphere all of its own it has to be said. ‘Rücksicht’ has a huge experimental theme running through it, there is nothing technically wonderful, the arrangement is well put together and there is certainly some choice out of tune chords on display, the heavy gruff, almost death grunt vocals work out nice. ‘Hunger’ begins like a White Zombie groove, aha they just can’t resist, and their disjoined chord arrangements with many harmonics come in eventually. It actually makes you listen hard to the album, it’s certainly not an album that you can put on in the background, you have to be very attentive to hear everything that is going on.
‘Vater Kommt!’ (Father Comes!) has a punishing heavy bass line when it kicks in at the start, whilst Markus Lipka’s vocals are low and command your attention. The track itself does not hold your attention like those gone before; there is a more straightforward traditional arrangement, no off the wall indiscretions here! ‘Biest’ uses the guitars tremolo to full effect changing the pitch of the guitars all the time, then when the verses come in there are elements of rock and roll riffs and even some of the ideas that Therapy? came up with towards the millennium. The guitar solo teases you into normality then it goes off on a tangent again. The whole album has made me think a fair bit, this is so different to the usual music I tend to listen too I am quite taken back by it all. The quality of arrangements once you “get it” is pretty clever in my book.
I cannot really say much more about this release, you need to go to their website and listen to the album as it streamed in its entirety. As I have said before, you have to give this album time and preferably in ones own space with all the doors and windows closed. It is quite an intense amalgamation of ideas of eclectic metal coupled with doom undertones.
http://www.myspace.com/Eisenvatercom
http://www.eisenvater.com/
http://www.unundeux.de
