If ever a CD that I’ve been sent to review has taken me out of my comfort zone then it’s this one by Cumulo Nimbus. Not only am I unfamiliar with the band, but I’m also unfamiliar with their genre of metal. And my lack of information on them isn’t helped by the fact that they sing in German and their CD insert, website and Myspace page are utterly devoid of anything in English. Whoops, looks like I’m in for a harder time than I thought then. I have been reliably informed that Cumulo Nimbus is of the same ilk as other German bands like In Extremo and Subway to Sally which would give me something to contrast them with except it doesn’t help because I haven’t heard of them either.

Hailing from Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria, most notable thus far for being the place Adolf Hitler wrote ‘Mein Kampf’ whilst serving prison time in 1924, the band were formed as the new millennium dawned in 2000 and play what they term Renaissance inspired metal. Nearly 10 years on Mathis, Erik and Pat (vocals, guitar and drums respectively) remain the only founding members of the band. Although they were quickly joined by Carolynn on recorder the following year and Lady Doro on violin in 2003, so the line up has been stable for quite some time, with the only position recently changed being that of the bass player. At this point they had all of the component parts to produce what we might term standard folk metal. However, perhaps due to the fact they come from a renowned Renaissance city on the famous Romantic Road they aspired to produce music more in keeping with that specific heritage rather than be a part of the medieval metal movement sweeping Germany at the time. Luckily they had the collective ability to play instruments rooted in the Renaissance such as the huemmelchen, lute, viola, mandolin, flute and crumhorn.

‘Totensonntag’, which translates into English as ‘Remembrance Sunday’ is the bands 3rd album overall and debut disc on the Black Bards label. Signing to this label provides them with a general release album for the first time, which is surely evidence of growing interest and a higher profile. The thing that strikes me immediately about this CD is the way the rock instrumentation and the folk elements are blended almost equally. This is something I hadn’t expected since usually they are only used to add flavour by other bands. After the seemingly obligatory intro these days lasting under a minute, the album kicks off properly with ‘Carpe Noctem’ and this put me in mind of the Eurovision song contest which didn’t exactly inspire me with confidence at the time. However, due to their mastery of numerous instruments and their willingness to use them it quickly became evident that this is an album of some quality and considerable variety. I would describe the metal on offer as more driving than brutal but it plays off nicely against the other instruments which at times lend weight to the rock instruments but at other times provide hauntingly melancholic contrasts. The vocal interplay between Mathis and Carolynn on several songs is also a strong feature that works well.

Ten years ago before we had opened our eyes to the possibility that metal could be fused with other European forms of music or sung in a language other than English I would have simply dismissed this without even lending it an ear. However, I’m pleased to say that times have changed in general and for me in particular. This album has riff heavy songs (Aderlass), drinking songs (Flussig Gold), orchestral pieces (Stadt Unter Wasser) and ballads (Blutrote Segel). Being an out and out metal head there are still parts of this release that I would find challenging live, mostly notably the softer elements but I think there is enough in it to suggest that anyone would find something of value and to their individual taste. The thing that makes this a really good album is the fact that no matter the type of song or whatever its inspiration it has melody in abundance. I’ll not say that I could listen to this album all the time but I definitely will when the mood takes me. And if the bonus video of ‘Aderlass’ at the Celtic Rock Festival earlier this year is anything to go by they would be worth watching live as they certainly rocked out on that song and got the crowd going. Overall this is a pretty decent album and I hope our paths cross at some point on the festival circuit.

http://www.myspace.com/cumulonimbusll
http:/www.cumulo-numbus.de

Richard Lawson

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