CoC : Dornenreich - Her Von Welken Nachten : Review

Dornenreich - _Her Von Welken Nachten_
(Prophecy Productions, 2001)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10)

Your average band Dornenreich most certainly are not. These Austrians manage to build an obscure atmosphere around their music, one of genius combined with a good pinch of insanity, that keeps the listener wondering what will come next. Not only can their riffing go from blackened to something with a gothic flavour, they often add violin, and occasionally piano and cello, into the mix. In addition to this, their vocalist sings and screams, whispers and whimpers along in an unpredictable manner (all in German, by the way). The songs vary from subdued pieces based on various acoustic strings and tortured, mostly whispered vocals, to songs full of catchy riffs, choruses and melodies, and to passages that borrow from the blacker or doomier side of the spectrum. The tortuous, dark, yet silky acoustic pieces aren't any less important than the harsher sections, as evidenced about midway through the record. Instrumental prowess, compositional madness and brilliance, and often unexpected yet interesting vocals combine with the strong sound (courtesy of Markus Stock, of Empyrium fame) and the lush, sad violin and cello passages to create a very unique record. Some of the German sung goth-like vocals get on my nerves, however, and on a couple of occasions the band also uses them in rather repetitive choruses to tiresome effect. A few of the riffs are somewhat upbeat and seem inconsistent with the dark atmosphere that pervades most of the record -- which is the downside of the album's otherwise enjoyable variety --, but they do not occur too frequently. Still, I would have gotten rid of a couple of passages in this hour-long album -- i.e., most of the third and seventh tracks. Nevertheless, _Her Von Welken Nachten_ reeks of individuality and talent, and is at the very least worthy of a good number of listens before passing judgement. Personally, I find most of the record quite brilliant -- in a slightly insane sort of way.

(article published 19/10/2001)

ALBUMS
30/5/2014	P Azevedo	9	Dornenreich - Freiheit
26/2/2011	P Azevedo	9	Dornenreich - Flammentriebe
2/7/2008	P Azevedo	8	Dornenreich - In Luft geritzt
12/1/2007	P Azevedo	8	Dornenreich - Durch Den Traum