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ERNTE - DER SCHWARZEN FLAMME VERMÄCHTNIS
Out February 13 via Purity Through Fire - Ernte’s fourth full-length, Der schwarzen Flamme Vermächtnis, clarifies the project’s intent with unusual discipline. The duo strip their sound back to its most militant components and rebuild it with atmosphere as a mass destructive weapon.
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Häxär’s long background in dark ambient and visual art remains audible, but it no longer softens. Instead, it informs structure and pacing. Songs advance, driven by tremolo riffs locked into near metronomic blast patterns. The production sits in the uncomfortable middle ground, abrasive, yet sharply defined. Every element scrapes, with nothing blurring out. The oft-cited “sparkling filth” description is one hundred percent accurate.
Askahex’s presence is central. Her vocals alternate between traditional high register black metal shrieks and lower, ritualistic deliveries that are declarative, instead of expressive. On “Lord of the Ascending Flame,” spoken passages interrupt forward motion, not to create drama but to impose authority. “Wo sie wandelt” introduces violin and bare percussion, not as folk ornamentation, but as a reminder of pre-modern rhythm and repetition. These elements do not broaden the sound, but simply narrow its focus.
Stylistically, the record aligns with early Dødheimsgard and Manes, with flashes of French turn of the century ferocity, yet Ernte avoid pastiche. The riffs, functional, sometimes deliberately repetitive, prioritizing momentum. This will divide listeners. The repetition is not a failure of ideas, but rather a statement of endurance.
Lyrically and conceptually, Der schwarzen Flamme Vermächtnis rejects modernity without irony or metaphor. Fire, blood, nature, negation. No ambiguity, no commentary layer. Whether one agrees is irrelevant, the conviction is total.
This album documents an oath already taken, rendered in disciplined, hostile sound. Spin it a few times for maximum effect.
SCORE 8/10
Words by LearnTwoExist
In collaboration with Headbangers Australia
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