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Eïs > Wetterkreuz > Reviews
Eïs - Wetterkreuz

A Blustery Journey - 85%

TheStormIRide, November 2nd, 2012

Eïs is a black metal band hailing from Germany. “Wetterkreuz” is the third full length by the band as Eïs. They actually released three full length albums and an EP as Geïst, before some upstart rock band from Chicago threatened litigation over the use of the name. Rather than go into court and face copyright battles, the band switched their name in 2010, persevering under the new moniker. “Wetterkreuz” boasts two thirds of the band's founding members, Alboîn (guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals) and Marlek (drums).

Starting the album with a cold and desolate introduction, EÏS set the mood right from the beginning. You're greeted by wind howling over a desolate, otherwise soundless landscape. Some slight deep ambient keyboard notes drone along while a spoken word piece is done in German. A subtle guitar line builds up under the wind and droning, playing a very melancholy tinged minor key segment. The harrowing and haunting beginning lasts around two minutes until a full on black metal assault strikes from out of nowhere, with fast paced dynamic riffing and near blast beat drumming.

For the most part, Eïs performs a rather dissonant while epic form of black metal with a very grandiose atmosphere. The music is tends to stay mid paced and very thick, with a lot to take in at once. Tracks like “Wetterkreuz” may start with a slower introduction, with slower picked notes and minimalistic drumming, but Eïs always goes back to mid paced to fast black metal. Hell, the same track even shows Eïs toying with slower, almost doom like monolithic moments, with distant keys and melodic yet distorted guitar work floating over, but it still delves back into mid paced black metal without a second glance. With most of the songs near or over the ten minute mark, the band blows through a lot of ideas, while managing to keep the desolate, windy introduction in mind, as the general feeling of this album is cold and unforgiving.

The cold wind seems to be an omnipresent entity during “Wettenkreuz”, as you can hear it blowing away with abandon between every track. The segues and introductions between songs allow for some breathing room, as Eïs's brand of black metal has a lot going on and a lot to process. Triumphant and grandiose orchestrations stray in occasionally and accentuate the blasting black metal. Thankfully, Eïs doesn't get all wanky: the keyboards accentuate the music with a bombastic feel rather than becoming distraction or focal point. Rather than a squelchy, high pitched rasp, EÏS opts for hoarsely shouted, mid range vocals that don't steal the show away from the instrumentation.

The drums are fast and frenzied, rarely relenting for the entire album. Marlek's work primarily consists of very fast running on the double bass with controlled and melodic cymbal work floating over top. When the general tempo of the songs slow down, he switches to a slower pace with a lot of fast paced fills and tom rolls, while the bass hits a slower double kick alternated with slower and shorter double bass runs. The guitar work is a true highlight, as Alboîn's playing is a type of restrained chaos. The riffs, while mostly mid paced distorted chord strumming, with minor key extrapolations (sounding similar to Immortal at the height of their epic glory), switch to high gear with the greatest of ease. Alboîn really hits his stride when the guitar lines go into faster trem picked territories. Unlike most atmospheric black metal bands, Eïs throws in some grooving, thrashy riffs alongside the epic trem riffing, which keep the band from straying into a monotonous atmospheric snooze fest.

Eïs's “Wettenkreuz” is a harrowing and cold journey through the realms of epic, mid paced, atmospheric black metal. The band is not afraid of speeding things up or slowing down, which really helps keep this a listenable monolith of epic proportions. Although the band brings nothing new to the table, this is still a mammoth album. EÏS may not have forged their own style, but “Wetterkreuz” is an excellent epic journey through the wind and cold that all fans of black metal should take. Highly recommended to fans of later period Immortal.