The Black House

I heard "The Black House" was a very good album and I saw the reviews on this website so I bought it on the strength of what I've seen and heard, and I must say I am very impressed indeed. Nearly every song here starts like a runaway train crashing into your house and everyone involved with this record, particularly Krieg kommander Imperial, puts everything they've got and more into each and every track. Imperial sings and screeches as if he's being tortured, and for once this may not be an exaggeration, at least where writing the songs and recording them are concerned for the album is themed around the mental and psychological problems Imperial has suffered for many years. One track in particular, "Fleshprison Monolith", must have been really painful for Imperial to perform: he screams here as if someone was pulling out all his nails slowly and the howling is just too much even for a listener to bear, to say nothing of what Imperial and the other guys must have had to put up with.

The musical delivery is very strong, brutal and aggressive, and the pace is usually very fast but most songs have clear and definite riffs and rhythms, or are distinctive in some way. "Fleshprison Monolith" and the following track, "Fallen Princes of Sightless Visions" feature some very severe and throat-shredding vocal histrionics by Imperial; by way of contrast, "A process of Dying", an all-instrumental piece, simply rushes headlong into an unknown disaster zone with furiously scrabbing lead guitar growing ever more chaotic and deranged, and ending in a long droney screech. Later on there is "Ruin Under a Burning Sky" which introduces itself with an ear-splitting roar from Imperial, so loud it could knock out a herd of African bull elephants; the rest of the track features quite a few blastbeats and plenty of growling and is pretty much a footnote to that scream but it is still very powerful.

The inclusion of the Velvet Underground song "Venus in Furs" can be a bit strange as it's the slowest and quietest song and Imperial reduces his voice to a growling narrative-styled delivery so it does stick out a lot and takes some getting used to. However there is a dark and sinister reptilian ambience and the song's lyrics fit in with the album's theme. The use of a viola during the chorus heightens the haunted, creepy feel of the song. The outro piece "Rooms", obviously a reference to the recesses of Imperial's troubled mind, is a natural follow-on from "Venus ..." and could even be an extension of it: it is an ambient piece with the sound of waves running up and down a beach, mirroring perhaps the ebb and flow of the dreams and nightmares that torment Imperial so.

Generally the strongest part of "The Black House" is in the middle of the album (tracks 4 - 8 which include the tracks mentioned in the second paragraph) though perhaps the important tracks are "Venus in Furs" and "Rooms" since they directly address the album's theme. This is not to say earlier tracks are slouches - "Deconstructing the Eternal Tombs" is actually a strong opener to the album with a great driving rhythm and a batter of bass-heavy guitars kicking off the track and then some complex urgent percussion work and riffs coming in later - it's just that the album hits a peak about halfway-through and sustains it there for a number of songs thanks to excellent all-round musicianship led and inspired by Imperial and the extremes he goes to, and the ideas the musicians throw in as well. With music as searing as this, the production really has to take a back-seat which it does to let the raw quality and emotional intensity come through; you certainly feel the rawness, brutality and agony of Imperial's inner torment and his need to exorcise his demons in his music.

The CD sleeve photos of the derelict farmhouse shot in black and white are fitting for this recording: you look at them and start to feel cold and uneasy at the ghosts and secrets hiding behind those dead peeling timbers. This is "The Black House" indeed.

I should add too that if you are not familiar with Krieg's music, this is a good album to introduce yourself to him; there is plenty of black metal here but all songs have melody and are all written very well, plus the musicians play with a lot of spirit and belief in themselves and the music.