Flammentriebe

The Austrian band Dornenreich has a solid fifteen years of black and folk metal under its belt. There are some impressive works the band’s discography, like the symphonic "Bitter Ist's Dem Tod Zu Dienen" and the progressive "Durch Den Traum." However, their best work to date was 2008’s stunning acoustic album "In Luft geritzt," arguably the best neo-folk album since Ulver’s "Kveldssanger." It appeared that the band had found a new direction. Well here’s a surprise: their latest release, "Flammentriebe," is an emphatic and aggressive return to metal.

"Flammentriebe" is the heaviest and most hostile Dornenreich album to date. The increase in testosterone starts with a stronger emphasis on Eviga’s vocals. That’s not good news. While Eviga’s enchanting whispers have long been an integral element of Dornenreich’s sound, his “extreme” vocals have never been a highlight. Truthfully, Eviga is not an extreme metal vocalist; he’s just a yeller and a fairly annoying one at that. In the past, Dornenreich has circumvented that problem, either through using another vocalist or by remaining mostly instrumental. However, on "Flammentriebe" Eviga yells his brains out for most of the album.

Another problem is Eviga’s hard hitting riffs often clash with Inve’s violin passages. There are some impressive moments of coherence (i.e. the dramatic culmination of “Wolfpuls”) but far too often the songs suffer awkward clashes as the two musicians fail to find a balance. Violin can work in metal when used correctly (for example, the first few My Dying Bride albums) but if you’re trying to kick someone in the face, leave the string section at home.

On the positive side, there are still excellent acoustic passages scattered throughout the album, mostly at the beginning and end of songs. In these moments the band still sounds top class—too bad they regulated their best material to the limits of the compositions. There is also the instrumental closer, “Erst Deine Träne Löscht Den Brand.” Much more moody and reflective than the rest of the album, the final track travels through gorgeous acoustic passages and cathartic jolts of metal, integrating the violin and guitar beautifully.

Though there are a few bright spots, this is probably the weakest album in the Dornenreich cannon. There are simply too many awkward moments and uneven passages throughout the recording to make it worthwhile. Fortunately, this is a band that likes to change style from recording to recording, so there is hope that this heavier, more brute sound will be abandoned on the next recording. If, however, this album marks a permanent change in direction, then "Flammentriebe" could be the beginning of the end for Dornenreich.

(Originally written for http://www.deafsparrow.com)