Aus der Tiefe

Ortus are one of the newer outfits forged in the endless depths of the German black metal underground. They released two EPs in the past and have now come up with their full length debut “Aus der Tiefe”. The sound is a very traditional one, but Ortus have enough own identity to easily justify their existence and should not be filed under “just another 08/15 Immortal clone”. This album consists of only two songs both of which are approximately around 17 minutes and while this approach might turn out to be a bad idea in a lot of cases Ortus have no problem making those two tracks interesting and grab the listeners attention.

After a nice intro getting the listener into the right mindset “Aus der Tiefe” starts with some blasts joined by memorable and captivating lead harmonies, partially mournful and tragic, in other places epic and a bit more uplifting. There is a certain level of melancholy, pitched against the heavy instrumentation and crawling into the listener’s mind. The guitar lines are one of the highlights here, with some of the themes being picked up more than once, used in similar fashion again with subtle adoptions in later stages of the song. One third into the track things get slowed down a bit while the main lead melodies keep hovering over the cold atmosphere. Ortus take the key notes of the main sequences and vary them throughout to produce something stringent and gripping. They keep providing the listener with substantive, memorable, and surprisingly catchy content so that there is no chance to get bored.

“In nächtlicher Stille” continues where track number one left off. The music provides a sinister and classic vibe and mood, thanks to the atmospheric guitar riffs and the howling vocals. The feel inside is rather hostile and misanthropic, which is well compensated by the melancholy, which is always subtly present over the whole playing time. The tempo is kept in mid-tempo for larger parts, with a few faster sections thrown in for good measure. With the rhythmic content being well structured and properly performed the whole song flies by and is pretty easy to enjoy despite its length. The instrumentation is fantastic and on point, but the greatest aspect surely are how the beautiful melodies have been woven into the overall cold character of the music. Sweeping and epic in scope, yet possessing a raging heart of pure fire and fury, this is the sound true black metal fans should be able to easily get behind. There are some calmer moments and a few small surprising twists, embedded into the music without leading to disruption.

When broken down into detail it could be stated that this is mainly second wave black metal similar to what a lot of their fellow countrymen have offered, honest and true. With a production that combines the best of underground aesthetics with clarity of delivery, the band’s sound is just as stunning as the album’s artwork. The mood of savage enjoyment provided by cold riff magic will keep the listener intrigued for several consecutive spins. There is nothing truly new or innovative to be found here, but as long as classic black metal is produced in a determined way with such a perfect feeling for getting the details right I will not complain. “Aus der Tiefe” is an impressive first statement by a young band and I am pretty sure we will see them making some waves in the scene.