BANNSTEIN (LP)

With their fifth studio album Bannstein, E'S maintain their status as one of the most integral Black Metal bands in the German-speaking world when it comes to concepts, lyrics and atmosphere. After the fiercly maritime Galeere (2009) and the icy Wetterkreuz (2012), mastermind Alboin and his fellow musicians have created an oppressive opus about man's fateful nature and the impossibility to overcome its latent doom.??With years of experience under their belt, E'S have composed and arranged more diverse songs for Bannstein than ever. Dark, menacing Black Metal with classic Nordic riffs and majestic fury is still focal, yet ultimately only the foundation of the album. On top of it, the group heaps deeply melancholic passages (Im Noktuarium, 'ber den Bannstein), painfully sluggish parts and catchy melodies (Fern von Jarichs G'rten) besides thoughtful moments (Im Scho' der welken Bl'tter) that never seem arbitrary but strongly connected with the lyrical content. Thus E'S take an impressive next step towards their artistic peak; on Bannstein, multifaceted Extreme Metal conflates with profound verse to create a multidimensional whole.