Review by Geary of War
Russian black/doom outfit Sterbefall dropped a big slab of heavy this April with ‘Verlorene Zeit’ which is out through on Satanath Records.
With a name which translates to death it is easy to see early on that Sterbefall means business. With their heart on their sleeve the album kicks off with ‘Kvlt’, a bold statement of intent but it works. It has slow brooding moments blended with speedy sections. It’s a true merger of black, doom and aspects of death metal here. ‘Einsamkeit’ comes out swinging but the outstanding melodic sections here let the heavier and faster parts shine. ‘Stirib Nict’ is about gloom and roars at the start which builds into a bleak crescendo. It is excellent black doom. The hook at the end before the gentle outro is sublime. This leads us to ‘Negativ’. Big riffs and mournful strings that Grails would covet is a thing to behold. The snap of the snare demands your attention. This is a doom classic if ever there was one. ‘Abschiedsbrief’ weaves a sorrowful tale before rounding out with slamming riffs. The title track, ‘Verlorene Zeit’ has a truly grand opening; the rasping and roaring shatter the moment of beauty to remind you that there is something grim around the corner. It is that special. The best way to describe this track is as a journey, it has so many layers and twists that it’s a joy to revisit.
‘Verbogene Gras’ is a big track, very big. The riff halfway through? You will give it your best George Takei and say, “oh my”. Yes it is that good. Which is not to say the rest of the track is not worth your attention because it is, all 6 minutes and 39 seconds of it. Have a craving for huge thunderous riffs? Have no fear, with ‘Augenblick’ we have you covered. From the ‘bring the house down’ heavy to a soaring section that will have you reaching for an air guitar (the one that’s tuned down of course) the full scope of the band’s talent is on show again. This is instrumental brilliance. This is a gem of an album and worth your time, get it on and up loud.
https://www.facebook.com/sterbefallband
https://sterbefallband.bandcamp.com/
The Killchain 