Review FOLTERKAMMER ‘Weibermacht’

Rarely have genius and madness stood so close together as with this band – Folterkammer. Either you love this album or you wish you would have never heard of the band. I don’t think there’s much room in between.

Even though Folterkammer chose a German name and album title, the band hails from NYC and some of you might know their debut album ‘Die Lederprediger’. The first longplayer was released in 2020 and now comes the sophomore release ‘Weibermacht’.

Andromeda Anarchia, Zachary Ezrin, Brendan McGowan, Darren Hanson and Laurent David, these five musicans form this thrilling band. The five-piece covers a niche by blending black and symphonic metal, all with the added treat of an operatic charm. To get an idea of the sound of such an unusual fusion, the band has already released four songs as an appetizer for this revolutionary album.

Listening to ‘Weibermacht’ is a breathtaking experience and I can recommend listening to ‘Die Unterwerfung’ as the song contains the widest range of trademarks. It starts with a German poem and what follows is a pitch black metal song with Andromeda Anarchia switching between screeching and operatic vocals. Metal meets Wagner meets Nina Hagen, this is how you can describe the sound of Folterkammer and what comes out of the speakers is something unique. And if you are wondering why a band from New York is singing in German, Andromeda Anarchia is originally from Switzerland, which means that German is the mother tongue.

Folterkammer is the brainchild of Imperial Triumphant’s Zach Ezrin, and the original idea was to have Andromeda Anarchia sing on the latest Imperial Triumphant album. The idea and the collaboration triggered so much fun that the new project grew and the foundation of Folterkammer was laid.

‘Weibermacht’ makes you feel uncomfortable – in a good way. There is something unpleasant about it, and at the same time the album offers a good amount of melodies and hooks to immediately connect with songs like ‘Leck mich!’. Titles and lyrics are also provocative and borderline. Folterkammer does this in a way that is more subtle than a band like Rammstein. I have to admit that I am one of the people who love this disturbing album because it is far away from mainstream and commerce.

Folterkammer follow their musical ideal, which leads to a very innovative release and will leave a deep and anarchic footprint.