Review ELLENDE “Todbringerin”

“Todbringerin”, that’s the title of Ellende’s latest release. The Austrian black metal force is releasing an album with a title that sounds familiar to fans of the band, was it “Todbringer” that escaped from the muddy ground already in 2016. A quick look at the tracklist also shows familiar song titles and indeed, “Todbringerin” is the re-recording of the band’s second longplayer.

What’s obviously different is the artwork of “Todbringerin”. The painting by L.G. aka “Farbbringer” is inspired by Jan Vermeer’s “Het Melkmeisje” and fits the music of the album like a glove. The morbid beauty of the artwork is also present in the songs on this release.

Melancholic and blackened clouds wrapping the human soul, that is the vibe of an album that transmits emotions. Sun darkening screams full of desperation give songs like “Scherben Teil II” and “Ballade auf den Tod” a hellish intensity that has increased in comparison to the “Todbringer” album. It’s the harsh blasts, the atmospheric moments and the alternation between the two that is the tension-giving element of Ellende and “Todbringerin”.

Ellende’s new longplayer shows the range of black metal and how widely extreme metal can be interpreted. The album and the band don’t stick to the usual framework of the genre. Instead, the band’s approach is a broader one, with music that creates a mournful atmosphere where sadness and despair push all the sunrays of life far into the background. This makes the album a touching moment that you can’t easily escape. It’s almost like listening to a new subgenre – funeral blackened metal.