Fäulnis, based in Hamburg, have been active since 2003 with three albums out, and have always stood out for a thick and gloomy sound that sometimes trespassed on depressive moods. The new album continues on the same path, but at the same time is characterized by rock-influences that you can hear throughout the album, already at the beginning of the first song “Grauen”; sometimes these rock influences are more evident, such as in a connective passage of in “Weil wegen Verachtung” that has a very rock-like pace. Nevertheless Snuff || Hiroshima is an album of genuine and extreme black metal. In some ways it manages to overcome the previous albums, because of a more melodic approach and above all because it manages to be more engaging and compelling. I think this is what was missing in Gehirn und zwischen Wahn Sinn (2009); From this point of view Snuff || Hiroshima marks a big step forward in particular as regards song-writing. All songs are well structured and have a big deal of variation. Excellent production, clear and clean sounds and I also really appreciated singer Seuche’s dramatic interpretation of the texts. If I had to choose some highlights, I would point at the opener “Grauen”, for its not fast, but compelling pace, “Abgrundtief” and “Paranoia”, for their beautiful melodies in tremolo and mid-tempo, “Atomkinder und Vogelmenschen” for the intense atmosphere.
Very beautiful also the tormented and obsessed texts, all in German; they are about paranoia, disease, malaise: “Begreifst es nicht, Du bist allein / Du liegst da und bist ein Krüppel” (‘You can’t understand it, you are alone / you are lying there and you are a cripple’; quated from “Grauen”).
Well, Snuff || Hiroshima is a wonderful album to listen to again and again in all its aspects; his depressive shades will also appeal to the lovers of SDBM. A shame that such an amazing album has not received the attention it deserved so far.
Notes:
Release date: February 28 2014 on Cold Dimensions. Fäulnis is the German for ‘putrefaction’.
Tracklist:
1. Grauen
2. Weil wegen Verachtung
3. Distanzmensch, verdammter!
4. Abgrundtief
5. Paranoia
6. Durch die Nacht mit...
7. In Ohnmacht
8. Atomkinder und Vogelmenschen
9. Hiroshima
Personnel:
Seuche: Vocals
N.G.: Drums
P.K.: Bass
N.N: Guitars
M.R.M: Guitars
Text by Herjann
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