Endstille - Verfuhrer
Regain Records
Brutal Black Metal
9 songs (46'47")
Release year: 2009
Regain Records
Reviewed by Alex

As inevitable as the sun rising in the East, death and taxes is apparently the fact that Germans Endstille are not going to turn away from aggressive brutal black metal. The band’s imagery and lyrics harkening to World War II causing some controversy with a few commentators invoking the right-wing allegiances, I was heartened to read the interview with the band in Metal Maniacs some time ago, where just the opposite point of view was established. My original read on the band was correct. Endstille believe in brutality of war and portray it as such. They do not long for slaughter, and do not espouse the annihilation of certain population segments in the course of it, but once the hostilities unfold, somebody must remind us all that carnage is going to be real, bloody and vicious. The politicians need to keep this message handy.

Verfuhrer, depicting one of German Kaisers on the cover in his butcher “work clothes”, is another one of those Sherman tanks of an album Endstille creates. Spending 80% in non-stop blasting, with guitars turning in a complete buzzsaw, the band has an interesting ability to twist my mind into an interesting state of trance. Endstille are unique for me in this aspect, as Marduk causes me boredom, and Torch of War simply hurts my ears. Endstille do mean to hurt on Verfuhrer, just they like they did on all of their previous albums, but their approach is somehow surgically captivating. This is some isolationist music, it puts you in a shell, oblivious to the happenings outside, mesmerizing the feelings, like a rabbit peering into the eyes of a cobra. Just witness Monotonusn, the song title revisited on many Endstille albums.

If you want to understand the level of electricity coming from Lars Wachtfels’ guitar, listen to a piece at the beginning of Depressive/Abstract/Banished/Despised before the drums come in. The guitars can be so fuzzed out, they can feel as wind blowing texture, this breeze having as much warmth as midwinter bluster. Although if you close your eyes you can feel melodies coming through this barbaric wall of sound ( … Of Disorder, Symptoms). Iblis is full of soul tearing screams, but at time he goes wholly demented as at the end of the two aforementioned cuts. The Endstille machine rarely slows down, but when they do and Mayhemic Destructor switches to pounding double bass the effect is deliberate and is most devastating (Suffer in Silence, Dead).

Verfuhrer, just like Endstilles Reich before it, can not be your average daily soundtrack. This music is just way too intense, but as an extreme metal fan I am proud that I get it. Endstille has one of those sounds when you need to get yourself in the mood of determined stubborn stupor, when you want to feel that in this feat of grim resolve you can’t be denied. If it is a brick wall standing in your way, just break through it. Finding the way around is for the meek.

I know I am speaking out of both corners of my mouth criticizing Necrophobic one week for being too aggressive and now praising Endstille for leaving no prisoners, but this has more to do with preconceived notions and expectations. I expected a bulldozer to come roaring and it did it full force.

Killing Songs :
... Of Disorder, Depressive/Abstract/Banished/Despised, Dead
Alex quoted 78 / 100
Other albums by Endstille that we have reviewed:
Endstille - Infektion 1813 reviewed by Tony and quoted 78 / 100
Endstille - Endstilles Reich reviewed by Alex and quoted 75 / 100
1 readers voted
Average:
 75
You did not vote yet.
Vote now

There are 3 replies to this review. Last one on Thu Jun 04, 2009 12:17 am
View and Post comments