This year has already seen the reawakening of several slumbering Black Metal giants, such as the much anticipated "Esoteric Warfare" after MAYHEM's 7 years of silence. Fans of the notorious underground German Black Metal band EISMALSOTT also have cause to celebrate this year, with this April seeing their first release in a decade; it has been a long 10 years since the release of their 2004 EP "Best Before: Spring" and now they are back with another EP, "Weißblendung". The digipak of this release is limited to just 293 copies, which ironically is still a greater number than the amount of "likes" that EISMALSOTT has on Facebook. However, considering this is an underground band that has been silent for the last 10 years, this is hardly surprising. With this release, EISMALSOTT show that these icy demons have merely been slumbering, and are back with full force to unleash a cacophonous maelstrom of maliciousness unto the unsuspecting world.

This freshly unleashed EP "Weißblendung" has a total play time of just over 20 minutes comprising three tracks, and picks up right where the band left off a decade ago. The first song "Zweifel" is raw, foreboding, and frostbitten, although underpinned by a somewhat uplifting melody. Using excellently executed acoustic guitar parts, howling winds, as well as piano strains to add to the overall atmosphere, this is all amalgamated with grim vocals, heavily distorted guitars, and archetypal Black Metal drumming that serves to lend the track a darker and more twisted undertow. The second track, "Sternleite/Tiefenrausch" is faster-paced, in parts galloping along at an almost breakneck tempo. Even in this track, the lighter and almost exultant overarching melody is evident, although this contrasts the darker parts, helping to make them even more threatening and murky by comparison. Finally the listener is accosted with the title track, "Weissblendung/Titus Oates". This has a very similar opening to the first track, which can slightly perturb the listener's journey through the sepulchre soundscape somewhat. However, with just the right mix of tremolo picking, this song has a slightly more epic yet melancholic feel to it, which rounds off the EP nicely.

Overall, "Weißblendung" is a delectable little morsel, with a decent but raw recording quality which fans of EISMALSOTT will undoubtedly savour (albeit with some trepidation that the band will disappear once more). This is definitely one of the more melodic Black Metal bands that Germany has on offer, with a far more Scandinavian feel than is commonly found in the German scene. I'm sure that it is with bated breath that fans wait to see whether this is a once-off occasion, or whether this is a portent auguring the realisation of dreams of EISMALSOTT's debut album.