Zyklus
Wandar
For those who don't get the right idea, Black Metal wasn't born in Scandinavia. Although VENOM was only a form of MOTORHEAD musically fused with the aesthetics of Punk Rock using satanic lyrics, and not properly what Black Metal would be in the future, they were the band that started it all. And as time passed by, a phenomenon happened: the Black Metal trademark sound from a country. It means that bands from Norway have their own way of sound, the same goes for Sweden, Greece, and Germany. Then WANDAR can be said as a band that really depicts German Black Metal, as "Zyklus" states.
German Black Metal trademark sound is a mix between the brutality and crude format of the genre with darkened and melancholic ambiances. It means that it's aggressive and melancholic melodic, and that's the way that the quintet does. Obviously they show their own musical identity, using cellos, violin and soprano voices in some moments (yes, some Symphonic Metal darkened elements can be hears), but always being aggressively cold and sharp. The production of "Zyklus" is a work signed by the band itself. Once more, a trademark work was done, because it's something usual for Black Metal bands from Germany: something that is crude and dense, but guided by the idea that the fan must understand what's being played. The instrumental tunes used are as raw and putrid as it were created by instrumental gears from the 90's.
The quintet prefers to express their musical work with long songs that lasts something between eight minutes (only one of them lasts less than five minutes), so "Winden" (a fine mix of somber melodies with harsh parts, focused on aggressive guitars), the oppressive dark ambience of "Tothfall", the contrasts of tempos presented on "Fylgia", and the sinister outfit shown on "Heimgang" can be set as the album's finest moments. For those who are into German Black Metal, or even that prefers something raw that keeps those crude ambiences of the past, "Zyklus" was created for you. Hear it out loud and see what WANDAR has to offer.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Zyklus" Track-listing:
1. Winden
2. Tothfall
3. Fylgia
4. Rast
5. Se(e)hen
6. Heimgang
7. Basalt
Wandar Lineup:
Skoll von Kallenheim - Vocals
Karlsgrad - Guitars
Zazhgul - Guitars
Sigurdur - Bass
Totz - Drums
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