The cover artwork will let your mind travel to other times and places. The music will act as such, too. The German language will not be irritating at all; it's a part of the journey, dammit. The non-Metal instruments help out, in addition. ARATHORN's new album, Treue & Verrat (meaning Faithful & Betrayal, as a result of some dictionary research) does not resemble to the average Black Metal album expected by Folter Records, I would dare stating. Still, it's good company.
ARATHORN is not a new band. They were shaped in 1996, focusing on delivering what someone would refer to as 'Medieval Black Metal'; it's essential to write that ARATHORN would not let their style be deteriorated by only the Northern Black Metal ideals. Hence, the use of 'dark ages' keyboards contradicted rather elegantly in 1997's Niemals Kroenender Als Was Einst War debut CD. Hailed with much of enthusiasm by open-minded Black Metal fans, it took not less than eleven years to have a brand new full-length CD from this Berlin act.
Arathorn was Aragorn's father in Lord of the Rings; you can judge - out of this fact and only - what kind of 'trip' ARATHORN will bring you to. The use of 'alien to Metal music' instruments, such as the flute, does give this extra blend of 'some other time, some other place' dimension. The blastbeats parts are rather limited, leaving most of the portion for the epic/pagan/folk ideas to be developed. Things are rather atmospheric in Treue & Verrat, not only due to the efficient use of 'lunar' keyboards but also due to the specific songwriting and the fluent use of acoustic guitars. The vocals are mainly poetic/narrative while few are the times you'd listen to some blackened singing.
The production is neither flat nor fat. The bass stands back in the mix, maybe willing to participate in some 'frost' summary. The acoustic guitars' sound is crystal clear; so are the vocals (enough of choir singing will you find, too). Still, when things go 'Balck', some of the old-school sound bursts out. Not to forget: as I read in Folter Records' artist page, the lyrics focus both on the German mythology and the Nibelung realms. Wish I knew German...
Whoever likes his Black Metal heroic, medieval, folk and pagan, should definitely check this album. A nice surprise by a band(?) considered dead the last years.