BERGRIZEN has been at the forefront of Ukrainian Black Metal for around 15 years. In those years multi-instrumentalist Myrd'raal, founder and single member, saw his fair share of strife and turmoil which, in turn, has been infused into his catalogue of seven full-length albums plus splits, live albums, and videos. However, the strife and turmoil that was poured into his latest album, “Die Falle,” released on December 21, 2023 via Purity Through Fire, is far more intense and urgent than any previous release by BERGRIZEN.

Based in Kyiv City, BERGRIZEN has been at the heart of the Ukrainian/Russian conflict. “Die Falle” (trans: the trap), then, is a transcript from ground zero. In his words: “It’s exceedingly difficult to write music when the missiles are flying over your head and smashing buildings on the streets. It’s difficult when you are sitting without electricity twelve hours per day, or sometimes even more than twenty-four hours. We weren’t sure that we would be able to finish Die Falle, but we wanted to say something about the situation on our country through music.”

The album balances gristle and raw grit with melody and thoughtful songwriting and underscores it all with a chilling Atmospheric grayscape. The first two tracks consume almost one half of the album, each spanning over 11 minutes.

Track one, “Ich Vergresse Nicht” (trans: I don’t forget), eases us in with a frosty Ambient intro before shifting to a scathing BM assault which fuses the orchestral with the harsh tremolo and racing tempo. This oscillates once or twice before just stacking everything together pushing us to the bitter end. If track one introduces us to the hellscape, track two, “Ich Vergebe Nicht” (trans: I don’t forgive), ushers us through the shattered streets and broken memories. As the title suggests, this is an unrelenting track filled with frenzy and scorn but also with harmonious resolve.

Track three, “Der rituelle Mord (Öffnung der Tore)” (trans: The ritual murder - opening of the gates), sits at the center of the album. Here one might expect an acoustical interlude to act as a breather or a tonal respite—instead, the track is the most aggressive of the lot. This is a brutal reminder of the inhumane nature of war. There is no epic triumphant crescendo, no melancholic serenade—just splintered bones and death.

With the fourth track, “Die Falle (Der Wanderer 3)” (trans: the trap – the wanderer 3), we return the multi-movement approach that characterized the first two tracks, though more virulent than atmospheric. This track is five seconds shy of 11 minutes, so we stay immersed for some time. Then comes the most dramatic shift of the album, “Verschneite Winternacht” (trans: snowy winter night), a full-on orchestral track. The interlude you would have expected at the mid-point is the outro that floats us out. Although it is mostly synth, it is driven by a militaristic percussion march—an inescapable reminder that the war continues to rage though it seems the world has chosen to look in another direction.   

“Die Falle” is a missive from the epicenter of a hideous conflict, chronicling man’s inhumanity to man. Thematically it is as piercing as metal gets. Musically it is a well-composed, well-executed, well-produced artifact steeped with the blood and pain of a tragic refrain: there is no greater evil on earth that that which man willingly inflicts upon man.