Over the years Germany has consistently produced quality Black Metal bands, and in late 2012, CONVICTIVE were newly ushered into the scene. The female-fronted band hails from the city of Duisburg and describes their sound as "Post-Black Metal." German Black Metal has often strayed from the generic formula set forth by many second-wave bands by incorporating more progressive and "post" elements. Now after six years of fine-tuning their sound, CONVICTIVE has unleashed their epic debut album to the world titled "Schemen."

The opening track "Hoffnung" begins with a short build-up before blasting off full black metal-style with blazing fast riffs and pummeling blast beats, with vocalist Jalina offering up fierce screams. Rather than relying solely on speed and harshness, the band isn't afraid to venture into more melodic areas that add some interesting dynamics to the music. The first few tracks are by no means bad, but they do seem to a follow a similar blueprint. However, as the album progresses the band begins to show us what they're really capable of.

"Seelenlos" takes the listeners on a ride, beginning mellow with soothing acoustic guitar and soulful solos which provide a nice progressive edge to their music before transitioning into blistering black metal passages weaved in with uplifting melodies. "Agonie" follows in a similar manner, focusing more on the epic and melodic aspects of their music. These tracks rely less on sheer heaviness and contain more emotive chord progressions than before. This is when the album really starts to shine, proving to listeners that CONVICTIVE are more than just a one-trick pony. "Ad Infinitum" is an interesting mix of the heavier tones present in the beginning of the album and the slower, more melodic sections found more in the middle. The group ends things on a high note with "Erinnerung," which showcases all of the elements that the band has presented throughout the album into one final monstrous track.

Rather than following suit with traditional black metal production standards, "Schemen" utilizes a more polished sound. The subtle nuances of the guitar can be heard clearly and the bass is both present and punchy in the mix. The drummer is more than capable of holding his ground, but does little to change things up from the average black metal archetype. Jalina is also a fairly diverse screamer, offering up high end black metal shrieks alongside more deeper, guttural sounds. (I didn't even realize the vocalist was female until I looked them up on Facebook.) The album is an all-around enjoyable listen, but the second half to me is far more diverse and epic. In the future, I would love to hear the band expand on their sound and explore new territory currently uncharted. In any case, "Schemen" is a strong debut and I highly anticipate what the band will have to offer in the future.