Black Metal is a genre that, despite having produced some of the Metal worlds greatest and most celebrated bands, has a tendency to stick to a very strict formula that not many bands stray from. However, when bands decide to take a more progressive approach to this kind of music, it can end up being some of the most interesting music out there. Germany's DER WEG EINER GREIHEIT are one band that adds their own unique style and influences to Black Metal, and the resulting music have garnered them serious acclaim and attention. Their latest album, "Stellar", is yet another record that might just bring them to worldwide audiences.

The albums opener, "Repulsion", begins on a very eerie, distorted guitar riff that works really well in regards to building an atmosphere for the rest of the album. It slowly builds with a military drum beat and haunting clean vocals that work incredibly well with the music. When the song kicks into full swing, it sounds really harsh,  ferocious and, above all, amazing. It's a complete departure from the almost creepy, mellow section which opened this piece of music. This is an absolutely fantastic way to start this record. The following track, "Requiem", initially goes down a much more Black Metal route, with a slow, minor riff that gives way to a dong that is so blisteringly fast and fierce, and sounds so tight, that's it's hard not to love it. Some of the riffs also have some really cool progressive touches to them, like sharp, dissonant chords and instrumental parts with a cleaner tone, that really make this song more than "just another" great Black Metal song, and elevate it to the level of a modern Black Metal classic. "Einkehr", another track that has a lot of fast riffs, sounds very good, and is just one great, powerful wall of noise and rasping guitars from start to finish. "Verbund" is a very short, but intensely speed driven song, and is easily the fastest and most ferocious song on offer on this release. At some points, it goes so fast, it seems to be teetering on the very brink of descending into chaos. "Eiswanderer" is a very solid track, but doesn't stand out very much in comparison to the other great music on this record. It is really good at interchanging between the more extreme elements and the softer aspects of their sound very well. And then it is time for "Letzte Sonne" to close the album. It's a very interesting song, which brings together a lot of the different aspects of the bands sound; the speed of the instruments, the progressive instrumentation, and above all, this slight air of ambience that hangs over the whole track and creates a great atmosphere. It proves to be a great end to an equally great album.

This is a really good band that have, up until recently, slipped under my radar. But following their excellent performance at Roadburn Festival last month, it;s safe to say that a lot more people will know who they are very soon. And with an album like this under their belt, hopefully they'll be recognised as a force to be reckoned with within the Black Metal scene.