To breed something different from old musical formulas in Metal is not an easy task. Obviously, only a few can start a different genre that previously didn't exist, but it doesn't mean that a band can't build something that can sound personal. EIREGEN, from Germany, didn't create Black Metal, but of course that have their own way to do things. Just a rapid listen to "Fegefeuer", their latest album, can prove it for the fans. To be straight to the point: they're a Black Metal band with influences from Death Metal with some touches of Gothic Rock and Doom Metal. Today, it can seem like an old model, but they're an old band as well, with 23 years of experience on their shoulders. So we can say that in the middle of the Black Metal aesthetics, they have some introspective and elegant parts, using in a very good way violin moments, and with a very good amount of energy. Yes, it's a pretty good album, indeed.

On the sound quality of "Fegefeuer", we can hear that something different from the usual was done. The Black Metal essence of the album lay on the songs, because the sonority of it is clear and heavy, with fine instrumental tunes. It's aggressive and brutal, but with a clean and very good aesthetics. Yes, a different sonority for an unusual band.

The album has 14 songs (this version I have, the digipak one with three bonuses) that will make your mind travel through a world of deep and elegant musical atmospheres, but always with that rough aggressiveness of Black Metal presented. And "Fegefeuer" (an aggressive song with some influences from Death/Black Metal from the 80's, and some very good melodies), "Knochentorte" (a slow song, with very good changes on the tunes of vocals), "Alice im Wundenland" (a song filled with many rhythmic changes, and excellent introspective parts where violins are used wisely), "Es lauert" (another one with a silk aggressiveness touch on the guitars), "Die Bruderschaft des 7. Tages" (a slow and oppressive song, where the funereal atmosphere reigns with harsh melodies), and "Fahlmondmörder" (slow, melodic and truly raw to the very bones) can be named as the best songs. But don't you dare to lose their versions for "The Gate of Nanna" (an old BEHERIT song, from their classic album "Drawing Down the Moon"), "Black Magic Mushrooms" (from Industrial Black Metal masters of MYSTICUM, keeping the Industrial feeling, but into their own musical way), and "Das 4. Tier aß den Mutterwitz" (a BETHLEHEM's song, that kept the original elements of the song, with fine introspective parts along some harsh moments, but as well, EISREGEN put their own personality on it).

This is a very good album from these old demons from Germany, keeping the old Black Metal spirit alive!