On December 12, 2024, the moon was waxing gibbous. Maybe more significantly when written out in numbers the date just looks cool: 12-12-24. Numerically, there’s nice symmetry to it as well. 12+12=24 and all that. But anyway, on that day the German Black Metal quintet, JARL, released their sophomore album, Trümmerfestung. If you’re wondering, that translates to something like ‘ruins fortress’ or ‘crumbling castle.’ Perfect imagery for a Black Metal band—cold, festering, dark, sinister. And that’s exactly how Trümmerfestung sounds . . . except for the festering / decaying / crumbling bit. Instead of your lo-fi cellar sound, Trümmerfestung is sharp and crisp, with clear separation and plenty of bass, but that’s a sin I’m willing to forgive.

With seven tracks across 45 minutes, Trümmerfestung is fully loaded with all the Metal you can heft. All tracks are delivered in German, and gritty as fuck. Riffs come in all the best varieties: tremolo, discordant, harmonic, fast, and ponderous. Yep, a lot of contradictions there but the point is the band doesn’t stick to a single trope, they explore and blend a mix of extreme styles into one cohesive package.

There are numerous heavy hitters on this album from the opening track “Levitation” that is anything but light an aerie to “Schein” which has some similar patterns as “Long Hard Road Out of Hell” by MARLYN MANSON & SNEAKER PIMPS but clearly a whole different animal to “Wirkmacht” with its thick Doom break mid-track. “Alchemie” is another massive track which takes on the weight of closing the album in fine brutal fashion.

Depending on when you discovered Trümmerfestung, the album is either the perfect opener for the new year or the perfect closer for the last. Extreme metalheads of all stripes are sure to appreciate this album, but most especially Black Metal fans. JARL does not disappoint. Solid 8’s all the way around for this hammer blow of ruthless Black Metal.