Metal maniacs, rejoice! I am proud to present to you: KRANKHEIT; signed via WormHoleDeath Records, hailing from Austrian grounds - performing Dark Metal, on their 4th full-length studio album entitled: "Gargantua" (released 2022). Since formation in 2011; the quintet in question has 4 full-length studio albums in their discography so far entitled: "Sanatorium" (released 2013), "Seed Of Evil" (released 2016), "Zerberus" (released 2018) and this here 4th full-length entitled: "Gargantua" of which I am introduced to. On top of 2 EPs entitled: "Man Catcher" (released 2011) & "The Answer" (released 2013). 9 tracks ranging around 35 minutes... KRANKHEIT (DISEASE in English) arranges an intricately designed formula on some heavy-hitting Dark Metal developments.

Opening up with this riveting rhythm of rampantly rompy grooviness; a dense clobbering fabricates a blackened shrine of symbolic deathliness in the titular track: "Gargantua", scouring with snarly hooks and cavernous rumbles...reverberating with malicious thuds, while sturdy choppiness from guitar twinning maelstrom Roy Robin (also on bass) & David Knoll roll with renegading prodigiousness. Revving up with shredding distortion and gnarly heft; this towering ramification distills an impactful flamboyancy on punchy tightness & stridently nimble swiftness, surging with volatile vehemence whilst bulldozing eardrums with weighty bounciness amongst an amplified adrenaline in boisterous impact that manifests with unique versatility that reminds me immediately of RAMMSTEIN right off the bat. "Kommunikation" belts a crunchy dexterity in dynamic barrage frenzies; slabbing solid harmonies and operatic stability, where "Bett des Prokristes" implements a bizarre but crunchy interlude of symphonic, orchestral calamity from Beethoven's masterpiece that we all have heard before a bunch of times in our lives surely - with thanks to Wolf Hoffman's "Headbangers Symphony" on my end.

Adding hymnal craft contrasts with rollicking frolics and chugging gallops within the mighty furor in outré panache that is "Des Kaisers neue Kleider"; incorporating this organic substance on seamless tremors of fierce firepower expertise, constructing a complex flair in crescendo building tremolo surge of vibrantly potent keyboard execution from Roman 'Pearcy' Haubenwaller & programming technicalities from Anton 'Tony' Gassner (also on drums) as well as Christian Präauer (also on vocals). Both assimilate with wildly rushing bombast as thumpy stompiness rambunctiously piledrives with contorted grit; concretely elementing a euphonic battering, as belting clamors inject an infectiously rough rawness whilst zestful yet monolithic tempo soars with throaty raspiness and flickering bass audibility from Roy that's most primitive - profound within songs like "Neid" & "Müll".

"Ave Maria" has a synthetic tonality; where Christian's vocals soar with guttural grunting and profusely robust singing masquerades, as dark as it can be... it's more... unorthodox whilst mystifying. While the songwriting musicianship is instrumentally heavy and crisp, some tracks make me question their motive here. It's a long; overrun set piece of wacky prowess whilst "Exorzist" (featuring Thy Antichrist) brings back the quirky snappiness of salubriously unorthodox strife with ponderous smackage & towering flexibility in fundamental wickedness, reveled with radical perseverance...while persisted with archaic archetypes in distinctively distinguished momentum - this strange profanity of quintessential virtuosity with either have you marvel with splendid intrigue, if not that... this will make you wonder why they attributed alchemical prestige with the rhapsodic melody with most songs here.

The penultimate banger: "Narr" demonstrates more monotonous thrills with striking pursuits of rich yet somber nightshade; an eclipsing forge in bludgeoning cataclysm articulates with more harrowing joy, where the black becomes daily whilst the sun dissolves into nothingness that best describes this record... on top of the impulsing immensities in bursting meatiness that's most profound - overall concluding "Gargantua" with the finale epic: "Endlich"; fabricating a hybrid but experimental experience in steely precision, KRANKHEIT will be like marmite... you'll either love it, or hate it.

Bottom line; I did enjoy the overall presentation, just the lack of English certainly didn't help & the peculiar use of the narrated opera intrigue definitely made this listen interesting, but something not to replay once you have discovered it... all in all different, an enjoyable experience still makes for a spin worth divulging in, check it out should you fancy a cathartic Dark Metal slice, however.