Todesstoss — Ebne Graun
Metal is a funny form, in that, despite all it's harsh seriousness and grim visages, it's a medium that allows for some fairly goofy things to occur. This is exemplified well in black metal, with the corpse paint, scowls, and spiky garb designed to invoke feelings of dread and terror, but rather, ironically becoming some sort of absurd theatrical piece. Todesstoss' Ebne Graun is no exception to this theatrical style, however, instead of having this description thrust unwillingly upon it, it dances toward this style willingly. Enlisting Flesh of L on vocals and Euer Gnaden on bass, Martin's team is assembled for this interesting performance. Often times sparse and thoughtful, other times slow and dark, Ebne Graun manages to mix up sounds within relatively small constraints. Ebne Graun's near cinematic vibes fit well with the style at hand, and add to the piece as a whole. The longer, slower, metallic moments hint at depressing black metal without delving too deeply into the speed that the genre often entails. However, despite eschewing most of the common black metal trappings, the vocals on Ebne Graun are, for the most part, still very metal. Unfortunately, this is more of a distraction than a benefit, and instead of allowing the listener to drift off and enjoy the music, it forces more of a focus on what is actually going on. While one should appreciate the adventurous approach being taken here, the screams reinforce that this is really just silly theater and take one right out of it.
Todesstoss' Ebne Graun is an interesting take on metal, and it's theatrical approach should be applauded. Unfortunately for me, while the music is solid enough (although at times a bit wonky), the vocals force me to re-examine what I'm listening too too much. Much like a break in the fourth wall, this meta distraction causes me to detach myself from the material at hand, and my listening experience suffers from it.