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SCHWARZER ENGEL
Imperium I: Im Reich Der Götter

Massacre (2015)
Rating: 7/10

With a moniker that translates as “black angel”, Schwarzer Engel is one of those intriguing “dark metal” acts of contemporary design. The sound and vision all comes from one man, a Mr. Dave Jason. Although his name doesn’t suggest it, Schwarzer Engel is a Gothic affair borne out from Stuttgart in Germany.

Imperium I: Im Reich Der Götter is the band’s fourth full-length instalment, which isn’t bad going considering their formation was in 2007. Imperium I comes as a nice surprise, considering I’m not normally a big fan of this sort of rock.

This latest album is an 11-track, 43-minute affair (12 tracks if you purchase the digipak version), but an opus that actually sounds far longer due to its engrossing nature and varying layers. There’s no questioning Jason’s abilities as he takes us down a dimly light path of well-orchestrated and extravagant structures, beginning with the atmospheric strains of ‘Götterdämmerung’ which is a mere soundtrack introduction before the grandiose statements of ‘Gott vs. Satan’.

What we get here is a slightly industrialised metallic tumult featuring brisk beats, thrashing energy and ghoulish complexity. There are added synths for added atmosphere, and brooding slower passages where the vocals vary from a snarl to deeper, deathlier grunts and muffled bellows. In a sense, ‘Gott vs. Satan’ reminds me of an industrial band meddling with metal, so fans of the likes of Rammstein will no doubt enjoy this sort of melodramatic meandering.

My only complaint here is that the lyrics are all in German, so one then struggles to get to grips with the full-bloodied Gothic nature. That aside, the album continues to mesmerise, offering up a series of Gothic landscapes and darkly adorned mechanics where commanding, booming melody is fused with faster, aggressive and yet always well-controlled nuances.

‘Herrscher Der Nacht’ is certainly Schwarzer Engel at its most melodic, the vocals a clearer, punchy narration while ‘Schwarzkunst’ offers great horror-styled suspense. In fact, I’m reminded of experimental industrialist Swamp Terrorists at times, but that’s probably down to the dramatic mechanics and vocal snarls. It’s certainly a dark, theatrical fair from beginning to end, the best of the tracks being the speedy ‘Ritt Der Toten’ with its traditional rock guitar and eerie symphonies, although I’m less convinced by those clearer vocal introductions.

‘Du’ is a tad tepid for my liking albeit accessible in its melody, but one cannot ignore the industrialised punch of ‘Meine Liebe’ with its catchy jab or the closing hastiness of ‘Im Herzen Wohnt Die Trauer’, which exhibits some fantastic guitar work.

Imperium I: Im Reich Der Götter is at times a strange brew, even if it rarely varies into creepier territory. Where I’ve grown up on a diet of the aforementioned Swamp Terrorists and the likes of Laibach, Schwarzer Engel uses those aesthetics but places itself alongside more metallic and symphonic metal meddling while also appealing to those with an ear for industrialised dramatics.

Neil Arnold

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