WELTERWERK

Wow. That is about all I have to say here. Imagine if you took Spiral Architect (albeit without the clean, amazing vocals), Extol (Synergy era), and a whole host of other post-black, technical- as-they-come death metal bands, thrash, some industrial/marshal influences, prog leanings galore, and then dressed it up with militant ambience and attire. You come away with Drottnar. I was immediately sucked into this album, from the first stuttering, skittish riffs that assault you once the disc was started. Simply put, I have been looking for a superbly technical black metal band for a long time, and I think I have found the holy er make that unholy grail... of technical black metal. Even though they started out (much like Extol) as a "white metal" band (christian black metal- yep it's quite the contradiction)... they are now moreover concerned with philosophical leanings. The instrumentation is layered and lilting, cavorting through your brain like a mutant with seven legs- each one being a different length- which results in the forementioned stuttering riffs- call them mathematically complex... that is the appeal for me. The movements are not necessarily predictable and mutate in a pleasing and novel way. If you want your blackened death metal to be more proggy and extremely complex and technical, this is the audio assault to massage your ears with.