Nebelkrähe - Ephemer (2023)

Hailing from Germany, today we have the strange but quite awesome Nebelkrähe and their first release in ten years “Ephemer”. Combining elements from bands like Eisregen, Pensées Nocturnes, Devil Doll, The Vision Bleak, User Ne, etc., this outfit delivers seven tracks and over 50 minutes of catchy, melodic, and yet odd music. Full of blistering onslaughts alongside a wide range of different instruments like saxophone, harp, dulcimer, the band creates a very melancholic atmosphere that is quite bleak and exciting.

Opening with “Tumult auf Claim Abendland”, the band sets a dissonant mood thanks to its lush acoustic opening that suddenly tours dark and sour with the distorted guitars and harsh snarls. With the band singing exclusively in German, the vocals sound harsher than average, reminding us of Eisregen. While not being soft or too melodic, tracks like “Nielandsmann” and “Ephemer” have a very theatrical vibe, with lush melodic passages alongside creepy clean vocals creating a doomy atmosphere.

We particularly enjoyed the folkier side of the band, shown on “Dornbusch (Im Norden kein Westen)”, and its very well crafted tempo changes and varied instrumentation. With most songs being over 7 minutes long, the music is allowed to blossom and explore different dimensions while retaining its aggressive and chaotic core. A perfect example of this is the elegant “Kranichträume” and its weeping guitar leads.

Going all out with the closer “Die Strandbar von Scheria”, Nebelkrähe is a band that has a very unique sound that while seemingly familiar, is filled with surprises and tempo changes that require more than a few spins to digest and enjoy. Highly recommended for fans of weird and out of the ordinary Black Metal that are not afraid to be weirded out and taken out of their comfort zone.

Label: Crawling Chaos

Release: October 27th, 2023

Genre: Experimental/Avant-garde Black Metal

Country: Germany