Ungfell - Es grauet (2021)^{Release ID: 27211}

Despite a poor start, Es grauet is an interesting and varied record, certainly within the boundaries of black metal. The less-than-ideal opening to the album just seems to be a poorly framed intro that is perhaps essential to the concept but does appear to set off on a rampant and melodic tone that then seems to be reset ahead of the first track (proper) only to soon start all over again.

In what I can only describe as a mix of folk-influenced black metal coupled with some traditional metal elements not unlike Malokarpatan (for example), Es grauet is the third full-length album from the Swiss duo. Deploying a range of conventional metal instruments alongside accordions, yodelling and a cello sounds like a recipe for disaster I grant you, however the dramatic yet never over the top vocal performance actually increases the entertainment value and underlines the conceptual value of the album perfectly. These “zany” elements all combine to deliver a lush sense of theatre without the album slipping into amateur-dramatics territory.

The overtly warm production values accentuate the story telling elements superbly and the instrumentation is dynamic when it comes to adding to the emotion, drama or atmosphere of key parts of the record. Granted, you are talking a good few listens before all of this truly clicks – certainly I am at listen number 7 or 8 as I write this review and Es grauet is anything but immediate. However, what it lacks in initial accessibility it more than makes up for in terms of the reward for the effort of spending quality time with it. There is no denying that even in the acoustic moments the energy level is a high still as the levels of enchantment in such passages.

As with all concept albums (or at least my experience of most) things do feel a little bit clunky in terms of the overall composition and given that I have no idea what the story is the sense of being a bit lost does occur more than once. That being said I can more than forgive this when I look at the quality of the album overall and I will admit to now needing to place this higher in my AOTY list for black metal than I first expected it to be located.  It is as eccentric as the album artwork suggests it will be, yet it is also equally as colourful as Robbie C. Ward's painting hints it as being.

Ungfell is a Swiss black metal project comprising multi-instrumentalist Menetekel and drummer Vâlant with occasional guest performers providing additional vocals or strings. Es Grauet is their third full-length and my favourite to date. It's melodic black metal is quite complex as Menetekel piles on the riffs then let's them go and intercedes with some excellent folk-laden passages, such as D Schwarzamslä (Wie us däne Goofe Pfaffä wärdet), that really add some, often quite gorgeous, atmosphere to proceedings. Don't fear, however, if the folkier parts aren't your bag brecause another frantic riff-fest is never too far away.

The album has an overarching narrative about a grisly murder in some old-time rural village (I'm thinking of the type of German village depicted in many 1960's Hammer horror movies) and it's corrosive effect on the inhabitants. Like most native English-speaking black metal fans I guess, I don't understand the lyrics so the concept is largely lost on me, but even so the structure of the album is still obviously conceptual. The band do a great job of selling the concept and are extremely succesful at conjuring up images of a rural backwater that is living under a dark cloud. Atmospherically I think the darkness is almost tangible, even though, weirdly, this is more explicitly felt during the folk-driven passages than during the metal ones. The riffs may possibly be a little too melodic to adequately convey the necessary level of disquiet, but let's be clear, they are great from a purely metal point of view. If you just want to hear some solid black metal riffing then when Ungfell let rip they certainly hit the spot.

I can see (or more accurately, hear) that there are those who may well take against this. It's constant transitions from riffing to gentler folkiness may cause some to baulk. Others may feel that the riffs themselves aren't evil enough and err too much on the melodic side. Me, I could care less, I still think this is a really enjoyable release and one I will definitely return to. I've also got to say, I love that crazy cover. I'm not sure how it relates to the album's tale but it is certainly fun and interesting.