Aussichtslos – Schicksalstotschlag
Band: Aussichtslos
Title: Schicksalstotschlag
Label: Purity Through Fire
Release date: June 21, 2024
Country: Austria
Format reviewed: CD Quality Digital Promo
Schicksalstotschlag is not a bad album, yet it leaves me untouched. Something is missing, but I am not sure what. Aussichtslos are obviously skilled musicians. Their style is atmospheric and melodic, and the music flows steadily without interruptions which I appreciate. Still, I never reach any real immersion despite hours of listening. It is like there is no depth, nothing subtle or unknown to discover beyond the well delivered riffs.
At several moments I get the feeling of listening to melodic techno rather than black metal. The flow is too smooth. The melodies are too catchy. The production is too kind to the ears. It is as if only one story is told in each sequence of riffs and it Is simple, told many times before. There is no mystery and no invocation of dark forces.
My favourite track and the only one that stands out with a personality of its own, telling a slightly different story and implying that there is more to Aussichtslos than meets the ear, is the title song in the middle of the album. It displays a different melodic language, slightly folky with a heavy slow feeling and some interesting dissonances and turns in the composition.
My biggest enjoyment of Schicksalstotschlag occurs when I am playing it as background music when I do other things. This is when I discover the true strength of the album. With its even flow and much appreciated lack of interruptions or distractions, it creates a mental room for focus and creativity.
This is in no way a bad album. The vocalist is strong and steady in the high pitch, and the riffs and melodies are delivered with precision. What I lack is the layers, the nuances, the unknown that would grip my attention and draw me deeper. Schicksalstotschlag feels safe and simple. The long arching melodies feel like I have heard them before by several melodic and atmospheric bands of the 90s and 00s. At some moments I sense a French influence which feels out of place. Taking in something else is not always the answer even though I understand the wish for renewal and growth.
I hope in the future Aussichtslos will embrace their melodic heritage and instead dig deeper into it, experiment more with the atmosphere they master and create new depths with nuance, dissonance and mystery. 6/10 by Ask den Hängde
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