Zeit Der Dunkelheit – Die Letzten Tage
Band: Zeit Der Dunkelheit
Title: Die Letzten Tage
Date of release: September 6th, 2024
Country: UK
Label: Independent
Format reviewed: High-quality digital recording
Die Letzte Tage starts off with a shockingly cheerful melody, played on something that sounds vaguely similar to a shawm or other reed instrument. The song resembles a dance tune from central European Middle Ages. Surprising as it may be it catches my attention and sets an energetic mood. Soon enough the reed instrument is replaced by distorted guitars, and we are in safe metal territory.
As it turns out, the medieval dance theme of the first song will be the ambiance for the whole album. All the songs (except for number four which I will get back to) are built around medieval sounding melodies in more or less joyous pace and scales. This goes surprisingly well with the distorted guitars, violent drums and harsh vocals. The arrangement gives a feeling of a brawl in an overcrowded tavern, though the brawl seems to be between brothers and about a minor disagreement that will soon vanish in singing and alcohol.
The album name Die Letzte Tage gives an indication of impending doom, but the music does not. This is not music for the last days before Armageddon. Rather it is the last nights of partying before leaving for a battle which the partygoers are sure they will win. While listening I get energized and determined to solve my problems. I lift heavier weights at the gym fuelled by the tavern party in my phones and when I leave I decide it is time to make that call I procrastinated for months. This is music for life, for manning up and getting shit done.
Even though the flow of the composition is uplifting and energizing, there is something about the production that is bothering me. The tension between black metal harshness and cheerful melodic themes work but the texture of the sounds don’t go together. The medieval reed and other instruments, probably sampled, sound way too polished and smooth together with the distorted guitars. They are not playing in the same world. Had the melodic instruments been recorded with some more rough edges and imperfections the listening experience would have been deeper. Now I am a bit stuck on the surface, as if there is nothing to discover under the top layer.
This finally brings me to the elephant in the room. Song nr 4. Right in the middle of the tavern brawl a piano starts to play a gentle romantic melody. This might have passed as an interlude but after a few seconds an 18th century string section enters the stage. A classical arpeggio is played by sampled violins sounding like they were kidnapped from the symphony orchestra. This goes on for so long I lose my patience and want to hit the skip button. After almost three minutes of bland classical music that could have been sampled from a hotel elevator, the tavern brawl continues as if nothing happened. I am left confused, wondering if something is wrong. Did I get a file that did not belong to the album? But no, all the song numbers are there.
All in all this is an album that lifts the mood and comes with some fun surprises. I recommend it to the listeners of Finntroll, Svartby and similar bands. Delete song nr 4 from the playlist and give the remaining album a spin. “Die Letzte Tage” might put an end to your procrastination and push you to the next step, whatever that may be. 7/10 by Ask den Hängde
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