LICHT ERLISCHT
is a one man band hailing from Oslo, Norway. Seeing as most black
metal to come out of Norway is usually almost always the best,
we shall see how LICHT ERLISCHT stands up to the standards.
All instruments, vocals and songwriting are handled by the one
and only Niklas. LICHT ERLISCHT also put out a demo in
2007 entitled Schlachtenklang Tonwerk, which was
limited to 100 copies on tape. Now that’s old school. Now
onward to the brand new release entitled A Narrow Path.
Right from
the start, this isn’t your typical black metal. It is slow,
grim and totally somber. The first song The Vaultvenurer
sets a rather melancholy tone for the album. It carries melodramatic
guitar riffing that seems to carry you off into a murky atmosphere.
The beat of the drums is a rather slow steady pace. The vocals
are grimly growled with a sinister undertone. The next song A
Passage speeds up a bit, you could probably head bang to this
one. The lead guitar riffing takes over in this song, giving A
Passage a rather vibrant kick, until the middle when it slows
down and changes form. It always amazes me, these one person bands,
how precise in the recording they are without making any musical
errors. The recording is quite clear and nearly perfect. My only
complaint is that each song is rather long. It can be good for
awhile, but then in some parts the song seems to keep dragging
on. I really like song four Radiance. Once we get past
the trudging entrance, the song seems to radiate to the grimmest
depths imaginable. I must commend Niklas on having some of the
doomiest black metal guitar riffs ever heard. We end with The
Offshore Oaks, with ominous bells tolling and winter winds
whispering in the background, I wonder if this song can’t
get anymore bleak, and it does. As the guitars roll in like a
wave of despair, this music makes you feel that feeling of emptiness
and isolation. LICHT ERLISCHT is truly a band for the misanthropic.
A Narrow Path is a very good first effort for them.
Give them a listen if you are into depressive black metal to the
fullest extent.