DER ROTE MILAN begin their work deliberately, thoughtfully, almost introverted, but soon the storm breaks loose and the blasts tear apart the reserved and deceptive restraint. Nasty screeching was chosen as a vocalistic form of expression, rhythmically accentuated riffing appears briefly as an anchor point. Whispering accompanies another very reflective part, which ends abruptly with a violent increase in tempo. Variety is written in capital letters here and the band demands the listener's full attention during the opener Die Habsucht.
Threateningly pounding grooves and poisonously screamed out vocals let the blood freeze in the metallized veins by the track Drohende Schatten, because the direct, angry approach sets the legends from the band's homeland to music in an authentic way. The old stories of death and ruin are perfect for a black metal corset.
The musicians mix very well at the tempo and take it easy every now and then; of course the nasty, vicious black metal character never gets a raw deal. Gnosis< Der Vergänglichkeit focuses on the effect of uniformity, the song glides a bit monotonously along and I miss an intensification that approaches a peak.
Der Letzte Galgen on the other hand is variable, exciting and compact. Some rhythm changes increase the listening pleasure along with many blast beats, structure-giving riffs and wonderfully desperate voices as well as some perfectly integrated breathing breaks. As a beautiful finale the artists even let a discreet folkloristic note flow in. The intensity level is always kept high, but monotony is avoided by skillful tempo changes or dissonant nuances as well as interesting vocalization.
The final monster and title track Moritat combines all strengths in a more broadly rolled out style: groovy riffs that flash through briefly, witchlike vocals, violent blasts and even a hilarious chorus eats through marrow and leg because of its fervor. The mood shifts from pure aggression to deepest despair and helpless rage, which gets under your skin and shows that the band has gained a lot of compositional maturity compared to their predecessor Aus Der Asche and is able to tap their potential more and more. Moritat turns out to be a very good album with a furious ending!