As the owner of two of Endstille’s previous seven albums, all I expected from these Germans was black metal warfare. Nothing I’ve ever heard from them has been less than a total all-out assault.
“Kapitulation 2013” is no different An imperiously constant riff line is the backdrop for the customary fire and thunder. But there’s something uplifting about the relentless surge and progression of the opening track “Aborted” and the similarly belligerent nine tracks which follow it. Pleasing as it is, I doubt it would go down too well on X Factor: “you nailed it there, Zingultus”. Nailed to the cross, maybe, and set on fire with everything around it, maybe. The roars alternate with a despairing voice, introducing fleeting vulnerability before “The Refined Nation’s bludgeoning thrash-like tones take over. It’s as if Endstille have commandeered a tank and set themselves the goal of crashing through walls.
German: the language of war. “Reich an Jugend” (Rich in Youth) starts with a militaristic speech, turning into with a thunderous roll. The attack is on. There is no deviation. The youth have been inspired and the enemy is being hit head-on. Zingultus the vocalist preaches and growls his terrible tale. This is a sustained burst of blackened energy. The track ends with the strains of the 1930s and the youth – the Hitler Youth? – singing. There is a quick rapid-fire assault. “Sick Heil” is the cry. There is no doubt about the historical connections here. Endstille are about war, and continue with a cover of the Sodom track “Blasphemer”. Thrashing violence mixes with the delivery style of Enthroned. Fire and bloodshed are sprayed liberally in the background. The drums distribute shrapnel.
As the album progresses, it’s hard to escape the notion that the same war is being waged here. This world is consistently nihilistic, full of war, rancid diseases and violence. The appropriately-titled “Monotonous 2013” has these qualities. Black and creepy, it is intense but there’s little sense of moving on. Insistent over inspiring? “Nostalgia” features moaning but in the framework of the same blasting fireworks. But the level of thunder and intensity remains impressive. The thunder overwhelms “Stalin Note”. The instrumentals represent suffering and hard work while Zingultus on vocals sounds like he’s trying to pull a 40 tonne truck. The effort and struggle then end suddenly. But as the black metal fire still burns, the suffering and violent hardship are replaced by more of the same. “KDF 511” is brutal and uncompromising but can’t be accused of breaking boundaries of originality. For the “outro”, a deep voice speaks of the trenches underneath the constant fear-provoking belligerent death march. The threat is permanent – the guitar work makes sure of that – and sinister tones run underneath it all. The intensity heightens and only ceases when the track stops suddenly as if the speaker has been struck down dead. There is silence. Endstille – Abschied.
The second half of this album is quite predictable as Endstille continue their campaign of breaking the listener down with their musical warmongering in uncompromising style. But this is what they do, and once again on “Kapitulation 2013” Endstille play to their strengths.
(7/10 Andrew Doherty)
Leave a Reply