Never has an atmospheric black metal band captured my imagination and astoundment as much as Ende has for me. Their last release which was some demos from 2008, “The God’s Rejects”, and their debut, “Whispers of a Dying Earth”, were phenomenal black metal pieces in every way imaginable. But this French band was and still is far from throwing in the towel, for their upcoming sophomore album, “The Rebirth of I”, is their most impressive and mature release to date. Ende’s on and off use of atmospheric elements is what really helped this album flow and give each and every track an unsettling feel each time. The main effect that they use is the sound of a nasty storm going on with the wind whipping around and the rain pelting downwards, and the additions of a cawing crow, someone chant something indescribable, and the tolling of a church’s bell. Those really help set the mood for what is quickly followed: a blast of raw black metal that consists of awesomely raw vocals with a voice that’ll satisfy even the most puritan black metal fan, guitars that absolutely shred every moment they are present, a sick bass that does nothing but provide a killer rhythm, and blistering drums that have some of the only blast beats that have really worked perfectly with the rest of the band to me and that helps “The Rebirth of I” keep up its brutality in its entirety. If you were to ask me what band put out the best atmospheric black metal album this year, without a doubt in my mind I would say Ende. It’s got literally everything you could want from a band of this kind. They have hit the nail on the head in every instance. “The Rebirth of I” is an amazing, amazing album and if you call yourself any sort of black metal fan and don’t listen to this when it comes out, then I truly feel sorry for you.
“The Rebirth of I” comes out October 31st everywhere. You can stream the intro track, “Den Glemte Skogen”, via YouTube below and you can stream Ende’s latest release, “The God’s Rejects”, on Bandcamp here.
