Minas Morgul - Nebelung Review

It’s an undeniable fact that Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings saga inspired many Metal bands in names, songs, album covers, and many others. However, I don’t think he would be the kind of Metal guy as expected by his great influence. Here we have Minas Morgul that is one more band to be inspired in Tolkien’s work. The band has a long career and after a quarter of a century and seven albums, they have arrived at the core of their artistic identity with their eighth opus “Nebelung” which was totally recorded free of external expectations, constraints and sensitivities, the result is a work that, in its forbidding coldness, brings out the band’s black metal side more than ever, and is thus more reminiscent of the greats of the Norwegian 90s than of the German black/pagan metal scene that they have helped to found since 1997.

From everything I’ve been hearing here throughout the years – wow, by july it will have been 7 years – it’s fair to say that “Nebelung” has many Post Metal features. By the way, Post Metal is one of Metal subgenres that I’ve been struggling to understand for a while because when I think I got it there comes a band that proves me wrong. I believe that when a Black Metal band relies more on moods and atmospheres it lacks much of its power. So if the music isn’t intriguing with some ferocity in the grip it loses its natural interest. Not what happen here. “Nebelung” is well-balanced with songs that mix features from the aforementioned Post Metal and the most ferocious Black Metal ever. Sometimes both are mixed in only track as in “Aufbruch” and its cacthy chorus. As I said before in other reviews, German sounds too peculiar and, in my opnion, fits like a glove to Black Metal. The language gives the drama and despair bands love to use nowadays. Grand finale “Lethargie” tells this tale pretty well with the initial vocals. It’s not despair. It’s something else. It’s something beyond despair. The guitar helps a lot with the unusual riffing usual only two notes. It’s not really the quantity, but the way they are used. Pay attention to the frentic drumming contrasting, and doubling the pace, with the guitar. Great!

This is an unusual album which will please unusual fans from its beginning with a classical music inspired intro. Ok, that’s not unusual at all, however, the cellos the band incorporated make it sound not usual. As my dear child of the night might have noticed cellos aren’t much used. “Nebelung” deserves to be put in your player.

Minas Morgul “Nebelung” will be released on June 02nd via Trollzorn Records.

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