Der Weg Einer Freiheit 🇩🇪 Noktvrn

Band: Der Weg Einer Freiheit
Title: Noktvrn
Label: Season of Mist
Release date: 19 November 2021
Country: Germany
Format Reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

Over the year of metal music, I’ve had a difficult time to nail down an AOTY, simply, put, so much excellent metal this year. Diverse, and boundary breaking, to solid, amazing metal from so many artists. I’ve had great pleasure in listening to their work, reading up about what they focused on for their albums, and soaking into my ears all the nuances of sound the bands created. I’ve looked at other’s postings and have commented on quite a few or quick thank you for sharing. 2021 for all that it’s not been, has been a killer year for metal.

I was searching, listening, until my ears chanced upon Der Weg Einer Freiheit and I knew I had found the sound I had been looking for. There is something in their music that immediately drew me to them, and I’m needing to tell you about this band, and for those who know them already, we know the treasures this band brings in an album.

Der Weg Einer Freiheit (The Path of a Freedom), are: Nikita Kamprad, as vocals and base, Tobias Schuler, drums, Nico Ziska, bass and Nicholas Rausch, lead guitar. Beginning in 2009 with a demo, to EPs, and five albums including this one, Noktvrn. An interesting point about this album is that it takes part of its influence from Frederic Chopin and his series entitled “Nocturnes”. Taking on the classical notes of Chopin and also taking the theme a bit from the nocturnes. Making the overall theme of this album to be about the night and dreams. That’s only part of the influence, as this band has a strong grip on black metal, and avante garde experimentation as well. All of this together makes for a one hell of an album.

First track, “Finisterre II” intro is a subtle, picking/strumming of acoustic guitar strings, to keyboard building atmosphere in the tone of it. I can’t fully describe how beautiful this passage is, can only say, you must hear it.

Second track, “Monument”, to me I hear the classical influence in the start, with the pausing and lengthening of notes, much like classical music incapsulates. A brief interlude of quieter mellow atmospheres to a blasting vocal that grabs you by the throat. Drums are being bludgeoned, guitar riffs are stabbing and relentless, and all in the background is the overall refrain of the notes from the beginning. Ohh guitar solos, and those drums are fucking intense, to pair up with Kamprad’s brutal vocal.

Third track, “Am Rande Der Dunkelheit” (On The Edge of Darkness), this one throws the avante garde esthetic right in your face, with its mixing of nuances, black metal and progressive nature. Those guitars and drums battling it out, incredible. Vocal is a guttural slamming ear destroyer, (I’d love to hear this live) and the intensity of the vocal stays strong. A brief interlude of interweaving atmospheres, to a climbing of sound that adds more of that experimentation to the already layered tapestry already set.

Fourth track, “Immortal”, with a different mood being set here. A deliberately slow paced drum and keyboard duo. Then, clean vocals jump in on this.

Between a deepening of introspective lyrics the vocal turns into a brutal, hard hitting energy that is so hard to explain how damn good this is. If you love extreme vocals, Kamprad delivers on them. I love the emotive intensity he brings in his vocal.

Fifth track, “Morgen” (tomorrow), this is black metal mooded. From the tremolos, and guitar riffing, to those endless beating of the drums. Screamed guttural vocal fury to fall into and bounce back from the black metal expanse being expressed here. Then, this soft interlude to a scream of rage to set up the next portion of this track. This is black metal with atmospheric edges and soft interludes to slow the pace.

Sixth track “Gegen das Licht”, (Against the Light), again the subtle acoustics, cascading melodies, and clear keyboard notes that all feed and play together cohesively. An instrumental and another side to the talents of the musicians displayed here. Mid way through the mood changes to bring more of intense vocal and rampaging riffs and drums. This track really takes a journey with impressive musical influences and inspiration for that avante garde push to new boundaries.

Seventh and last track, “Haven”, clean vocals seeming echoey and ghostly at the same time to music that is set on a moodier tone. Thrumming intensity of drum and guitar and that vocal octave is eerily all around you as you listen. You feel a tenseness of the tone as the song continues, bringing that (to me anyway) a progressive touch to this.

Without stating it too loudly, yes, this album is one of my AOTY choices for so many reasons. I love diversity and the artistry, the black metal flame alive and well in this album and, because the music moved me. I give a 9/10 Metal Marie

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9/10 Epic Storm
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