Wende - Vorspiel einer Philosophie der Zukunft (2015)

Hailing form the forests of Washington State, today we have USBM act Wende with “Vorspiel einer Philosophie der Zukunft”. As a one-man battalion, this outfit delivers six tracks of crushing Black Metal with heavy atmospheric elements and a very raw and decadent sound. The band can easily be compared to Burzum’s good old days, since after the first few minutes the sheer rawness will transport you to those times.

With a crisp metallic sound to the guitars, “… of War or ‘der Ritter’”, the album makes an instant splash with a 10-minute piece that creates a very decadent atmosphere. Progressing with the trippy “…of Death or ‘Verklaung’”, we get chilling 80’s horror movie atmospheric ambiance. Fully warmed up, “…of Truth of ‘Nichts und Schonh’” really drives it home with gut-wrenching screams and a wall of distortion that only a few bands manage to achieve.

After another atmospheric piece, “… of Time or ‘der Ring des Kosmo’” slowly builds with very melodic opening few minutes. Clocking in around 14-minutes, this is our favorite track in the release due to its extreme Burzum-esque vibe. A very important aspect that might be overseen in this release is how it is connected by the atmospheric pieces between songs. We particularly enjoyed these transitions as they allowed the music to fully sink in and evolve through the release.

Delivering the perfect mix of atmospheric pieces and raw Black Metal, Wende has managed to craft a very unique release in terms of the USBM scene. We are quite fascinated that the scene over the years has continued to evolve and quality is not only found in European releases anymore as the locals continue to be more innovative and competitive.  If you are a fan of Burzum-style Black Metal, look no further and pick up a copy of this gem.

Label: Moribund Records

Release: April 15th, 2015

Genre: Black Metal

Country: USA