Aussichtslos - Schicksalstotschlag (2024)

Delivering nine excruciatingly brutal tracks, today we have Germany’s Aussichtslos and their latest onslaught “Schicksalstotschlag”. Featuring nearly 50 minutes of fierce and punishing Black Metal, this outfit flattens their opposition with intensity and raw power. Not for the faint of heart and weak of mind, this is one of the most pummeling releases of 2024.

Immediately setting a very commanding and ravaging pace, “Am hohen Ross” delivers waves of intense riffs and pounding drumming, setting a high bar for this release. Both “Verwoben” and “Im Schützengraben” further elevate the all-out-war vibe with sinister guitar melodies and piercing snarls, perfectly paired with additional vocal arrangements to create very eerie and devilish atmospheres.

Far from linear, the band’s style does exploit intense tremolo picking sections, while crafting some interesting melodic passages, changing gears while still delivering maximum fire-power like on songs as “Brachland”, the devilish album title track, and our favorite the punishing “Infektion”. As the release closes with the epic “Hochverrat”, we are quite excited as to how the band’s sound, while raw and powerful, demonstrates intricate songwriting and furiously mixes in some more melodic elements.

As a whole, “Schicksalstotschlag” is one of those releases that while extremely powerful and crushing, it also delivers more than meets the eyes. With more spins, additional layers become evident and showcase the band’s polished craft in incorporating additional elements and atmospheric components to make their sound more punishing. If you like intense and ravaging Black Metal with melodic elements and tons of headbanging potential, this is a release to check out.

Label: Purity Through Fire

Release: June 21st, 2024

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Austria