ASENHEIM - Wolkenbrecher Vinyl

ASENHEIM was founded in 2004 under the original name Sins of Desire. The founding members at the time included Tiwaz on rhythm guitar and vocals and Verdensanskuels on lead guitar and keyboard. Since the lyrical themes increasingly dealt with pagan themes, the name was changed to ASENHEIM in 2006. Sometime later, Norse Raider joined as bassist. Unfortunately, rehearsals together were far too rare, which is why ASENHEIM developed into a solo project for Tiwaz. After numerous demo recordings, the first ASENHEIM album, simply self-titled Asenheim, and the mini-album Sehnsucht were created in 2012. Already, here it was clear in which direction the music should develop. The album was musically and lyrically permeated by fantasy elements and old legends. The mini-album, on the other hand, was a confrontation with bitter, cold reality and was also much harder musically. A drum machine was used on all releases at this point. The stylistic elements of these two releases were combined for the second ASENHEIM album, wenn die Nacht.... To give the album a livelier sound, Tiwaz was looking for a drummer and came in contact with Valfor. Initially planned as a session drummer, he soon became an integral part of ASENHEIM and, in addition to playing the drums, took over a large part of the synthesizers and also the mixing of the albums. This was followed by six more albums, a single, and a mini-album. Despite such a vast catalog, never has there been a dip in quality; ASENHEIM are nothing if not dependable. Put another way, Tiwaz and Valfor's vision has always been focused and firm, and beholding it has become something of a rite of passage. The latest proof of that proud pagan brilliance comes in the form of Wolkenbrecher. Immediately sounding like classic ASENHEIM, Wolkenbrecher whisks the listener off to forgotten realms with a folkloric black metal sound securely steeped in the ancient 1990s. But more than being "regressive" or backwards-looking, the duo rather exude the true authenticity of those times and create a canvas for the imagination to roam far and free. As such, Wolkenbrecher tells its own story with every song that has shaped ASENHEIM over the last 20 years and made them what they are today. From oldest Teutonic steel to the pagan vastlands of Eastern Europe and even south of Helvete in ancient Hellas, ASENHEIM's black metal is rich in its splendor and multifaceted in its approach. Wolkenbrecher is a 52-minute journey into their rarefied realm, and one you'll want to remain in for time eternal.