Artist: Nebelfaust
Country: Germany
Label: Self-released
Formats: Digital
Year: 2026
After leaving a strong first impression with the debut album ‘Das kalte Eisen des Mondes’, Nebelfaust returns in early 2026 with ‘Die Krähenfüße des Winters’. Sole member Zinkruwahn offers us nine new tracks spanning 41 minutes of Black Metal that, like the first album, is strongly inspired by the Norwegian Black Metal scene. The range of influences still counts early Gorgoroth, Ulver, Kvist, Taake and Darkthrone, but it feels that on this sophomore record the balance has tilted slightly.
The main chunk of the material is composed of adventurous Black Metal riffs, more so than on the debut seeking a sense of creativity, composing off-the-beaten path melodic progressions within the riffs. It’s a kind of frivolity that reminds me of early Gorgoroth, Kvist and the earliest records of Taake. Here it feels as if Zinkruwahn has really stepped it up in sense of originality, pouring more if his personal madness into the music. Furthermore, there certainly lingers a spirit of earliest Enslaved, Ulver and Satyricon on ‘Die Krähenfüße des Winters’. Compared to the debut, the new record embraces a slightly more Pagan and epic spirit, with some clean strumming and sporadic clean chanting and even some female vocals. In addition, especially towards the end with tracks ‘Das Blut der Sonne’ and in particular ‘Herbstregen’, melancholy sweeps in to take control. It makes ‘Die Krähenfüße des Winters’a more diverse record, filled to the brim with interesting riffs that find their roots and catchiness in Norwegian Black Metal of the 90’s but are not shy to be a little different.
While ‘Die Krähenfüße des Winters’ might have slightly toned it down on the rawness of the sound, the record is still nice and sharp, with a predominant urgency in the pace. With rattling drums and raspy throat, the album retains the cold atmosphere of ‘Das kalte Eisen des Mondes’, but opens up more frequently to warming sections, for instance when the humming chants appear in the title track. That same song then transitions to a much darker section, and perfectly highlights not only the diverse and slightly unpredictable nature of Nebelfaust, but also an excellent sense of songwriting of Zinkruwahn. It is one thing to try to give a flair of the atypical to riffs, but to flirt with the unconventional can easily go too far. Unlike for instance later Taake that to me goes directionless into endless exploration, such is not the case for Nebelfaust. Okay, perhaps ‘Die Nacht in dir’ has a little bit too many different riff changes for a song that lasts a minute and a half and perhaps the ending of ‘Vom Frost gebissen’ is a little bit too chaotic, but as a whole it all feels in control.
Most of all, ‘Die Krähenfüße des Winters’ feels like an even more personal expression of Zinkruwahn. It honours his largest inspirations from Norway but lets go of conventions a little bit more than on the debut. Yet what remains central is the catchiness of the riffs, the cold and raspy sound, now embellished with a slightly more epic and at times melancholic charge. ‘Das kalte Eisen des Mondes’ was impressive enough to raise the expectations for the follow-up, but as far as I’m concerned those are certainly met on this excellent sophomore record.
