Artist: Verhinderer
Country: Germany
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Digital demo
Year: 2023
Very hot on the heels, only three weeks after the release of the band’s debut EP ‘Ruhepol’, Verhinderer already presents its second feat with this new digital demo. ‘Ruhepol’ appealed to me not only with its musical content, but also through the conceptual idea of the music. It embodied the beauty and grandeur of the German Black Forest region (Schwarzwald), a real musical homage if you will. Besides, Bettler, the musician behind Verhinderer, seems to be humble selve, something that is a more than welcome change among all the bands and musicians who are so elitist and seem to take themselves very seriously.
On this new 3-track demo tape, clocking in just under the fifteen minute mark, Bettler takes a slightly different musical turn with Verhinderer. While the music is still quite atmospheric in nature, he is obviously steering away from the majestic sound of ‘Ruhepol’. Instead he seems to opt for a sound that has more of a sharp edge to it, maybe leaning a bit more towards the fierceness of more traditional Black Metal. After the atmosphere-laden run-up that also features a film sample, the song really gets going after two minutes and indeed sounds more fierce and grounded in something occasionally reminiscent of the somewhat static work of Leviathan, for example. This is mainly due to the somewhat stiff, staccato drums and slightly mechanical sound. The subsequent simple piano interlude is the break between the two songs that tell the story of a person caught up in his own fears of losing control of his own life and body. The third and final track sounds a bit more conversational in sound and that’s where the atmospheric side of Verhinderer comes out a bit stronger again. Consequently, this closing track rubs up against Depressive Black Metal. Despite the dark and somewhat gloomy nature of this last track, the person from the conceptual story seems to be more at peace with the situation, a feeling also embodied by the artwork.
The accompanying text states that ‘Angstwelt / Wunschwelt’ is more personal, although of course I can’t fill in anything for Bettler, I also experienced ‘Ruhepol’ as such. Where ‘Ruhepol’ is a tribute to the grandeur of nature, this new demo seems to just highlight mainly another side of the same person’s life. Regardless of how you look at and listen to this, the band’s musical diversity becomes clear with both the previous EP and this digital demo, and it is to be expected that Bettler has yet to reach his full potential and that with this demo, his musical boundaries, desires and goals are being properly explored.
