Vargsheim - Erleuchtung

In the taboo, dark underworld of heavy metal, I am hearing a similar circumstance. It's disheartening, really.

For the last two weeks I have been listening to the album 'Erleuchtung' by Vargsheim. Vargsheim hails from the Würzburg, Bavaria section of Germany. This band has a different black metal sound and it is beautiful. Has black metal ever been labeled beautiful? It has now.

After some research, I discovered there is a genre called Melodic Black Metal. Bands like Satyricon and Dimmu Borgir fall into this catergory, but still, Vargsheim takes it to a new level, is just different.

The vocals are classic black metal, which is a good thing. Straying too far from a classic sound can be dangerous, and Vargsheim keeps it venomus where it counts. Where they get creative is in songs like 'Betet, Oh Herr' with an acoustic, twangy break which Is awesome.

Songs like 'Flamme Zum Nichts,' 'Betet Oh Herr' and the title track, 'Erleuchtung' begin with a soft non-black metal sound. For a die hard black metal fan, if they heard these two songs without knowing they were on a black metal album (or lacking patience to continue listening), they would most likely turn them off. However, like I said earlier, it is a different sound (which is refreshing) and highly enjoyable for a fan that likes an artist who doesn't stick to the old school ways.

Ultimately, if you're into black metal of any kind, 'Erleuchtung' is an album to have in your collection.