Band: TOTENGEFLUSTER
Country: Germany
Title: Im Nebel der Verganglichkeit
Label: Pale Essence Music
Year: 2017
Style: Symphonic Black Metal

Review:
German Totengefluster are back 4 years after their highly impressive debut album, with an even more impressive followup. The band clearly reminds me of the '90's Cradle of Filth, but even more of the Russian Tvangeste, a band that was intensly promoted in the beginning of the new millenium, a band that was even regarded as a proud successor of Cradle of Filth, but one that disappeared as fast as it appeared. Anyway, the difference between these bands is that Totengefluster is a DIY band so far, Pale Essence being one of the members' own label, so they are pushing everything by themselves. From the visual point of view the band is absolutely flawless in both the graphic side of this second studio album and the band's image, at least in the booklet pictures and video they released in support for the album, the band members appear like some sort of aristocratic ghouls, very close to the image Bram Stoker gave to Transylvania through his Dracula book. From the music point of view Totengefluster's compositions are mid-tempo to fast paced Melodic Black Metal heavily supported by emphasized symphonic keyboards throughout the whole material painting a horrifying yet dreamy and mesmerizing at the same time atmosphere close to what Cradle of Filth used to do back in the days, but not copying the Brittish in no way (and getting back to my first mention, Tvangeste's music had some CoF in it, Totengefluster are their own thing). I would have liked the vocal part to be even more complex and varied, maybe a few female vocals, and choirs, othere than the ones made by keys, would have been great. Anyway, all in all another impressive, carefully planned and delivered release by Totengefluster, I can see this band at the top of Worldwide Symphonic Black Metal sooner or later.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9.5/10

Contact:
totengefluester.de
paleessencemusic.de