EP REVIEW: Nekrovault – Nachhut: Toward The Towering Tomb

German Blackened Death Metallers NEKROVAULT devastated many with their ferocious album of 2020 (read my review here). Now they have returned with a new EP, out now via Van Records.

A swirling ambience is broken by chiming cymbals and reverberate, modulated guitars, opening the duo of songs with a breathtaking, if simple, eeriness. Those huge stomping riffs soon ensue that were reliably transferred from the LP, as blasting drums and blackened howls contort in the abyss, amidst some clean singing which furthers the haunting mood present. It is clear rather quickly, that these new additions to the bands repertoire are a firm continuation that focus equally on the ethereal but also the brutal elements that make Nekrovault so immersive to witness. The bass tone is more of a rumble that warmly embraces the scorching guitar riffs and untamed drumming while the dominant vocals ensure a most ferocious performance is front and centre while not overshadowing the creativity of the instrumentals. This disturbed, warped and utterly feral concoction of sounds is one that will shake you to your core.

Music of such an expansive nature can be either perfectly or poorly suited to an EP of 20 minutes, depending whether the release feels like a standalone offering, or a strangled abortion from the album. Here we see something which sounds more like a stepping stone from the visceral nature of “Totenzug…” toward an equally intense yet rather more otherworldly soundscape. This phrasing my frighten some, but rest assured, the utterly brilliant chaos of Nekrovault is still absolute with their maliciously unique manner of songwriting as strong as ever. While I personally prefer the full length, merely due to it being a more fulfilling experience in its many avenues of charnel extremity, this EP is not a restricted failure and serves as a might fine appetiser for what promises to be more magnificent things to come, while holding more than enough value in its own right. A dissonant spectacle of pure wrath encompassing gloom and hostility aplenty.