Band:	Folterkammer
Album:	Die Lederpredigt
Style:	Symphonic black metal
Release date:	December 2020

01. Die Nänie
02. Die Hymne
03. Die Elegie
04. Das Gebet
05. Das Magnificat
06. Das Sinngedicht
07. Das Zeugnis

I talked a lot about some avantgarde albums that Kenny from Imperial Triumphant appeared on this year, but it's up to another Imperial Triumphant member to bring us reverse symphonic black metal.

Zachary Ezrin, also known as Ilya Goddessraper, is the guitarist and founding member of Imperial Triumphant, and pretty much the only one who is still around from the time when the bands was simply a black metal band, with black metal now being a relatively diminished part of their sound. With the band's shift to more avantgarde sounds, it was only a matter of time before Ilya came with a black metal side-project. He brought together three other musicians that have contributed to Imperial Triumphant's music throughout the years, to create a pummeling black metal band... with... uhh... and opera singer? It seems like you can take the man out of an avantgarde band, but you can't take the avantgarde out of the man.

Now metal and opera singers are nothing new for metal, we have an entire genre dedicated to it. And symphonic black metal has been a thing for more than two decades. But there's something in the way that Folterkammer merge these familiar elements that is really striking. And a long standing tactic of making avantgarde music has been putting two different genres side by side or performing them in a different manner. Here, the music is clearly black metal, so it isn't simply symphonic metal, but instead of an orchestra and the operatic backing the band and the harsh vocals, there is no orchestra, and the harsh vocals are the ones alternating with the operatic vocals. Like I said, "reverse symphonic metal".

And, as usual when deviating from the formula, you don't know whether the new ground works or not. Here, all the separate parts of the equation, both Andromeda Anarchia's singing and the instrumental, work pretty well on their own, but fit awkwardly together most of the time. The album's concept of oppressive systems of faith and authority and channeling nurturing feminine energy into a destructive force does give the mix of genre some footing, especially with German being such a dramatic and gothic language. In most avantgarde stuff, it's not unusual for each instrument to be a bit more independent from the others, but the monotonous drumming and riffing feel at odds with themselves and the dramatic vocals in a way that is more awkward than challenging.

There is a good concept, and maybe a good album that could come from what's in here, but the feeling that neither of these people were in the same room during the creation of this album is too strong. I can't blame people for not being in the same room during a pandemic, but there are better ways to write songs with instead of around certain elements. But most of all I appreciate the originality, even if it can be done better.