frigoris-instille-reviews

Review from Aristocrazia Webzine

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 21:16:34 +0100

From: Aristocrazia Webzine

Published: August 4, 2020

È passato qualche anno dall’uscita di Nur Ein Moment…, il primo atto di un concept esistenzialista ideato dai tedeschi Frigoris, e in quest’arco di tempo la creatura di Dominik Winter non se n’è stata con le mani in mano. Dopo aver realizzato uno split coi conterranei Asator e aver preso parte alla mega-raccolta organizzata dalla propria etichetta, il quartetto di Essen ha portato a termine il viaggio iniziato nel 2016 con … In Stille, pubblicato quest’anno sempre tramite la canadese Hypnotic Dirge Records.

Concettualmente, l’arco narrativo inaugurato dal suo predecessore trova una perfetta conclusione all’interno dell’ora e spiccioli di musica, entrando ulteriormente nel dettaglio del rapporto tra il personaggio principale e il suo Sé, in un dialogo che si articola a più riprese tra Protagonista, Ens (equivalente latino per la forma greca ὤν) e Lichtträger, il portatore di luce. All’interno di questa trama, poi, fanno la loro comparsa anche le figure di Himeros e Fides (in “Stimmen Im Regen”, in italiano parole nella pioggia), i cui nomi ci riportano indietro di qualche millennio e si ricollegano direttamente al pantheon greco-romano, in cui il primo rappresentava la personificazione dell’incontrollabile desiderio amoroso e il secondo la cosiddetta buona fede da mantenere e rispettare tra gli individui. Tutt’altro che elementi casuali, mi viene da pensare, visto il passato pagan black del quartetto: la creatura di Winter e soci ha perso il pelo ma non il vizio.

Dal punto di vista prettamente musicale, invece, il quarto album dei Frigoris ci mette davanti una scaletta decisamente molto corposa: superare i sessanta minuti con la seconda parte di un concept atmospheric black metal, tendenzialmente, abbassa in maniera drastica le speranze che il disco si riesca ad ascoltare da cima a fondo senza distrazioni. Se i tedeschi avessero scelto di cantare in inglese, immagino sarebbero riusciti in questa durissima impresa, ma ammetto che — da non-germanofono — mantenere l’attenzione alta per tutta la durata dell’opera non è stato sempre semplicissimo, così come non lo è stato capirne a dovere i contenuti tematici. Ciò detto, però, va tassativamente riconosciuto alla band un merito: … In Stille è musicalmente davvero bello. La miscela di black metal, atmosfere cupe e sensazioni talvolta al limite del post- è stata decisamente raffinata rispetto al passato, e le soluzioni messe in gioco risultano in questo caso estremamente soddisfacenti, tanto nelle rese più sfrenate quanto nei momenti meno concitati, dedicati alla costruzione di paesaggi sonori struggenti.

Dall’apertura in crescendo di “Aurora Stirbt” (“aurora muore“, il pezzo che segna l’inizio del Kapitel III dell’arco narrativo) fino all’epica suite-epilogo “Die Gleise An Denen Wir Starben” (“i binari sui quali siamo morti“) passando per l’evocativa “Scheideweg” (“bivi“), … In Stille ci regala una performance estremamente sentita e sofferta: un’ora di dialogo e introspezione alla ricerca del senso della vita e dei motivi della morte, sia essa scelta o meno, che si chiude sulle note del violoncello di Maximilian Stiefermann, bassista e voce pulita dei Frigoris.

La strada intrapresa nell’ormai lontano 2016 dal gruppo di Essen è giunta finalmente al termine e — devo dirlo — nel migliore dei modi possibili. … In Stille è un album feroce e passionale, introspettivo e calcolato, che ci racconta di tutti gli esiti possibili e dell’unico reale finale possibile per il Protagonista dopo la morte di Aurora. Il quarto disco dei Frigoris è un’opera facilmente apprezzabile, l’unico prerequisito è gradire l’atmospheric/post-black metal à la Karg.

Reviewed by: Oneiros

Review from Friedhof Magazine

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 21:42:54 +0100

From: Friedhof Magazine

Published: August 20, 2020

Original Link

"Nach dem Krieg" (2010), "Wind" (2013) y "Nur ein Moment..." (2016) es la discografía previa de Frigoris. Seré honesto: no he escuchado nada cuando me pongo con su nuevo lanzamiento. Quedaría muy bien escribir lo contrario... hoy todo el mundo sabe la hostia de todo gracias a Internet, pero yo lo único que he ido entrelazando es que "...in Stille" es la continuación de su anterior trabajo y lo han dividido en tres partes.

Es decir, los capítulos que se iniciaron con el anterior trabajo se rematan aquí. La historia conceptual viene bien explicada en el digipack de la edición, aunque es posible escuchar las canciones actuales sin saber nada de las anteriores. Un presente trabajo donde los arpegios son parte fundamental del estilo de Frigoris, que combina la agonía vocal, con la melodía de las guitarras y la velocidad de una batería que, sin duda, sabe conjugar continuos cambios de ritmo donde no faltan interludios creados con el apoyo de un cello. Eso lo vas a tener claro si tienes tiempo para canciones como "Funkenflug", con un comienzo evocador donde van aumentando su expresividad y donde se compaginan las altas velocidades con momentos más ambientales como seña de identidad, incluso dejando toques del Death Metal.

"...in Stille" es una edición para saborearla despacio. Más de una hora de música. Hay muchas texturas, incluidas voces limpias en pistas como "Das Licht in mir", donde la banda sacan todo el partido a las sofisticadas melodías que logran. Llenan de sentimiento su música cuando incluyen el cello, dejando cosas tan melancólicas y evocadoras como "Stimmen im Regen" o una "Einkehr" con partes alejadas completamente de la forma habitual de tocar Black Metal, si bien hay otras que no se separan un milímetro de esa órbita, dando una versatilidad a sus canciones bastante única.

Exploran su lado más melódico en la instrumental de evocadoras melodías "Die Gleise an denen wir starben I (Nur ein Moment...)". Y en la final "Die Gleise an denen wir starben II (...in Stille)" nos dejan un tema de melodías dulces con Tobias Danneck como invitado en la guitarra.

He preferido no diseccionar tema a tema. Son tan extensos, tan ricos en detalles, que con orientar un poco creo que es más que suficiente. Más interés al Bandcamp oficial del grupo. Lo que tengo claro es que el cuarto trabajo de Frigoris es una notable grabación que hará que investigue más en su música, además de que puede encandilar a los seguidores que quieran profundizar en influencias que van desde Alcest a Agalloch.

Reviewed by: Arcadio R.

Review from Concrete Web

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 22:51:41 +0100

From: Concrete Web

Published: March 5, 2020

Original Link

For some reason - do not ask me how - or when, where, whatever - I did not review Nur Ein Moment…, the predecessor of …In Stille. A pity, for this band deserves some (any) additional support and promotion. The same, evidently, goes for the label involved, Hypnotic Dirge Records (although, for this magnificent Saskatoon, Canada based label, I did several other reviews before, for this label deserves any additional attention whatsoever; but that is another story). Anyway, I have never been disappointed by Frigoris’ former releases, like Nur Ein Moment… (2016) or Wind (2013, also released via Hypnotic Dirge Records). And now these Germans have returned with their fourth full length in about twelve years of existence.

Frigoris were formed in 2007, but I have the impression that their early years were quite turbulent (line-up changes and so). So, founding member and vocalist / guitarist Dominik Winter permanently looked for a stable line-up to have his ideas translated into actual ‘songs’. To keep it short, line-up changes appeared, a couple of (great) albums appeared, and Frigoris never disappeared.

Enough about the past; what about this newest recording… Well, …In Stille is actually the last chapter in a conceptual (hi)story / trilogy, released once again via Hypnotic Dirge Records in an edition of 500 physical copies, digipack version (and digital ones, of course). The material was recorded in 2018 and clocks about sixty-five minutes (most songs last in between eight and ten minutes), and the fine cover artwork was done once again by Dominik’s wife Sara Wiedow, the general artwork by Hyems’ Dennis M. …In Stille was mixed by Waldgeflüster-spirit Jan ‘Winterherz’, and it got eventually mastered by Ereb Altor’s Jonas Lindström.

Continuing their characteristic approach, Frigoris bring very melancholic yet intense blackened Metal with lots of emotion in atmosphere and sound. Once again there is a huge variation in both structure and execution. Twin-led passages interfere with harsher outbursts, rhythmic chapters interact with acoustic interludes, introspective parts are nicely balanced to progressive ones, and Post-laden elements go well with pieces rooted in the tradition of this genre’s roots. …in a nutshell…

Every single composition is sort of divided into different chapters, organically canalised into one naturally sounding orchestration. The speed too, for example, varies a lot. From a general point of view, one might refer to that kind of stuff that might be labelled as Black Doom Metal, for the slower excerpts are like the spine of the whole sonic journey. Once in a while, those doomy parts trespass the (non-existent and futile) border with the funereal genre, and more than once even the DSBM scene might come to mind. At the other hand, the band often accelerates, with mid-tempo passages to quite fast and energetically intense ones. Especially when the general sound turns nastier (cf. some fragments in the monumental piece Funkenflug, to give an example), that up-tempo approach adds a certain lust for revenge on top of the melancholic, desperate attitude. Vengeance following pain, the law of a broken, tortured soul, let’s say…

Call it a fixed grid, yet each single epic comes with a comparable, yet at the same time distinctive, construction: an introduction, a reciprocity of faster and slower, heavier and more tranquil sections, a conclusion nicely referring to the next step in this story. That’s what makes this lengthy experience such absorbing, fascinating one. It’s like a movie that permanently arouses and discourages, provokes and appeases. A symphony of dualities, a whole concert of remarkable connected antitheses.

A surplus is the sound quality, for the production has been done with such craftsmanship and attention for detail. No matter whether it deals with a heavier or an acoustic excerpts, no matter if it’s a calmer yet then again a more overwhelming passage, the mix has always been executed with eye for detail, for equilibrium, for a fine-balanced elegance of all instruments (vocals included). None of them overpowers the other ones, none of them is subservient either. It is great to notice that not only the many tremolo and twin leads seek attention; the supportive rhythm guitars and rumbling bass lines are at least as important when referring to the strings. Remarkable too are the varied drum patterns, sometimes strengthening the melodic structure, then again taking a leading role for a while (like in Die Gleise An Denen Wir Starben II (…In Stille)).

And then I did not mention Dominik’s throat yet. His kind of screaming stands far away from hysteria – a way of ‘singing’ that often characterises this kind of atmo-melancho material. On the contrary, this voice is raspy and wretched, yet determined and combative at the same time. And not that unusual, for a couple of times, though quite sporadically as a matter of fact, there are some clean voices and choir chants too (by bassist Max (*) and guest vocalist Jan van Berkelom).

[(*) Maximilian Stiefermann, which is his full name, also performs some cello, which fits very well, evidently…]

Frigoris are such band that are able to assemble heaviness with integrity, grief with anger, smoothness with distortion, light with darkness. Within its specific genre, a highlight for sure!

Reviewed by: Ivan Tibos

Review from Ave Noctum

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 08:32:31 +0100

From: Ave Noctum

Published: February 17, 2020

Original Link

‘In Stille’ is atmospheric beyond belief. The black metal soldiers of Frigoris have created a magnificent beast, entwining and deep, multi-layered atmospheres with beauty and grace a plenty.

Each track on the release is a complete journey in itself and each offers elegance and refinement in waves of polish and harmony. The penultimate track on the album, ‘Die Gleise An Denen Wir Starben I’ is an instrumental of beautiful proportions, and Tobias Danneck is utilised on the solo guitar in order to create the dynamic and beautiful interlude, from the otherwise bleak and barren wonderment.

Each track is a continuation of the next, atmospheric black undertones and raw, demonic vocals, screeching and spat out with true venom and intent. The vocals are vitriolic yet controlled with power and precision through every breath.

Dominik Winters vocals are harsh and toxic, each word approached with passion. Clean vocals injected by Jan Van Berlekom on Scheideweg are a beautiful contrast to the raw efforts of Winter, and the contrasting clean vocals of ‘Steifermann’, yet each have found their righteous place sat within the album.

Frigoris have set their intentions out from the start, measured, controlled, melodic and brutal in equal beautiful facets of a well-rounded and developed album. The tracks are mature and smooth in their deliverance and portrayal, and the whole opus is packaged with flowing and fluid musical scores amidst the foreground of complex and technical vocals.

A thinking fans black metal outing which will leave a sense of wonderment and enchantment as the final chords ring out

Rating: 8/10

Reviewed by: Phil Pountney

Review from The Sound Not The Word

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 21:55:03 +0100

From: The Sound Not The Word

Published: February 3, 2020

Original Link

The role of artwork in putting across an album’s intentions can be taken for granted. It surely seems obvious that, as the most visible part of a record, the cover art should act as a kind of summary of what the musicians want to express; yet so often it feels as if the artwork was an after-thought. But in the case of …In Stille (“In Silence”) by Frigoris, the cover feels like a fine summation of the themes of the album. Dealing as it does with the idea of suicide, the reaching, grasping tendrils of …In Stille claw towards a sun; yet the escape and salvation promised is not forthcoming, twisted as it is into something else. Yes, it is bleak and heavy, but also by facing up to such darkness, …In Stille offers a kind of catharsis and understanding of those darkest moments.

Built upon a foundation of melodic, depressive black and pagan metal, Frigoris could just as easily be described as post-black metal as DSBM. The songs on …In Stille are lengthy, with appropriately winding structures. The music is given space to grow and evolve, whilst never losing sight of the claustrophobically bleak atmosphere it aims to create. It conjures up quite a duality; the melodic inclinations give …In Stille a relatively accessible edge, but the emotionally-charged atmosphere is never less than absolutely crushing. As such, …In Stille is that rarest of beasts; an album simultaneouslly repellent and hypnotic, seeking to draw the listener in whilst never letting them feel too comfortable or secure.

The end result is an album that ultimately seems to remove the listener from their surroundings, taking them somewhere else for the 65 minute duration of …In Stille. It is an hypnotic album, without ever relying on the tropes of hypnotic black metal – it is rarely repetative, and never relies on sparse atmospherics to conjure its spells. Instead, what keeps attention held is the pure emotional power of the music; as weighty as it can often be (which is only fitting, given the subject matter), this is an album that comes to offer something close to hope.

That emotional duality is the greatest strength of …In Stille. A lot of DSBM relies on cliched, try-hard imagery and tropes to gain attention, but Frigoris understand that the genre is at its best when it is being sincere and human. The honesty that underpins …In Stille can make the album uncomfortable at times, but it also gives it that sense of hope, that things can somehow improve if you can just keep on going for one more day. Black metal too often revels in a sense of existential nihilism, and it is wonderful to come across an album that flips such self-hatred on its head. …In Stille is an absolute triumph, and that rarest of things: an album of genuinely life-affirming black metal.

Review from Everything is Noise

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:10:49 +0100

From: Everything is Noise

Published: January 22, 2020

Original Link

I’ve dug pretty deep through the tunnels of melodic black metal, and Frigoris serves to remind me that discovering more acts of high quality in this field prevents the process from getting tiresome. Stumbling upon a good one is among my favourite cathartic moments in experiencing music. The substance, the moods, and the careful balance between tranquil and monstrous is what this emotionally charged offshoot of bleak heaviness is all about. For me personally, few things in music top it.

I’m pleased to say that I found another gem. Thank you Frigoris!

…in Stille is this German act’s latest outing, and it’s the whole package. In the great tradition of bands such as Alcest, the record takes the mighty and speedy chord progressions of the classic genre and uses them to create something rather more elegant. If I’ve got this right, somewhere along the lines, this tweak in direction may have been called blackgaze, but I believe in this case, the balance is too fine a thing to pinpoint in descriptive terms. It’s black metal, and it’s emotive in an extremely natural and intuitive manner. That is all.

From the album’s beginning, the rawness is abundant, and found primarily in the super-classic guttural vocal rasps. They complement the eerie passion discharged by the instruments with unquestionable flair. To call the first act of this record ‘textbook’ would be to undersell it somewhat, and there’s certainly nothing ‘generic’ happening. There’s a level of expertise in effect that renders the journey nothing short of fluid.

…in Stille‘s wonderful and ear-opening progression truly kicks in, however, at the fourth track, “Stimmen im Regen”, which is one of the most unique and captivating blend of moods the album has to offer. This nine-minute epic track goes through every spectrum one could imagine, with such grace it could be a standard-bearer for the entire subgenre. Of this one song alone, Frigoris should be extremely proud.

You’ll furthermore realise that this album’s mid-point sets a precedence. The explosive beauty of the following track, “Einkehr”, enunciates the spread-out quality of the record, and continues right through to the end. You’ll hear more melody, more sublime clean singing, and more climactic rage, all of which is patient and well-delivered both in a groovy and a thrashy context. Ample closure comes with no shortage of explosiveness in the two-part movement, “Die Gleise an denen wir starben”, which is a triumphant end to a wholly gripping musical spectacle.

There isn’t a great deal more I can say without tumbling into the realms of hyperbole. …in Stille is a wonderful record from a superbly talented band. It remains true to its roots to the point that it clarifies the greatness of the genre, or subgenre if you will. If you like your heavy output with a touch of melancholy, dashes of mystique, and great helpings of fierce conviction, then this latest opus from Frigoris will seek out that itch and scratch it. If its always to be done this well, then may the sounds of emotive and atmospheric black metal long continue. Albums of this quality will forever be welcomed.

Reviewed by: Ashley Jacob

Review from Crossfire Metal

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:09:46 +0100

From: Crossfire Metal

Published: January 22, 2020

Original Link

Frigoris aus Essen kenne ich noch aus meiner Zeit bei Black Horizonz, da wir damals mit ihnen ein paar Gigs gespielt hatten. Damals waren sie noch eine Pagan-/Black Metal-Band, heute geht es mehr in Richtung Post-Black Metal. Ich finde ja nach wie vor, dass „Post“ im Black Metal-Bereich immer noch eine Art Schimpfwort ist. Dennoch machen Frigoris ihre Sache richtig gut, denn sie haben immer noch viel Atmosphäre in ihrer Musik, was ihren Stil immer ausgemacht hat. Sie haben sich von Album zu Album immer dezent weiter in diese Richtung entwickelt und keinen Stilbruch begangen. Auf schöne, verträumte Gitarrenmelodien greifen sie heute noch genauso zurück wie auf ihre deutschen Texte. „…In Stille“ ist das nunmehr vierte Album der Band. Es enthält insgesamt acht Tracks, die mit einer Spielzeit von jeweils fünf bis zwölf Minuten alle recht lang sind. Dadurch passiert hier natürlich auch ganz viel. Neben frostigen Riffs und Blastbeats gibt es auch viele getragene Passagen mit cleanen Gitarren und einen spannenden, interessanten Songaufbau. Der Gesang bleibt aber immer heiser gekreischt. Dennoch ist das Album kein leichtes für zwischendurch. Man muss sich die Zeit nehmen und in das Album eintauchen, um es zu verstehen. Die einen werden es auf Dauer etwas langatmig finden, da es mit weit über einer Stunde auch recht lang ist, die anderen werden die melancholische Stimmung von „…In Stille“ mögen. Die Produktion ist dünn und kristallklar, was perfekt zu der dargebotenen Musik passt. Man muss ein bisschen Geduld mitbringen. Das haben Atmospheric Black Metal-Bands nun mal so an sich, aber wer auf Bands wie Agalloch, Alcest oder Fen steht, der wird mit Frigoris sehr viel anfangen können.

Rating: 7.5/10

Review: Daniel Müller

Review from Games, Brrraaains, and Head-banging Life

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:08:21 +0100

From: Games, Brrraaains, and a Head-banging Life

Published: January 22, 2020

Original Link

Emotionally draining, emotionally harrowing and emotionally horrifying, Firgoris’ understand atmospheric black metal. They have clear grasp on how to be both ugly and beautiful and the same time. We have mellow passages of melody that eases the pain and suffering caused by the ugliness of the black metal. Scarring heaviness that pours from troubled souls, the chaotic rhythm is saved by the sadness covered lighter melodies. Without a shadow of doubt, most will get this from the Aurora stirbt alone.

This is an epic though so there is plenty more to comes.

The doomier tempo that introduces Funkenflug is a little different but it’s not too long after that the guitars ring out morosely and the black metal fire really starts to burn. The struggle to keep their emotions in check is clear to hear with Frigoris here. A battle they just about win although black metal passion is the dominating force on the following Das Licht in Mir.

Sticking solidly to their style of ringing guitar rhythm and fast-paced drumming, Stimmen im Regen is another lengthy crawl thorough the murky mire of emotions mixed with intense black metal speed. It’s very good but not quite as good as the reflective sweetness of the melody that introduces Einkehr. A track that takes so much of what has been good so far and steps it up an extra level. Stunning is the word that comes to mind.

With most tracks passing the 8 minute mark and some going even longer, you could be forgiven for thinking this all gets a little old after a while. However, that’s not the case as Firgoris have buckets of imagination and buckets of talent. It’s constantly interesting and constantly moving, each new high and low creating wonder. If the tear-jerking end of Scheideweg had been the finale, it would have been more then satisfying.

That’s not the case though as Die Gleise an denen wir starben I and Die Gleise an denen wir starben II are still to come. The former is the shortest track at just three minutes and serves almost as intro to the latter. Three minutes of haunting acoustic and folkish melody whereas the latter is nearly 13 minutes of powerful atmospheric blackness. An unimaginable epic that is beauty personified from the darker side of metal blended perfectly with Frigoris’ inimitable atmospheric melodies.

The best atmospheric black metal release of 2020? It’s far too early to say but it won’t come as much of a surprise to see this near the top of the ‘best of’ lists come the end of the year.

Rating: 9.5/10

Reviewed by: Carl 'The Disc' Fisher

Review from ZWaremetalen

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 21:12:12 +0100

From: ZWare Metalen

Published: Janaury 21, 2020

Original Link

Eén momentje, stil zijn. In dit eenvoudig zinnetje, weliswaar in het Duits te vertalen dan, zitten de twee laatste platen vervat van het ijskoude post-blackmetalgezelschap Frigoris. Via het Canadese Hypnotic Dirge records bereikt … In Stille mij. En om met de deur in huis te vallen, heerlijk plaatje! Je zou direct een heleboel lawaai willen maken, maar dat past niet echt. Vrolijkheid, uitbundigheid en blijdschap zijn niet direct de emotionele thema’s die in hun moedertaal bezongen worden door deze Duitsers. Blackmetalmuziek in het Duits, dan krijg ik het altijd al spontaan koud en warm tegelijk.

Acht eerder lange nummers staan er op deze langspeler vereeuwigd. Het is een muzikale post-blackmetalvariant die je het beste kan vergelijken met bands als Harakiri For The Sky en Karg opgemengd met Heretoir. De stem is niet te vergelijken met die op de releases van de eerste twee bands. Of wil je het helemaal correct, de keelrasp van Dominik Winter is niet te vergelijken met die van JJ. Die keel produceert bij Frigoris gewoon een lekker, schurend, typisch blackmetalgeluid. Nu en dan hoor je wel wat voorzichtige, emotionele uithalen of cleane, mannelijke vocalen voorbij komen en dat zorgt dan weer op zijn beurt voor wat afwisseling.

Het instrumentele gedeelte dan. Zoals zo vaak hoor je de gekende, dromerige, lang uitgesponnen eerder trage partijen zoals bijvoorbeeld het begin van het nummer Einkehr. Typisch ook in dit subgenre, is de slepende drumthema’s op de wat sneller gespeelde treurende gitaarlijnen. Daarbovenop worden dan vaak wat dwalende leads geplakt die verder het tranendal uitdiepen. Er wordt tijd gemaakt om alle gitaarthema’s goed te benadrukken vaak gewoon met distortion dan weer clean dan weer helemaal akoestisch, luister hiervoor maar naar het instrumentale Die Gleise An Denne Wir Starben I (Nur Ein Moment). Afsluiten doet hij met een twaalf minuten durend epos, alles hierboven beschreven vind je hierin terug, dus mijn tip is, draai de plaat in afspelen gewoon in volgorde om.

Stevige doch veelal dromerige release die de centen voor het opzeggen van je nieuwjaarsbrief aan oma, opa of zatte nonkel Pol, meer dan waard is.

Rating: 85/100

Reviewed by: Joris Meeuwissen

Review from Metal Pit

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 21:11:09 +0100

From: Metal Pit

Published: Janaury 21, 2020

Original Link

I tedeschi Frigoris ritornano con il loro quarto album “…In Stille” concludendo il concept cominciato nel 2016 con “Nur Ein Moment…”. La nuova fatica in studio uscirà il 24 gennaio per Hypnotic Dirge Records, e il risultato è di buona fattura. Autori di un post-black metal a volte descritto come atmospheric, a volte come melodic, in verità unisce tantissime diverse influenze che andremo ad analizzare in seguito. I Frigoris infatti nascono come band dedita al pagan black metal, ma man mano si evolvono attraverso le varie componenti della loro discografia, in una crescita stabile ed interessante.

Cominciamo dalle note dolenti, così da tenerle bene in mente: sfortunatamente, rispetto alle produzioni passate (e mi riferisco in maniera particolare al capitolo precedente), “…in Stille” sembra avere una produzione meno curata, che si riflette in una batteria molto poco calibrata e alle volte fastidiosa, specialmente nei primi ascolti, oltre che ad una specie di “patina” che rovina il suono, come se ci fosse uno strato invisibile fra la musica e l’ascoltatore. Dopo qualche ascolto, entrambe le sensazioni si affievoliscono, ma è un piccolo neo che non passa inosservato.

L’album si divide in otto brani per la durata di un’ora e cinque minuti circa, e a parte un’unica eccezione la durata di ogni canzone varia dai cinque minuti ai dodici. Straordinariamente, nonostante la pesantezza delle atmosfere, i brani scorrono via veloci senza rischiare di cadere nel ripetitivo, fatta eccezione per “Einkehr”, dove i Frigoris sembrano aver perso un pochino lo slancio.

Parlando quindi strettamente dei brani, “…In Stille” è formato da un post-black ricco di dettagli che mescola momenti che veleggiano sul doom/DSBM (“Stimmen in Regen”) e varie interruzioni o momenti molto melodici, a infondere con essi una profonda malinconia e tristezza. La maggior parte delle introduzioni viene affidata a chitarre che sprigionano questi due sentimenti, ma quando serve viene lasciato spazio alla furia cieca della fiamma nera (“Das Licht In Mir”) o a chitarre effettate che sembrano quasi tappeti di tastiere (“Einkehr”). Si segnala una sfumatura leggerissima di industrial in “Funkenflug”, dettaglio delicatissimo e molto apprezzato; lo stesso brano ha uno dei momenti vocali più intensi dell’intero album, dove il cantante Dominik Winter sembra raggiungere il massimo della disperazione possibile, quasi volendosi rompere le corde vocali.

Strumento focale anche delle produzioni precedenti è il violoncello, che in quest’album si ripresenta sia nel brano che apre le danze (“Aurora stirbt”) che in quello che le conclude: il meglio di sé però lo dà nella leggiadra “Die Gleise an denen wir sterben (Nur Ein Moment…)”, introduzione acustica al lungo finale dell’album. Quest’ultimo viene affidata alla speculare “Die Gleise an denen wir sterben (…in Stille)”, conclusione dell’album e del concept, riassunto dell’intero album, che vanta un’interruzione quasi assordante e con un finale finto che lascia spazio ad una lunga parte recitata, inquietante e delicata ad un tempo.

Personalmente la più bella dell’album è la già citata “Das Licht In Mir”, piccola gemma in mezzo alle altre: si distingue per un black lento che si trasforma poi in un pesante mid-tempo e dei cori ombrosi, senza perdere di vista la violenza infernale caratteristica dell’intera opera.

I cori tornano anche in “Scheideweg”, dove però regalano un’atmosfera assurdamente sognante in mezzo ad un mondo desolato; l’intero brano sfocia in un bel finale ritmato da headbang assicurato.

Capolavoro assoluto? Ni, nel senso che è davvero un’ottima prova che soddisferà palati molto raffinati abituati alle sonorità degli Agalloch o dei Fen, ma personalmente siamo a metà strada verso il vero capolavoro. Rimane una prova molto valida, dall’ascolto caldamente raccomandato, ma… Ci siamo quasi. Ancora uno piccolo sforzo.

Rating: 7.5/10

Reviewed by: Sara di Gaspero