Harm Wulf ‎"Endzeitnächte" CD

Jewel-case, edition of 1000 copies.

Named for the protagonist of one of the works of Hermann Löns, a celebrated German writer, Harm Wulf was formed in 2015. The band released their debut album, Endzeitnächte, in January of 2016, which was quickly reissued on CD by Werewolf Promotion in March of the same year. Being that the band is German and is named for a German literary character, one should surmise that the band's sound is firmly rooted in the traditions of German black metal. That being said, they weave a few surprises throughout their harsh approach.
The band's adherence to that typical, riff-driven approach, bolstered by use of minor key melodies, often used by German black metal bands is apparent from the opening notes of “Götterdämmerung”. Harm Wulf's use of underlying melodies hearkens to a more Finnish approach at times, yet there is an abject atmospheric and often depressive vibe running through their music; an often shrouded uniqueness lurking under the surface. The riffing is competent, as the fiery yet melodic trem runs offer plenty of hooks to sink your teeth into. The vocals mostly reside in a painfully howled growl, putting one more foot into the realms of depressiveness, yet when coupled with the strong riffing it sounds almost triumphant in its redolent approach.
Endzeitnächte was recorded as a three piece and, as a result, the band programmed the drums; getting the job done in a rather simplistic way. The patterns don't sound rushed, yet things would be sound much more powerful with a live drummer. The band's choice to place an interlude between each track, as well as two outro tracks, seems to fluff the running time a tad, taking up nearly a third of the album, but those serene moments of introspection do flow nicely throughout playback.
A few minor flaws aside, Harm Wulf has presented a fine debut that fans of German black metal should enjoy. There really aren't many new ideas presented, but the band's blending of depressive and atmospheric styling with a more traditional approach offers something slightly different than the usual fare. Certainly a band to keep on your radar, as the future seems quite bright for these guys.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...