Crescendo (Germany) - S/T (Album 2024)

The debut album from this Dresden-based project. Tremendous eschatological neofolk true to its industrial roots, bringing forth many power electronics and noise influences, as well as ritualistic ambient and spoken word interludes that raise an air of apocalyptic mysticism and religious psychosis. Between the doomsaying neofolk-styled hymns guided by beautiful plaintive guitar chords and accompanied by other acoustics like flute, strings and droning accordion, and the more industrial-laden passages that trudge painful and tenebrous depths, one thing that remains constant is the utter despair of the narrator, whose voice resides in an almost DSBM-ish register with desperate shrieking and howling that give the record a not just melancholic but particularly gutting quality, even at its harshest peaks where the shouts escalate to a more wrathful tone adjusting to the power electronics genre, like in the utterly demented finale of "An den Brandungen der Torheit" with its rampaging waves of feedback and distortion, or the following pounding drum-led clamour in "Tabernakel". Truly incredible, ominous but euphoric music crafted with pure genius and total reverence, full of surprising elements for example on the track "Einem Enden entgegen" which feels like Lovesliescrushing/Scott Cortez-school shoegazing noise/ambient via black metal tremolo + ethereal vocal & synth timbres, an outstandingly elevating and, uncharacteristically, somewhat serene centerpiece that soars to stunning heights of empyreal splendour, certainly making for the album's highlight among all the other excellent tracks. In closing, a fragile tape recording of faded piano melodies somberly ushers the spirit to where it will hopefully be free at last. Self-released digitally December 3, 2024. Acoustic Guitars, Electric guitar, Strings, Accordion, Shrutibox, Piano, Singing Bowl, Tubes, Clean Vocals, Harsh Vocals, Voices, Word Creation, Concept, Graphics – T. Batzk Synthesizers, Flute, Tubes, No-Input Mixing, Field Recordings, Sound Manipulation, Recording & Production, Pre-Mastering – Lubomirov Drums, No-Input Mixing, Harsh Vocals – J. Figueroa Final Mastering – J. Korn Analog photography – M. Walter ■ Available on Bandcamp: https://crescendosounds.bandcamp.com/... ■ Follow and support the artist: ● Bandcamp: https://crescendosounds.bandcamp.com/... ● Website: https://erosion-wandel.de/?utm_source... ● Instagram:   / erosion_wandel   ● Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6vifJ... ■ More information on the release: ● Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/155097... ● Last.fm: N/A ● RYM: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/alb... ► TRACKLIST: 1. 0:00 Kalte Winde (præludium) 2. 02:47 Fernwärts 3. 03:14 Überwältigung 4. 05:32 Gott ist tot 5. 07:52 Sturmböen 6. 13:46 Leiden schafft Leidenschaft 7. 14:55 Einem Enden entgegen 8. 20:08 An den Brandungen der Torheit 9. 27:37 Solar Plexus 10. 27:50 Tabernakel 11. 32:32 Atavismus 12. 33:48 I.K.A.R.U.S. 13. 37:29 Einem Schmerz zu entrinnen (postludium) I take no credit for the music or artwork. All rights belong to the respective authors.