Tormentous Lamentations Review

Band	Entsetzlich
Album	Tormentous Lamentations
Type	Album (Studio full-length)
Released	September 16, 2018
Labels	Hatework Propaganda
Length	31:35

Reviewer :  KaroshiMetal         Rating :  90 / 100

Coming out of Australia, Entsetzlich is one of those projects whom creates raw art that can be seen as an essential need for any raw black metal fans. Throughout the years since the mid 2000s, Entsetzlich has given us lo-fi noisy black metal material with a pinch of ambient elements and this album from 2018 maintains the very same attitude that can be listened for certain special occasions.

"Tormentous Lamentations" is a 4-track album that clocks just over 31 minutes. One side of this album contains the dark raw grim black metal element that Entsetzlich is mostly known for, while the other side is nothing but pure ambient with a special set of atmospheres. Starting with the first track, we immediately open with a sole raw guitar riffing that maintains a steady and somewhat slow tempo as it occasionally switches notes back to back. This lasts for a good 34 seconds as it is eventually accompanied by poorly-produced vocals along with drum kicks and crashes. Of course, this is completely intentional to blend with the low quality of the guitar work. The entire listening experience places the listener in a vision of long empty caverns as the vocal performance gives a combined style that sounds very reminiscent of cold wind with occasional croaky vocals that also give a very inhuman nature, as if the artist is an actual creature from a deep underworld-like dimension. Not only does this cold-like atmosphere maintains the very same style for the entire track, but it also plays the very same mood in the second track although the drum work is given a somewhat increased tempo for a few good moments until it eventually tones itself down in some parts while the vocal style also gives itself a more higher tone with screeches that deliver a strong sense of torment just like the very title of this album.

As we finish this first side of album labelled as "Side Torment", we enter the second side known as "Side Lament". As already mentioned, this side is nothing but pure instrumental ambient with it's own set of different atmospheric moods. We enter the ambient side with the keyboard that give a pulsing effect that is reminiscent of string instruments while maintaining raw lo-fi quality. In fact, this keyboard sound is the only thing that plays throughout the entire track, so it doesn't have much to deliver. As such, it's pulsing effect can make the listener's mind run all over the place as they may struggle to place themselves in a suitable atmospheric mindset. However, this is not always the case as the album ends with the next track that has a special atmosphere. It plays a different keyboard sound with a slow, somewhat more lightened sound with a ghostly-like effect that makes the listener imagine they are wandering in a foggy town inhabited by paranormal forces as the track is also given weird but low-volume heavy breathing in a couple parts. Aside from the low breathing effect, the overall actual keyboard work has a very strong comparison to some of Japanese composer Akira Yamaoka's ambient work for the famous Silent Hill game series. As such, some listeners may even go as far as to say this was a direct inspiration. This also serves as the longest ambient track while the composition remains purely the same just like the previous tracks. But despite so, this may be considered to be the most powerful ambient track on the album's second side with the unique gloomy mindset it may possibly place the listeners in.

"Tormentous Lamentations" is a very limited album that holds a murky experience that Entsetzlich is known for. Even though the atmosphere may not be completely consistent in a couple moments such as the second and third tracks, they still grasp a firm mindset for the majority of the experience. As such, this is one of those underground albums that has a steady level of importance for pure fans of this specific genre of black metal and dark ambient.