Customer Reviews

Schwarzes Eis

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Blutengel is easily one of my top five personal favorite bands in the past five years. I became hooked on the band with THE OXIDISING ANGEL and since then I have been buying their music. I hate spending a lot of money on import cds but Blutengel is one of a handful bands I am willing to spend a good amount of money on.

SCHWARZES EIS is the newest addition to the Blutengel catalogue. While I do love LABYRINTH quite a bit, I found SCHWARZES EIS far more satisfying because the lack of filler tracks on this album even if the album clocks in at 76 minutes long. On LABYRINTH, there were a few filler tracks that I could have easily lived without. I liked that Chris Pohl kept most of his vocals clean. His vocals do occasionally become less polished from time to time on the album but not so much as he did on LABYRINTH. While there aren't any songs that were as infectious as "Singing Dead Men" and "Beauty and Delight", the melodies for the most part on the new album are stronger. I really liked the melodies on "City Lights", "The Only One", "Schneekonigin", and "The Dream". Of course I can't go without mentioning vocalists Constance Rudert and Ulrike Goldmann. The two women are always a joy to listen to on every Blutengel album and SCHWARZES EIS is no exception to that statement.

On my version of SCHWARZES EIS, there is a bonus cd of instrumental tracks called BEHIND THE MIRROR. The music reminded me of early Delerium during their days on Cleopatra records. The music has a dark, sinister ambient sound. It will either be a hit or miss with fans. Still it was interesting to hear another side to Blutengel that I am not familiar with. Overall I think SCHWARZES EIS is a must have album for fans. I enjoyed every single second of the album.

Track list:
01. Behind the Mirror
02. Kind Der Nacht
03. City Lights
04. My Nightmare
05. Pure Life
06. The Only One
07. Dancing in the Light
08. Schneekonigin
09. My Darkest Nights
10. The Dream
11. Dreh Dich Nicht Um
12. Broken Girl
13. Secret Places
14. Schatten
15. Nightfall

BEHIND THE MIRROR:
01. Mirror 1 - Birth
02. Mirror II - Journey
03. Mirror III - Confusion
04. Mirror IV - Seduction
05. Mirror V - Hope
06. Mirror VI - Suffering
07. Mirror VII - Homecoming
08. Mirror VIII - Death

I personally have LOVED Blutengel for several years.....and I still love them. I amm just disappointed in this thier current release.

The first of my frustrations came when I searched for the 3 cd set only to find it was pretty much already sold out after only being out a few weeks, and unless I wanted to pay a fortune, it was pretty much now unavaliable.

So I selltled for the 2 cd ste, and although it does have a some good songs, it just isn't Blutengel to me. Blutengel used to edge into a surreal territory in the past and perfectly blended in elements of Goth and industrial and made it interesting. Thet really didnt change the formula from cd to cd, but each one was very very interesting.

But now, with this realease, it appears things have become bland. The first four songs stick out a little, but the rest of the cd just falls flat and boring. The drums are pretty much dull now, where in the past, they were either pounding out a catchy beat or had a unique sound to them.

Over all, this cd is Blutengel on autopilot.