Wiederkehr der Schmerzen
Encyclopedia
Wiederkehr der Schmerzen is the second album by the German gothic metal
band Necromance
, released on Pleitegeier Records in 1999.
elements to its gothic metal. Songs such as "Megiddo" are pure instrumental industrial music pieces. The production on the album showcases progress from the previous album, being more plentiful and balanced. Otherwise the album continued on the direction characterized by distorted guitars, symphonic keyboards, Runhardt Scheffler's rough vocals, danceable drums, and dark romantic atmosphere.
"The Day of the Lord" showcases a slight pop influence, and its lyrics are directly from the Bible. "My Faithful Shepherd" is inspired by Psalm 23. The opener "Far Away" also includes catchy songwriting, and "Taste of Home" contains bizarre tempo changes. The guitarist Sandra Bogdan contributed to a few tracks with romantic vocals, including "Our Love In Our Tears," and the instrumental "Genesareth," with the warm guitar chords painting soundscapes, is considered by some critics as the best song on the album.
The title track "Wiederkehr der Schmerzen", translating to "Return of Pain," is a 18-minute instrumental, traditional industrial music collage, divided into chapters titled "Vorbereitungen der Unterwelt" ("Preparations of the Underworld"), "Sterben" ("Death"), "Ankunft des Sünders" ("Arrival of the Sinner"), "Hölle" ("Hell"), "Angst" ("Agony"), "Schmerzen" ("Pain"), "Wiederkehr der Schmerzen" ("Return of Pain"), "Immerwährende Wiederkehr der Schmerzen" ("Eternal Recurrence of the Pain"), and "Freuden des Widersachers" ("Pleasures of the Opponent"). The musical output of the chapters tries to capture the feel the titles imply. It is an esoteric, recondite piece.
The album was well-received by magazines such as Rock Hard
and Metal Heart. Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann wrote in the issue 148 of Rock Hard that the album was a significant shift in the style and that the band winds in theatrical melancholy. Metal Heart wrote in its September 1999 issue: "Necromance sparkles with real fireworks of ideas on their second album Wiederkehr der Schmerzen. Technical gothic metal, without overestimating... Genious!"
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
band Necromance
Necromance
Necromance was a Christian gothic metal band from Spremberg, Germany, formed in 1987, disbanded in 2002. Originally signed to Morbid Records as a death metal act and later signed to Pleitegeier Records after changing the music style, the band built a reputation in the underground scenes touring...
, released on Pleitegeier Records in 1999.
Recording
Musically, on this album the band incorporated more industrial musicIndustrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
elements to its gothic metal. Songs such as "Megiddo" are pure instrumental industrial music pieces. The production on the album showcases progress from the previous album, being more plentiful and balanced. Otherwise the album continued on the direction characterized by distorted guitars, symphonic keyboards, Runhardt Scheffler's rough vocals, danceable drums, and dark romantic atmosphere.
"The Day of the Lord" showcases a slight pop influence, and its lyrics are directly from the Bible. "My Faithful Shepherd" is inspired by Psalm 23. The opener "Far Away" also includes catchy songwriting, and "Taste of Home" contains bizarre tempo changes. The guitarist Sandra Bogdan contributed to a few tracks with romantic vocals, including "Our Love In Our Tears," and the instrumental "Genesareth," with the warm guitar chords painting soundscapes, is considered by some critics as the best song on the album.
The title track "Wiederkehr der Schmerzen", translating to "Return of Pain," is a 18-minute instrumental, traditional industrial music collage, divided into chapters titled "Vorbereitungen der Unterwelt" ("Preparations of the Underworld"), "Sterben" ("Death"), "Ankunft des Sünders" ("Arrival of the Sinner"), "Hölle" ("Hell"), "Angst" ("Agony"), "Schmerzen" ("Pain"), "Wiederkehr der Schmerzen" ("Return of Pain"), "Immerwährende Wiederkehr der Schmerzen" ("Eternal Recurrence of the Pain"), and "Freuden des Widersachers" ("Pleasures of the Opponent"). The musical output of the chapters tries to capture the feel the titles imply. It is an esoteric, recondite piece.
The album was well-received by magazines such as Rock Hard
Rock Hard (magazine)
Rock Hard is a heavy metal magazine originally released in Germany. It was founded in 1983 by Holger Stratmann and is dedicated to all styles of rock and heavy metal. The magazine has independent offspring with the same name in France, Greece, Italy and Spain....
and Metal Heart. Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann wrote in the issue 148 of Rock Hard that the album was a significant shift in the style and that the band winds in theatrical melancholy. Metal Heart wrote in its September 1999 issue: "Necromance sparkles with real fireworks of ideas on their second album Wiederkehr der Schmerzen. Technical gothic metal, without overestimating... Genious!"
Track listing
- "Far Away" - 4:43
- "Immortal Cry" - 3:19
- "The Day of the Lord - 4:20
- "Frostiger Stern" - 4:47
- "Taste of Home" - 4:13
- "Genezareth" - 3:21
- "Conscience" - 3:14
- "Megiddo" - 3:56
- "Our Love in Our Tears" - 3:11
- "Trugbild" - 4:17
- "My Faithful Shepherd" - 3:52
- "Wiederkehr der Schmerzen" - 18:35
"Vorbereitungen der Unterwelt"
"Sterben"
"Ankunft des Sünders"
"Hölle"
"Angst"
"Schmerzen"
"Wiederkehr der Schmerzen"
"Immerwährende Wiederkehr der Schmerzen"
"Freuden des Widersachers"
External links
- Wiederkehr der Schmerzen at Metal-Archives