Negator - Die Eisernen Verse

*=Staff's pick	Eisen Wider Siechtum Old Stigma Türme* The Answer To All Questions Honour Demise* Gloomy Sunday* Das Erbe Die Eherne Replik* Harvester Of Storm

Genre	Black Metal	Nachtgarm	Vocals
Tracks	9	Trolfbert	Guitar
Runningtime	40 Min.	Unholz	Guitar
Label	Remedy Records	Bertheim	Bass
Release	04 Nov. 2005	Tramheim	Drums
Country	Germany	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Dark Funeral

"Black metal died after 1995, we reanimated it!" Well, germanys Negator don't go smoothly forward in order to convince the world of their gracious art of black metal. I can't say that I support their statement about the reanimating of black metal. In fact I don't think it ever died. But maybe they have a point with their less than modest comment because after some listening to a quite new band like Negator, there are reasons to look positive on the genre if that word is allowed.

Hamburg's Negator released their debut Old Black in February 2004 so they must have been quite busy composing material to this one, their second called Die Eisernen Verse, recorded and made at the Eikey Studio. The material is totally free from keyboards, nevertheless the music sounds very norwegian or swedish. It is like Negator have captured the time around '92-'94. Think of albums like Dark Funerals Secret of The Black Arts, Marduks Opus Nocturne or Emperors In The Nightside Eclipse. Listening to Die Eisernen Verse by Negator is a journey back in time ten to twelve years ago. To the time when black metal took the step from its early shape with heavy metal and punk elements to the raw form with the characteristic blistering grinding that bands like Marduk and Immortal to name a few refined. I get retrospective vibes and thoughts listening to Die Eisernen Verse, concluding some speed trips like Old Sigma and Honour Demise but also heavier songs and material as on Das Erbe.

Musically Negator must be considered as quite original, by that I mean that many bands today often are technical and futuristic, trying to beat the hell out of each other or retroactive in order to play primitive. Negator is somewhere in the middle of this black mass, standing their ground. The sound is great I think, arrangements and setups of the songs make the music interesting, always with a melody, no matter how fast it goes, but the vocals could be more powerful and a bit darker I think, as can be heard on the Gloomy Sunday. Otherwise they tend to be a bit weak, and a bit to light and fragile. The voice from Nachtgarm is good as it is but more power would be like fuel to the fire and make this band reach the next level. I won't go further in on the lyrics as its on both german and english and my knowledge in german reach its end in allowing me to order a beer or two, if I'm having a good day, so to speak. To sum it up, Die Eisernen Verse is a good album. German black metal with a venomous touch of Scandinavia.

Production	Vocals	Compositions
7	6	7

Summary
7 chalices of 10 - Tim