black metal / blackgaze
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Let's face it, the whole Blackgaze thing has been done to death by now. Ever since Alcest came out with 'Souvenirs d'un autre monde' in 2007 the genre exploded with a host of followers, all trying to jump on the train that was rapidly gaining speed. It's 2016 and by now there are copycats of copycats of Alcest.. Bands, as well as fans, began digging back in the whole history of shoegaze and indie rock, discovering bands like My Bloody Valentine (of course), The Jesus And Mary Chain, Ride, Slowdive, Swervedriver etc... Which is fine, I mean, an album like 'Loveless' deserves to be heard by anyone into whatever kind of music, period. However, as with any genre, there is so much chaff among the wheat that it is easier to ignore a genre as a whole and just stick with the originators of said genre.
That poses a problem though, because even though there are lots of uninspired albums being released, there are still some artists that are worthwhile. Well, you can count on Merchants Of Air to be your faithful guide in the difficult search of said worthwhile artists. Which brings us neatly to Trautonist. A German 2-piece consisting of Dennis (vocals and instruments) and Katharina (vocals), their eponymous debut album is indeed a worthwhile addition to the ever-growing list of quality blackgaze albums. Trautonist, like a lot of bands in the genre neatly combine the moodiness of shoegaze with the brutality of harsh black metal with some post-rock thrown in for good measure. Doused with a sauce of brooding urban melancholy, all the ingredients are there to label this as another cliché release, one in a long line of similar artists. What is it then, that makes this album worthwhile?
I mean, you could start to get the impression that this is a negative review.. Well, as with any album there is that element of 'je ne sais quoi'. You like it. You like it a lot. A lot better than other artists that might be considered 'the same'. But you can't really put a finger on why that is. Well, that is what Trautonist does for me. One thing I do know why it perhaps 'does it' more for me than other bands is that Trautonist have a very unpolished feel about them. Which is probably intentional, because the album was mixed and mastered by Markus Siegenhorst of Lantlôs and that guy knows how to make an album sound crystal clear and massive. The decision to go for towards the rawer end of the spectrum is one I approve of very much.
So all in all Trautonist could be considered as nothing overly special, I have to be honest about that. There is certainly nothing new to be heard here. But it is quality. It is Blackgaze done really well. And if you are into Alcest, Lantlôs, Amesoeurs, Ghost Bath and the likes this will probably push your buttons as well. In general this is a very competent effort that should please fans of the genre.
Bjorn
That poses a problem though, because even though there are lots of uninspired albums being released, there are still some artists that are worthwhile. Well, you can count on Merchants Of Air to be your faithful guide in the difficult search of said worthwhile artists. Which brings us neatly to Trautonist. A German 2-piece consisting of Dennis (vocals and instruments) and Katharina (vocals), their eponymous debut album is indeed a worthwhile addition to the ever-growing list of quality blackgaze albums. Trautonist, like a lot of bands in the genre neatly combine the moodiness of shoegaze with the brutality of harsh black metal with some post-rock thrown in for good measure. Doused with a sauce of brooding urban melancholy, all the ingredients are there to label this as another cliché release, one in a long line of similar artists. What is it then, that makes this album worthwhile?
I mean, you could start to get the impression that this is a negative review.. Well, as with any album there is that element of 'je ne sais quoi'. You like it. You like it a lot. A lot better than other artists that might be considered 'the same'. But you can't really put a finger on why that is. Well, that is what Trautonist does for me. One thing I do know why it perhaps 'does it' more for me than other bands is that Trautonist have a very unpolished feel about them. Which is probably intentional, because the album was mixed and mastered by Markus Siegenhorst of Lantlôs and that guy knows how to make an album sound crystal clear and massive. The decision to go for towards the rawer end of the spectrum is one I approve of very much.
So all in all Trautonist could be considered as nothing overly special, I have to be honest about that. There is certainly nothing new to be heard here. But it is quality. It is Blackgaze done really well. And if you are into Alcest, Lantlôs, Amesoeurs, Ghost Bath and the likes this will probably push your buttons as well. In general this is a very competent effort that should please fans of the genre.
Bjorn
