Ellende – Metal Eclipse Reviews

Ellende – Zerfall

Metalcatto

I’m late to this party again, but here we are: a new Ellende album exists, and that alone means we can’t just let it pass unnoticed. The band has been delivering stunning Post/Black Metal for years now, to the point where having an opinion on a new release isn’t just advisable, it feels almost mandatory. I also happened to see that one of the band members (L.G.) defended his PhD not long ago, which honestly explains a lot. Suddenly, the sheer emotional devastation of this record makes complete sense. Ellende, if you’re reading this, I’d love to say the academic pain is over, but judging by Zerfall, it has merely transformed into sound.

Remade, Reworked, Resurrected: The Best Metal Re-releases of 2024

It’s that time of the year when you, me, and every Metalhead feel this irrational urge to declare certain random works of art better than others. It’s a depressing attempt to find identity and meaning through the cultural products we consume (enjoy capitalism, kiddo!). This year, we’ve had some interesting “remakes”, and I have, as any benevolent tyrant would, decided to share my favorites with you. It’s not exactly a ranking, but I’m placing them from “Oh, that’s a lovely change” to “Wow! This album went from sounding like chimp noises to La Traviata“. Extreme? Yes, that’s the name of the game. So, without further ado, here are my favorite re-whatevers of 2024.

Ellende – Todbringerin

Stargazer Scholar

Metal and classical music have a lot in common. From direct quotations to arrangements and the general feeling of overarching grandeur, our beloved genre has borrowed heavily from its noble ancestor. However, while a romantic symphony or a baroque concerto are open to reinterpretation, Metalheads are known to be jealous guardians of the original incarnations of their favorite albums. And let’s be honest, more often than not, this stance is well justified. Nonetheless, the artists’ right to amend and reconsider their own creations should likewise be taken into account, leading us to a trade-off that is hard to resolve. This brings me to today’s topic.