ALBUM REVIEW: Cloud Collider – Ketzer
Cologne’s KETZER have been one of the hottest outfits in the German black metal scene for over a decade now. The outfit came absolutely rocketing onto the scene with their 2009 debut, Satan’s Boundaries Unchained – an album widely considered by fans of blackened thrash to be one of the crowning jewels of the genre. Having perfected the genre they begun their career with, KETZER took a series of sharp left turns, releasing Endzeit Metropolis and Starless in 2012 and 2016, respectively. Their sophomore album injected a degree of atmosphere and melody into their blackened thrash roots that reinforced KETZER‘s image as one of the most exciting bands in the game, while Starless offered a post-black metal/blackgaze soundscape that alienated more than a few of their fan-base, but proved to be an emotional and artistic listen. Three years on from Starless, they are back with their second Metal Blade Records offering. But with an already varied and mostly-acclaimed discography, does Cloud Collider see the German heretics regress, or continue to evolve?
KETZER ease into Cloud Collider with a short, ominous intro in the form of The Machine, before launching into the first full song and video single Keine Angst. Here we see the Germans on fine form as they launch the listener through a maelstrom of groove, post-black metal disjointedness and furious blackened thrash. Walls continues in the same vein, opening with an almost-tranquil riff before ramping up the viciousness, though the effort comes with a deceptively catchy chorus thrown in for good measure. There’s a sense of urgency running through the immediate highlight, keeping the listener on edge and unsettled as Walls eases gently into Cloud Collider‘s title track. Pure blackened thrash in it’s most aggressive form, Cloud Collider doesn’t progress so much as it bulldozes, levelling anything foolish enough to not get out of the way quick enough. The title track does let up on occasion, but this just serves to make the following bombardment all the more effective. The first section of the album show’s KETZER on strong form, moving from strength to strength.
The short interlude Forever Death brings Cloud Collider to its mid-way point before crashing into the one-two of the album’s lead singles, The Wind Brings Them Horses and No Stories Left. Bringing the catchier area of their sound out to the forefront, KETZER deliver a series of ear-worm riffs and hook-filled vocal patterns with The Wind Brings Them Horses, breaking up the unrelenting assault and brutality. No Stories Left falls just shy of five minutes, eviscerating it’s way through it’s run time. Notably, it features a guest appearance from Proscriptor McGovern of ABSU – his higher pitched, more traditional blackened shriek contrasts the deeper vocals of Gerrit Schwarz excellently, and their harmonised sections prove to be highlight moments in Cloud Collider.
This Knife Won’t Stay Clean Today brings us into the final section of Cloud Collider. Continuing the running theme, KETZER wonderfully deliver a blend of untamed blackened aggression with light doses of groove and post-metal artistry, coming to an abrupt halt before the quintet dive into the closing double whammy of (The Taste Of) Rust And Bone and Light Dies Last. Both closing tracks come together as two of the strongest songs on offer in the entirety of Cloud Collider. (The Taste Of) Rust And Bone is absolutely crammed to bursting with hooks and bastardised traditional heavy metal musings amid the onslaught, while Light Dies Last bring the album to a close. Clocking in at six-and-a-half minutes, Light Dies Last stands as the longest track on the album by some distance, and it utilises every second of its run time to deliver one of the finest songs in KETZER‘s discography, and a truly majestic end to the band’s magnum opus.
In many ways, Cloud Collider feels like the pure embodiment of KETZER. This is unarguably the band’s strongest offering to date, harnessing all the elements of their musical arsenal and pushing their sonic assault to a whole new level of greatness. The song-writing and execution is on top form, and we see the band channelling the influence of every bit of their varied back-catalogue into a whirlwind of aggression and emotion. Although Cloud Collider feels like the purest embodiment of KETZER thus far in their career, given their track record we are guaranteed to see something wholly different for album number five – and we wait with baited breath.
Review: 9/10
Cloud Collider is out now via Metal Blade Records.
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