Swiss German is already a hell to understand for anybody who is not from the Northern part of Switzerland, but turning it into the lingua franca for a black metal record seems even more absurd.
However, one thing becomes very clear when listening to Ateiggaer’s debut EP, to be released in mid-November: These two guys (working under the monikers Fauth Temenkeel and Fauth Lantav) make no sacrifices, they take no hostages, they are in it for themselves and for nobody else. Associated with the up and coming Helvetic Underground Committee from Zurich, they are able to play a furious version of black metal that has long been associated with the second wave of black metal, stemming from Norway. They infuse their fundamental rage and well-shouted visions with short passages of intricate laid-back drum fills, guitar motifs and near-Gregorian chants that connect very well with the mysticism they are here to convey, just listen to “De Dämon us Levania” (‘the demon from Levania’) – everything blends in nicely.
The world as we see it is not theirs, they talk about spheres and gods from another realm, always able to surprise us with minuscule differences to the usual sound. Not even a year into their existence, Ateiggaer already got a release by popular German black metal label Eisenton – no surprise when listening to this EP which is hopefully not their last.
