Morast from the West of Germany return after 1,5 years and a line-up change with a first musical sign of life in the form of two songs on another example how exceptional their songwriting is.
The Palingenesis already sounds like a description of the band’s sound – dark, monolithic and sinister, which in a way also reflects the situation the tracks were recorded in. Former singer Franco left the band last year and his former bandmates have now teamed up with Endstille-singer Z. and these two songs are their “palingenesis” which means nothing more than re-birth or re-creation.
However, the word can also be seen as a metaphor for society, as the world we had gotten to know before the year 2020 will certainly not be the same world we will be living in when this new record comes out at the end of May, 2021. Mankind has more and more drifted apart during the pandemic with the extreme fringes becoming bigger and bigger, conservationists and radicals with the middle thinning out more and more.
The pandemic has changed the global community on the larger scale and the band on a smaller. The two songs were written in isolation and then recorded by the band itself. Z. definitely delivers a different performance than Franco and the band has gone through a phase of re-creating themselves – sticking true to their ideals and also not being stagnant music-wise.
And the music is still the most impressive thing about Morast. This is doomy, slow, black metal with lots of thunderous riffs (beautifully positioned in the mix by Andy Roscyk) that remind us why Morast are still one of the German Doom- and Black-Metal bands. The first track ”In Gloam” shows that wonderfully – the bass slow, without too much movement and the guitar lamenting the collapse of our society as we know it. Combined with the vocals in the background – whispering at first and then erupting right before our ears – the song develops a miraculous pull on one’s attention and gives you goosebumps all over. The track is really pure magic and demands replay after replay.
To put in a nutshell: Our society is burning in front of us, the global community is torn, the pandemic has transformed each and everyone of us forever but Morast are back to help us get along, get through and get well. Just like they had to undergo a re-birth themselves. Theirs was successful and full of energy. let’s hope ours will be the same!
