J-Man
If war-themed lyrics, blood-stained imagery, and brutal German black metal are your preferred poisons, Endstille's Infektion 1813 should be one of your top priorities in 2011. Filled with blast beats, dense guitar layers, and brutal vocals, Endstille surely has cooked up one of the most lethal black metal albums in recent memory. Although the album loses a bit of steam halfway through due to its general lack of variation, the excellent musicianship and brutal atmosphere is surely enough to make this a worthwhile purchase for fans of the most deadly kinds of black metal.
Endstille plays a style of black metal focused heavily on blast beats, war-themed lyrics, and a simply miserable atmosphere. This isn't an album that will sink in on the first (or even second or third) listen, but after time more memorable hooks become visible. There isn't a whole lot of variation on Infektion 1813 - I would've liked to see a few more melodic sections, or possibly parts with different instrumentation, but I guess that somewhat defeats the goal of the album. It's clear that (aside from the slow-building closing track), Endstille intended on creating 45 minutes of the most lethal black metal possible. And if that was their goal, you could consider Infektion 1813 a tremendous success. It's also worth noting the excellent production and musicianship present on the album. In addition to the powerful and clear sound, it's clear these guys know their instruments well - the drumming from Mayhemic Destructor is particularly impressive to these ears.
From my own subjective point of view, Infektion 1813 can get a bit monotonous and (dare I say) boring, but there certainly is something to be said for the amount of quality in this release. Fans of brutal, dark, and war-based black metal should definitely take a look into this quality German act. Season of Mist made a wise choice with picking up Endstille - I have no doubt this band's fanbase will increase as a result of the signing. For this fairly average album, I'll play my 3 star card. A more unique and varied sound would gain Endstille more praise from this reviewer.