Review by Felix on June 27, 2024.

The name Mavorim stands for black metal that combines relatively melodic songs with a fanatic voice full of misanthropy and hate. Within less than ten years, mastermind Baptist has produced a confusingly opulent discography. Four regular full-lengths, five demos in album quality and some splits and EPs, this is the product of his artistic work so far. One of these EPs is “Der König ist tot”. It is among the first releases of Mavorim and it is stingy with regular songs. Only two black metal tracks which are surrounded by three ambient pieces form the EP. However, we don’t give 100, 50 or 0% for the quantity, but for the quality of a release and “Der König ist tot” confirms that one can trust Baptist. It is another release one can buy blindly.

Generally speaking, the main tracks of the EP are typical Mavorim tracks. This project does not change its style, because there is no reason to do so. The songs are sometimes vehement, sometimes melodic and equipped with strong guitar riffs and lines, cleverly used keyboards and throaty yet occasionally clean vocals. A touch of medieval darkness (greetings to Desaster) can be found in the songs as well. The degree of their complexity is pretty perfect, because we get a lot of variation but no confusing structures only a mathematics professor can decode. “Das alte Blut” is a good track, only its clean vocals part suffers a bit from somewhat weak background vocals. The title track marks the highlight. It is introduced by “Jagd”, a short keyboards / percussion piece that brings back the “Minas Morgul” days of Summoning. It does not happen often, but here I am sad that this ambient number comes to its end very quickly.

“Der König ist tot” spreads discomfort and hostility right from the beginning. Its melodies are absolutely excellent and Baptist tells us a dark story about death, betrayal and contempt. The guy has a talent to paint strong pictures with his words. The scenarios he describes become real before the inner eye and this draws the listener even deeper into the songs. But the instrumental parts, especially the stormy, restless ones, do not stand in the shadow of the lyrics. The composition is brilliant. The old rule is still valid: there is almost no Mavorim release without at least one pure gem.

It’s a pity that the EP doesn’t house further songs, but this is the only complaint I have. By contrast, its production is totally fine. It is far away from being perfect or polished. Instead, the whole thing sounds like a well recorded demo. A bit muffled, a bit blurred and a bit headstrong, but come on, that’s Mavorim, you have entered the black metal underground and if you want clean productions you are free to buy some bloodless, sterile products of commercially successful bands without any artistic intention. But please do not commit suicide when realizing what you have done. There will certainly still be a copy of “Der König ist tot” available.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Brian on January 22, 2014.

Sometimes a band becomes more than just a band. They transcend being a group of musicians writing and playing songs and become something far greater. The band itself represents a philosophical idea. Austrian avantgarde black metal act Echelon is that band.

With their debut album Vivito! Creato! Moritor!, Echelon prove they are not your average band. Although black metal is the central style and can be heard in all the songs, they also add many different styles into the mix. This is a very eclectic album. With a dash of punk, a pinch of rock and roll, even some hints of doom can be heard. They manage to put all these together and it never sounds forced.

Vivito! Creato! Moritor! opening track "Les Grande Misères De La Guerre" begins with a beautiful acoustic guitar and is complimented by a march drum beat. The snare sound is so warm and inviting and the beat itself is simple and it grabs the listeners attention. Once the electric guitars make their appearance with the a beautiful melody there is spoken word that enters as well. Making this track the perfect intro to the album. "Der Baum Der Gehangten" follows with a almost rock riff that leads into the black metal sound that is prevalent throughout the albums thirteen tracks. Echelon describes the album as being in two concentric circles. The inner circle is the first nine tracks of the album and focuses on the works of painters Jacques Mallot, Francisco de Goya and Eduard Manet. the emphasis is on war. The outer circle are the last four songs and reflect the work of Otto Dix. I am not going to go any further with this, but mentioned it to give you a feel of where the band is coming from and how much thought they put into this album.

Echelon provide the listener with a deeper listening experience. The lyrics and artwork are just as important as the music. This is an extremely well crafted album and each track just flows seamlessly into the next. It is epic without being pretentious. This is a near flawless album and contains no filler whatsoever. Each track is necessary and from the start it draws the listener in and wraps itself around you, but you never feel constricted. It's like being held captive with the ability to leave at anytime, but you wish to stay. This is as strong of a debut that I have ever heard. This is the first album of the year that I can say will end up finding its way on my year end list. Echelon have a very bright future and Vivito! Creato! Moritor! is just the beginning of what should be a great career.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 9
Originality: 10
Overall: 9.5

Rating: 9.5 out of 10