Review by Felix on September 19, 2019.

Orlog is one of these bands that came out of the blue, caused an enormous impact and vanished into thin air again. Just like a phantom, they left no trace, but two albums serve as proof that they really existed (or even still exist and operate covertly). Reinigende Feuer, the debut of this pretty unapproachable formation, houses coherent songs which deliver a strict overall impression without neglecting some occasionally desperate vibrations. Don't get me wrong, the sometimes-exuberant tunes are light years away from suicidal or depressive black metal; violent rage characterizes many parts of the output. Anyway, it is just a fact that Reinigende Feuer does not pull all its eggs in one basket.

One of the most vehement tracks is my personal highlight "Untergang" is kicked off by a minimalist but effective riff and it leads directly to a blast beat driven section. A devastating storm is unleashed, and it takes more than two minutes before the Germans slow down the mind-blowing tempo. But the following break does not hurt the quality of the piece. Instead, it gives the lead singer the possibility to choose a more charismatic mode of expression. Anyway, the best feature of this song is the killer riff at the beginning, which reappears during the song at adequate intervals. Yet "Untergang" is not the über-song on this album that overshadows the remaining material. Some further tracks like "Aufbruch" with its very insistent parts almost reach the same level of pure force. By the way, "Aufbruch" also holds some rather elegiac parts - and they suit the approach of the band more or less perfectly. Another question is whether the pretty poetic, nearly philosophical lyrics fit the musical context. Yet this problem probably does not occur outside of the German-speaking area.

What I like very much is that the debutants do not need a warm-up period. Right from the beginning, a sinister guitar introduces the audience to the dark, natural regions of Orlog's art. The vocalist adds the proper amount of pain and suffering so that he complements the musically created mood very well. This is not to say that the raw voice lacks aggression - the lead singer finds the right balance. Moreover, a fine sense for the right degree of fairly melodic parts should be mentioned as well. Orlog's core competency is the excessive use of their instruments in the most intensive manner and with that said, it is a pity that a small number of tracks are definitely good, but they do not leave a long-lasting effect. Yet this criticism does not relate to the first three tracks - all of them work like the sonic reflection of fury and restlessness. The only piece which cannot keep up the pace of the remaining tracks finishes the debut. "Stille" (= silence) is more or less fittingly titled and seems to symbolize the calm after the storm with regard to some emotional guitar melodies, but it also shines with high speed sections.

The production is acceptable. The density of the album is at the expense of clarity and the drums would have deserved a better sound. Anyway, the technical framework does not affect the joy of listening. All in all, this album offers a furious, sometimes apocalyptic form of pure black metal. At the same time, Reinigende Feuer does not spread any kind of proletarian or antisocial vibes. Instead, the album is enriched with a small number of melancholic elements. This mix works and brings a handful of fantastic songs to light. No doubt, these "cleansing fires" have a cathartic effect. Check it out and let's hope that Orlog reappear one day.

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Lumina on February 8, 2026.

No Point In Living is back after Yu just released an album under his other project "Retreat Neurosis". This came to me as quite the surprise, albeit a welcome one. The thing that stood out was the fact that Yu called this traditional black metal in the announcement. In retrospect, it is not surprising considering the wide variety of genres Yu has covered under No Point In Living by now, but it's a good decision in my book since I always loved when he went outside of dsbm.

As already mentioned, this album is very reminiscent of the older traditional thrash-y black metal style brought upon by the likes of Darkthrone and other black metal bands from that time. Its execution here is held fairly simple, albeit very decently. Standouts here, as always, are the vocals and guitars. It's been a while since Yu released anything (apart from the aforementioned Retreat Neurosis album), so I am quite glad his vocals haven't deteriorated at all. His guitar skill also hasn't gotten worse; there's plenty of dark riffs and tremolo sections here. Bass is noticeable enough, no complaints there. While the majority of the release follows this, there are some outliers, and one of those is the track 'Begin To Die'. Made quite obvious by the title, this one is more post-black metal focused, with the usual depressing atmosphere brought upon by Yu. The following tracks, 'Blood Flow', 'Crusher', and 'Rise Up' also dip into this. I found myself getting reminded of the band "Autumn, Leaves, Scars" while listening to those.

Overall, quite a nice change of pace, even if I personally would have preferred the style from one of his previous albums, "Beautiful Tragedy".

Favorite Tracks: 'Amaoto', 'Devil In The Mist', 'Begin To Die', 'Blood Flow', 'Crusher', 'Rise Up'

Rating: 9.3 out of 10