Review by Chad on January 18, 2020.

It wasn't long before thrash metal would make its way from Canada and U.S.A. to Germany of all places, a country that was seemingly more into pop rock and progressive acts a decade ago, a country whose primary language isn't English, and a country that was considered an enemy to the west in the last major war. Looking back on it from today's viewpoint this is just common knowledge that Germans could thrash just as hard, if not harder than their western progenitors, but if I had been growing up when thrash metal was at its most relevant, I would not help but question why Germany caught on so quick as compared to say, the United Kingdom, the country where metal originated from... and apart from Onslaught, I honestly can't name a single thrash band between the years 1983 - 1986 stepping out of the British isles, apart from arguably Venom. Germany on the other hand, did have a handful of notable acts, today the only ones that ever get mentioned are Sodom, Destruction, and Tankard to a lesser extent. Oh, and of course it would be an absolute tragedy not to mention the legendary Kreator! But Germany was a goldmine of early thrash metal, not just the often touted acts above, but we shouldn't forget to mention the lesser known bands like Holy Moses, Exumer, and the speed metal act Living Death, a band that proves Germany was on the scene at least as early as 1984.

Apart from a historically impressive track record, the releases from that time to come out of Germany were top-notch, and far more brutal in my opinion than acts going on the western half of the globe, at least the ones in the Northern Americas. A band like Kreator seems to take the brutal elements of say Slayer, perhaps even Sepultura and mix them with the speed metal antics heard on Metallica's "Kill 'em All", with vocals being prototypical death metal style, before death metal was ever a thing, and guitar riffs that were either going to be chugging speed or more brutally bludgeoning than Slayer. German pioneers Sodom would take the brutality a step further on their debut "Obsessed by Cruelty", it really showcases that Germany seemed to come from a different perspective when it came to how they like their thrash. Meanwhile, flash-forward a decade later and Pantera seem to be incapable of not repeating themselves of how each of their albums surpasses the next in terms of heaviness. Sorry, as much as I love Pantera, bands like Kreator and Sodom really do make their pompous attitudes and shameless gloating look really naive, especially so when bands like Kreator are performing on equipment that costs less than half the price.

But I wouldn't go so far to say that Endless Pain is a "raw" album. Quite far from it actually. This is one of the best sounding early thrash recordings out there. It's not plagued with Destruction's paper thin, hollow and weak debut, "Infernal Overkill", and certainly not as low end heavy or as dark and brooding as the dungeon dwelling debut album by Sodom. Everything is very lively on Kreator's debut and seems to blast out of the speakers with full force, while still maintaining the chaotic and frantic pace invented by the likes of Venom, to be refined by Slayer. Re-releases would clean it up even further, such a process would typically gentrify an album's uniqueness, yet Endless Pain remains fresh and alive to this very day. In fact, I believe the album has obtained a better sound with subsequent remasters.

Many of the thrash bands to come from Germany would get a reputation for being far more "technical" than most other bands of the genre. Kreator would be no exception to get this kind of praise from fans. I personally don't find Endless Pain to be all that intricate, though there are some very inventive and complex riffs scattered throughout, especially the intro riff to "Total Death". One would have to look up a guitar tab to verify precisely what Mille Petrozza and Roberto Fioretti are actually playing here, it really sounds like the guitar are vomiting up their notes. I know that's a weird way to describe a guitar riff, but it's just so quickly performed without much cadence utilized to emphasize anything that's happening. The execution is not sloppy mind you, Kreator certainly had better chops than most acts, as evidenced by the song to follow, "Storm of the Beast", my personal favorite the album has to offer for its guitar riffs alone. It's also one of the few moments on Endless Pain where the band slow the tempo down for a short moment during the chorus, another standout slower moment being the intro to final track, "Dying Victims". The final track sticks out like a sore thumb with its "Don't Fear the Reaper" guitar intro coming unexpectedly before quickly bringing everything back to Kreator territory.

If you were to ask my opinion for the best thrash debut to come from the big four from the U.S.A., my answer would be an easy vote towards Megadeth's "Killing is my Business... and Business is Good"!. Germany's power trifecta consisting of Kreator, Sodom and Destruction is certainly a harder decision to make as I'm not as familiar with them, though the consensus would certainly seem to point to this album. I personally would need to revisit the other two again before making a final decision, but what I can say is that Endless Pain is a hard album not to like if you're a fan of thrash metal. It's a straight-forward, mostly simple album apart from whatever Ventor is doing on the drums throughout most of the album, not to mention he also happens to split the vocal responsibilities, and actually provides vocals for every other track on the album, I happen to prefer Ventor's vocals, though they tend to be more wacky than Petrozza's menacing, more accepted vocals, I still wish he would've done more on subsequent early releases such as Pleasure to Kill and Terrible Certainty. While it's not the most inventive thrash metal album out there, but certainly one that shouldn't be forgotten among the great B-tier list of thrash classics.

Superchard gets super hard for:
'Flag of Hate'
'Storm of the Beast'
'Son of Evil'

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 18, 2020.

Some years ago, Mille spoke in an interview about Endless Pain. He said that Noise Records had booked the studio for two weeks. Yet the band members were very proud of the fact that they were able to finish the recordings within ten days. In hindsight, Mille could no longer understand this amateurish, anti-perfectionist behavior. But it gets even "better". Quite frankly, the album sounds like it has been recorded not within ten days, but within ten hours. Anyway, exactly the non-professional approach and the fairly awkward production lend Kreator's debut its special charm. Although it is defaced with one of these shitty Lawvere paintings, Endless Pain has become an important time document, not only because of the amazing career of the band, but also because of its musical content.

Okay, one cannot say that the album was highly original. Kreator wanted to sound as demonic, evil and abnormal as possible, but their closest competitors, Destruction and Sodom, pursued the same target. Furthermore, "Endless Pain" holds some riffs that had previously been used by others. "Total Death", for example, reproduces the riffs of the chorus of "Strike of the Beast". Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the trio copied these sounds deliberately. It is just a fact that a few parts of the album lie in close proximity to sections of other tunes. Yet Kreator also wrote outstanding guitar lines that triggered a fresh and energizing breeze. "Bonebreaker", a close relative of "Total Death", started with a riff that had the power to wake the dead in a matter of seconds. Both "Bonebreaker" and "Total Death" demonstrated that the young Jürgen "Ventor" Reil was able to manage very fast rhythms. "Tormentor" is another straight, unfussy and fast-paced rocket, but Kreator had slower fragments in their repertoire as well. Thus, let's put an eye on "Storm of the Beast".

Its beginning celebrates the triumph of simplicity. Ventor plays a primitive four-four time and a forceful guitar sets in and increases the tension. The song turns out to be another speed-driven, ugly monster, but its chorus slows down the tempo and the ending picks up the intro sequence again in order to close the cycle. "Storm of the Beast" does not show the highest compositional brilliance, but it is coherent and catchy in its own way. "Cry War", another fine mix of mid-paced and rapid parts, follows a similar line. By contrast, exactly the opener and title track create nothing else but an awkward sounding noise and I also never understood the structure of "Son of Evil", despite its actually strong beginning. Well, as the oh so wise guys like to say, every beginning is hard. Even the special thanks section was strange. It listed their parents (good boys!) as well as "the girls that we f**k" (not so good boys!). But how many girls wanted to be f**ked by one of these three unwashed outsiders? One? Or even none at all?

Despite these irritating details, Kreator's debut was an important statement. It made clear once and for all that energy, ambition and conviction beat technical musicianship. Unlike the aforementioned guys of Destruction and Sodom, they did not start with an EP, but with a complete album and therefore we got the full dose of juvenile anger. Even in 2017, Mille's, Ventor's and Rob's thirst for action is still tangible. Inspiration was the magic word for the band as well as for its noise making surrounding. The movie "Thrash, Altenessen", which is available on YouTube, shows the fairly harmonic yet restrictive working-class milieu where the band members grew up. Furious thrash was the tool to break these chains. Nobody could foresee that Kreator would become a force to be reckoned with, but one thing was certain: this debut came straight from the heart. Among other things, this feature makes Endless Pain so valuable.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Chad on January 18, 2020.

It wasn't long before thrash metal would make its way from Canada and U.S.A. to Germany of all places, a country that was seemingly more into pop rock and progressive acts a decade ago, a country whose primary language isn't English, and a country that was considered an enemy to the west in the last major war. Looking back on it from today's viewpoint this is just common knowledge that Germans could thrash just as hard, if not harder than their western progenitors, but if I had been growing up when thrash metal was at its most relevant, I would not help but question why Germany caught on so quick as compared to say, the United Kingdom, the country where metal originated from... and apart from Onslaught, I honestly can't name a single thrash band between the years 1983 - 1986 stepping out of the British isles, apart from arguably Venom. Germany on the other hand, did have a handful of notable acts, today the only ones that ever get mentioned are Sodom, Destruction, and Tankard to a lesser extent. Oh, and of course it would be an absolute tragedy not to mention the legendary Kreator! But Germany was a goldmine of early thrash metal, not just the often touted acts above, but we shouldn't forget to mention the lesser known bands like Holy Moses, Exumer, and the speed metal act Living Death, a band that proves Germany was on the scene at least as early as 1984.

Apart from a historically impressive track record, the releases from that time to come out of Germany were top-notch, and far more brutal in my opinion than acts going on the western half of the globe, at least the ones in the Northern Americas. A band like Kreator seems to take the brutal elements of say Slayer, perhaps even Sepultura and mix them with the speed metal antics heard on Metallica's "Kill 'em All", with vocals being prototypical death metal style, before death metal was ever a thing, and guitar riffs that were either going to be chugging speed or more brutally bludgeoning than Slayer. German pioneers Sodom would take the brutality a step further on their debut "Obsessed by Cruelty", it really showcases that Germany seemed to come from a different perspective when it came to how they like their thrash. Meanwhile, flash-forward a decade later and Pantera seem to be incapable of not repeating themselves of how each of their albums surpasses the next in terms of heaviness. Sorry, as much as I love Pantera, bands like Kreator and Sodom really do make their pompous attitudes and shameless gloating look really naive, especially so when bands like Kreator are performing on equipment that costs less than half the price.

But I wouldn't go so far to say that Endless Pain is a "raw" album. Quite far from it actually. This is one of the best sounding early thrash recordings out there. It's not plagued with Destruction's paper thin, hollow and weak debut, "Infernal Overkill", and certainly not as low end heavy or as dark and brooding as the dungeon dwelling debut album by Sodom. Everything is very lively on Kreator's debut and seems to blast out of the speakers with full force, while still maintaining the chaotic and frantic pace invented by the likes of Venom, to be refined by Slayer. Re-releases would clean it up even further, such a process would typically gentrify an album's uniqueness, yet Endless Pain remains fresh and alive to this very day. In fact, I believe the album has obtained a better sound with subsequent remasters.

Many of the thrash bands to come from Germany would get a reputation for being far more "technical" than most other bands of the genre. Kreator would be no exception to get this kind of praise from fans. I personally don't find Endless Pain to be all that intricate, though there are some very inventive and complex riffs scattered throughout, especially the intro riff to "Total Death". One would have to look up a guitar tab to verify precisely what Mille Petrozza and Roberto Fioretti are actually playing here, it really sounds like the guitar are vomiting up their notes. I know that's a weird way to describe a guitar riff, but it's just so quickly performed without much cadence utilized to emphasize anything that's happening. The execution is not sloppy mind you, Kreator certainly had better chops than most acts, as evidenced by the song to follow, "Storm of the Beast", my personal favorite the album has to offer for its guitar riffs alone. It's also one of the few moments on Endless Pain where the band slow the tempo down for a short moment during the chorus, another standout slower moment being the intro to final track, "Dying Victims". The final track sticks out like a sore thumb with its "Don't Fear the Reaper" guitar intro coming unexpectedly before quickly bringing everything back to Kreator territory.

If you were to ask my opinion for the best thrash debut to come from the big four from the U.S.A., my answer would be an easy vote towards Megadeth's "Killing is my Business... and Business is Good"!. Germany's power trifecta consisting of Kreator, Sodom and Destruction is certainly a harder decision to make as I'm not as familiar with them, though the consensus would certainly seem to point to this album. I personally would need to revisit the other two again before making a final decision, but what I can say is that Endless Pain is a hard album not to like if you're a fan of thrash metal. It's a straight-forward, mostly simple album apart from whatever Ventor is doing on the drums throughout most of the album, not to mention he also happens to split the vocal responsibilities, and actually provides vocals for every other track on the album, I happen to prefer Ventor's vocals, though they tend to be more wacky than Petrozza's menacing, more accepted vocals, I still wish he would've done more on subsequent early releases such as Pleasure to Kill and Terrible Certainty. While it's not the most inventive thrash metal album out there, but certainly one that shouldn't be forgotten among the great B-tier list of thrash classics.

Superchard gets super hard for:
'Flag of Hate'
'Storm of the Beast'
'Son of Evil'

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 18, 2020.

Some years ago, Mille spoke in an interview about Endless Pain. He said that Noise Records had booked the studio for two weeks. Yet the band members were very proud of the fact that they were able to finish the recordings within ten days. In hindsight, Mille could no longer understand this amateurish, anti-perfectionist behavior. But it gets even "better". Quite frankly, the album sounds like it has been recorded not within ten days, but within ten hours. Anyway, exactly the non-professional approach and the fairly awkward production lend Kreator's debut its special charm. Although it is defaced with one of these shitty Lawvere paintings, Endless Pain has become an important time document, not only because of the amazing career of the band, but also because of its musical content.

Okay, one cannot say that the album was highly original. Kreator wanted to sound as demonic, evil and abnormal as possible, but their closest competitors, Destruction and Sodom, pursued the same target. Furthermore, "Endless Pain" holds some riffs that had previously been used by others. "Total Death", for example, reproduces the riffs of the chorus of "Strike of the Beast". Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the trio copied these sounds deliberately. It is just a fact that a few parts of the album lie in close proximity to sections of other tunes. Yet Kreator also wrote outstanding guitar lines that triggered a fresh and energizing breeze. "Bonebreaker", a close relative of "Total Death", started with a riff that had the power to wake the dead in a matter of seconds. Both "Bonebreaker" and "Total Death" demonstrated that the young Jürgen "Ventor" Reil was able to manage very fast rhythms. "Tormentor" is another straight, unfussy and fast-paced rocket, but Kreator had slower fragments in their repertoire as well. Thus, let's put an eye on "Storm of the Beast".

Its beginning celebrates the triumph of simplicity. Ventor plays a primitive four-four time and a forceful guitar sets in and increases the tension. The song turns out to be another speed-driven, ugly monster, but its chorus slows down the tempo and the ending picks up the intro sequence again in order to close the cycle. "Storm of the Beast" does not show the highest compositional brilliance, but it is coherent and catchy in its own way. "Cry War", another fine mix of mid-paced and rapid parts, follows a similar line. By contrast, exactly the opener and title track create nothing else but an awkward sounding noise and I also never understood the structure of "Son of Evil", despite its actually strong beginning. Well, as the oh so wise guys like to say, every beginning is hard. Even the special thanks section was strange. It listed their parents (good boys!) as well as "the girls that we f**k" (not so good boys!). But how many girls wanted to be f**ked by one of these three unwashed outsiders? One? Or even none at all?

Despite these irritating details, Kreator's debut was an important statement. It made clear once and for all that energy, ambition and conviction beat technical musicianship. Unlike the aforementioned guys of Destruction and Sodom, they did not start with an EP, but with a complete album and therefore we got the full dose of juvenile anger. Even in 2017, Mille's, Ventor's and Rob's thirst for action is still tangible. Inspiration was the magic word for the band as well as for its noise making surrounding. The movie "Thrash, Altenessen", which is available on YouTube, shows the fairly harmonic yet restrictive working-class milieu where the band members grew up. Furious thrash was the tool to break these chains. Nobody could foresee that Kreator would become a force to be reckoned with, but one thing was certain: this debut came straight from the heart. Among other things, this feature makes Endless Pain so valuable.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 7, 2022.

Ladies and gentlemen, we know this unfortunate fact. Some artworks are no artworks, but an accident. The scribble that is supposed to adorn Axis Mundi (in German: "Weltachse") is too abstract at best, but really just crap. That’s an unforced error, because the many-sided booklet proves that Mavorim are able to catch the atmosphere of black metal visually. Images of snowy fir trees or barren autumn landscapes are not new, but always appropriate. Better still, they also convey the spirit of black metal with the musical content of their 66-minutes-opus from the year 2020. Okay, there are some ambient, non-metallic sequences and in rare cases it happens that they rather hurt the flow of the song ('Aus Asche Auferstanden') instead of making it better. But in general, they add a contrast and lend the material an extra portion of gloom – and they underline the artistic freedom of the one man project.

There is another non-furious component I must mention. From time to time, the guitars create melody lines that seem to be borrowed from a Viking rock band, especially in 'Wie Ein Sturm'. They transport a Northern feeling and enrich the album in their own way. Nevertheless, in general forward pushing, blistering hot, constantly attacking black metal characterizes this album. Its best part begins with 'Der Himmel Bricht Entzwei'. Here we have a perfect liaison between harsh outbreaks of vehement fury and atmospheric shades. The vocals support both facets while shifting from hateful nagging to clean singing and back. This is truly a monumental song, because it illustrates that fast and violent parts are not necessarily lacking catchiness. Although it is no simply designed earworm, the song has jumped into my brain and I guess it has come to stay there.

But the heart of Axis Mundi consists of three more tracks that conveniently follow directly. 'Verbannt In Dunkelheit' marks another example of Mavorim’s skill to combine raw forces and wild melodies to a fascinating piece of black metal. The commanding voice reminds me of the vocals on the debut of Nebelhorn and the fact that the lyrical approach is pretty similar to that of this further German one man project reinforces this impression. Anyway, the double bass and the drum rolls create a lot of pressure and each and every guitar tone benefits the song. The tetralogy of unbeatable tracks continues with 'Königsjäger'. It’s a frontal attack against the listener, Mavorim let steam off and the melodies, which fight against the fundamental heaviness, are expressive and simultaneous impressive. The mix of musical devastation and comparatively mild breezes comes close to perfection and another sequence with heroic, clean vocals adds the final touch. At the end, the title track ends a 22-minutes-eargasm. It features the same stylistic devices and the same aesthetics as its three perfect predecessors. Experience with pleasure the guitar lines that roll like a train over you. No doubt, an EP with these four tracks would deserve a 100% rating (and I would really enjoy to be able to give full marks once again). But somebody told me that life is not a dream.

The album ends with the Purity Through Fire typical cover song from another band of the label. The epic, triumphant yet also fatalistic 'Kaiserjägerlied' scores with great, intensive parts as well as a silent intermezzo, but its chorus does not fully convince. Be that as it may, Axis Mundi has much more to offer than a good, but not excellent song of another formation. Maybe it’s a very Teutonic black metal album; especially the lyrics of the title track indicate this assumption, because they deal with Germanic mythology. Nevertheless, the output can boat of all it needs in order to survive in international competition – among other things a raw yet well-defined production. But its best details are the creativity and the authenticity of its spiritual father. Doubtlessly, Purity Through Fire have some aces up their sleeves. Mavorim, Meuchelmord and Eisenkult; these stylistically comparable bands are fantastic, even though they are just three representatives of the rich German black metal scene. There are not many reasons left to be proud of my country, but its contributions to the fascinating subgenre are at least a small reason for patriotism.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 7, 2022.

Ladies and gentlemen, we know this unfortunate fact. Some artworks are no artworks, but an accident. The scribble that is supposed to adorn Axis Mundi (in German: "Weltachse") is too abstract at best, but really just crap. That’s an unforced error, because the many-sided booklet proves that Mavorim are able to catch the atmosphere of black metal visually. Images of snowy fir trees or barren autumn landscapes are not new, but always appropriate. Better still, they also convey the spirit of black metal with the musical content of their 66-minutes-opus from the year 2020. Okay, there are some ambient, non-metallic sequences and in rare cases it happens that they rather hurt the flow of the song ('Aus Asche Auferstanden') instead of making it better. But in general, they add a contrast and lend the material an extra portion of gloom – and they underline the artistic freedom of the one man project.

There is another non-furious component I must mention. From time to time, the guitars create melody lines that seem to be borrowed from a Viking rock band, especially in 'Wie Ein Sturm'. They transport a Northern feeling and enrich the album in their own way. Nevertheless, in general forward pushing, blistering hot, constantly attacking black metal characterizes this album. Its best part begins with 'Der Himmel Bricht Entzwei'. Here we have a perfect liaison between harsh outbreaks of vehement fury and atmospheric shades. The vocals support both facets while shifting from hateful nagging to clean singing and back. This is truly a monumental song, because it illustrates that fast and violent parts are not necessarily lacking catchiness. Although it is no simply designed earworm, the song has jumped into my brain and I guess it has come to stay there.

But the heart of Axis Mundi consists of three more tracks that conveniently follow directly. 'Verbannt In Dunkelheit' marks another example of Mavorim’s skill to combine raw forces and wild melodies to a fascinating piece of black metal. The commanding voice reminds me of the vocals on the debut of Nebelhorn and the fact that the lyrical approach is pretty similar to that of this further German one man project reinforces this impression. Anyway, the double bass and the drum rolls create a lot of pressure and each and every guitar tone benefits the song. The tetralogy of unbeatable tracks continues with 'Königsjäger'. It’s a frontal attack against the listener, Mavorim let steam off and the melodies, which fight against the fundamental heaviness, are expressive and simultaneous impressive. The mix of musical devastation and comparatively mild breezes comes close to perfection and another sequence with heroic, clean vocals adds the final touch. At the end, the title track ends a 22-minutes-eargasm. It features the same stylistic devices and the same aesthetics as its three perfect predecessors. Experience with pleasure the guitar lines that roll like a train over you. No doubt, an EP with these four tracks would deserve a 100% rating (and I would really enjoy to be able to give full marks once again). But somebody told me that life is not a dream.

The album ends with the Purity Through Fire typical cover song from another band of the label. The epic, triumphant yet also fatalistic 'Kaiserjägerlied' scores with great, intensive parts as well as a silent intermezzo, but its chorus does not fully convince. Be that as it may, Axis Mundi has much more to offer than a good, but not excellent song of another formation. Maybe it’s a very Teutonic black metal album; especially the lyrics of the title track indicate this assumption, because they deal with Germanic mythology. Nevertheless, the output can boat of all it needs in order to survive in international competition – among other things a raw yet well-defined production. But its best details are the creativity and the authenticity of its spiritual father. Doubtlessly, Purity Through Fire have some aces up their sleeves. Mavorim, Meuchelmord and Eisenkult; these stylistically comparable bands are fantastic, even though they are just three representatives of the rich German black metal scene. There are not many reasons left to be proud of my country, but its contributions to the fascinating subgenre are at least a small reason for patriotism.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 7, 2022.

Ladies and gentlemen, we know this unfortunate fact. Some artworks are no artworks, but an accident. The scribble that is supposed to adorn Axis Mundi (in German: "Weltachse") is too abstract at best, but really just crap. That’s an unforced error, because the many-sided booklet proves that Mavorim are able to catch the atmosphere of black metal visually. Images of snowy fir trees or barren autumn landscapes are not new, but always appropriate. Better still, they also convey the spirit of black metal with the musical content of their 66-minutes-opus from the year 2020. Okay, there are some ambient, non-metallic sequences and in rare cases it happens that they rather hurt the flow of the song ('Aus Asche Auferstanden') instead of making it better. But in general, they add a contrast and lend the material an extra portion of gloom – and they underline the artistic freedom of the one man project.

There is another non-furious component I must mention. From time to time, the guitars create melody lines that seem to be borrowed from a Viking rock band, especially in 'Wie Ein Sturm'. They transport a Northern feeling and enrich the album in their own way. Nevertheless, in general forward pushing, blistering hot, constantly attacking black metal characterizes this album. Its best part begins with 'Der Himmel Bricht Entzwei'. Here we have a perfect liaison between harsh outbreaks of vehement fury and atmospheric shades. The vocals support both facets while shifting from hateful nagging to clean singing and back. This is truly a monumental song, because it illustrates that fast and violent parts are not necessarily lacking catchiness. Although it is no simply designed earworm, the song has jumped into my brain and I guess it has come to stay there.

But the heart of Axis Mundi consists of three more tracks that conveniently follow directly. 'Verbannt In Dunkelheit' marks another example of Mavorim’s skill to combine raw forces and wild melodies to a fascinating piece of black metal. The commanding voice reminds me of the vocals on the debut of Nebelhorn and the fact that the lyrical approach is pretty similar to that of this further German one man project reinforces this impression. Anyway, the double bass and the drum rolls create a lot of pressure and each and every guitar tone benefits the song. The tetralogy of unbeatable tracks continues with 'Königsjäger'. It’s a frontal attack against the listener, Mavorim let steam off and the melodies, which fight against the fundamental heaviness, are expressive and simultaneous impressive. The mix of musical devastation and comparatively mild breezes comes close to perfection and another sequence with heroic, clean vocals adds the final touch. At the end, the title track ends a 22-minutes-eargasm. It features the same stylistic devices and the same aesthetics as its three perfect predecessors. Experience with pleasure the guitar lines that roll like a train over you. No doubt, an EP with these four tracks would deserve a 100% rating (and I would really enjoy to be able to give full marks once again). But somebody told me that life is not a dream.

The album ends with the Purity Through Fire typical cover song from another band of the label. The epic, triumphant yet also fatalistic 'Kaiserjägerlied' scores with great, intensive parts as well as a silent intermezzo, but its chorus does not fully convince. Be that as it may, Axis Mundi has much more to offer than a good, but not excellent song of another formation. Maybe it’s a very Teutonic black metal album; especially the lyrics of the title track indicate this assumption, because they deal with Germanic mythology. Nevertheless, the output can boat of all it needs in order to survive in international competition – among other things a raw yet well-defined production. But its best details are the creativity and the authenticity of its spiritual father. Doubtlessly, Purity Through Fire have some aces up their sleeves. Mavorim, Meuchelmord and Eisenkult; these stylistically comparable bands are fantastic, even though they are just three representatives of the rich German black metal scene. There are not many reasons left to be proud of my country, but its contributions to the fascinating subgenre are at least a small reason for patriotism.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Alex on February 14, 2020.

In strikingly similar fashion to Vananidr I’d almost missed out on Mavorim’s 2rd full length record (after having put out an EP, Aasfresser well worth the status of a full album). As if that was not an earful of music, we are later gifted with a full length under the title Axis Mundi that even without its 2 additional cover songs pushes the 1-hour mark that would challenge the attention span of some listeners. If you're the browsing kind then this is not for you, but if you’re one that likes a good old-fashioned endurance trial then Axis Mundi is tailored precisely with such in mind. Not only is the record pushing the clock, but it has the necessary variety and moments of awe to adore and keep your stay an interesting one. It was not that long ago Minenwerfer gave us a record astoundingly beyond words being "Alpenpasse" put out on Purity Through Fire, now fellow label-mate Mavorim has risen to the occasion of challenging affiliates and itself with Axis Mundi. Project engineer P. with the slight aid of Revenant providing additional vocals on ‘Wie ein Strum’ and Baptise doing the same for "Kaiserjägerlied" evinces a musical fortification too great for an average fan to even grasp the immensity of.

Immediately noticeable is P’s music utilizing the flute and keyboards which are assembled thoughtfully and brought forward in the mix that when heard comes as a moment of tranquil acoustic refreshment, an element that was mostly absent on past albums that were more straightforward black metal if I recall correctly, or at least on Silent Leges Inter Arma. To some level it was introduced on the Aasfresser EP along with a weighty sense of melancholy that hits you full throttle on ‘Aus Asche auferstanden’, one of the best pieces of black metal Mavorim has made since its inception. Bringing me to the intuition of the album that could be mostly described as an emotional assault, because the music on Axis Mundi has been approached at an angle greatly multi-layered and mature. Guess you could say it’s a well calculated move to introduce the listener to new ways, especially ones more familiar with the vast majority of Mavorim’s music; to incorporate new features early-on, rather-than stick to one formula for years then receive massive push-back from supporters when different components are installed.

You’ll get acquainted with the melancholy of aforementioned ‘Aus Asche auferstanden’, then without notice Axis Mundi would toss you into the battle with ‘Wo kriegergleiche Kräfte waltenh’ and ‘Wie ein Sturm’ to follow. Situated in between all this is a glowing body of guitar melodicism calling into effect yet more melancholic notes to aid the pagan-esque sung chanting while the latter shows a prominent traditional technique complemented by ambient keyboards. If you have ever been a supporter/listener of Kampfar’s music you’d find some resemblances to "Profan" and "Djevelmakt" existing on Axis Mundi, also a riff structure somewhat similar to Sxuperion’s ‘Irreligious Cosmic Void’ appears on ‘Wo kriegergleiche Kräfte walten’. A favorable degree of tempo shaping and subtle to conspicuous assertions of tuneful ambiance continually reappears on songs down the order such as ‘Der Himmel bricht entzwei’ that again finds ample room to insert chanting pagan-esque vocals. Because the record has many succinct ways to keep the listener engaged, it never comes to a standstill or point of inactivity, thus avoiding the curse of attentive coercion. Sometimes you’d have to force yourself to sit through something this vast but due to the scope of Axis Mundi musical depth it comes as a welcomed joy than an obligation.

What I’ve come to find striking and characteristic of Mavorim’s music since discovery, is the ability to give credible representation of the artwork; on Axis Mundi, they’re both enigmatic/obscure and poignant emanations from the cover depiction that in turn is exalted throughout the record. Can’t miss a note with a production so clear that in turn justifies the plausible covers of ‘Wie ein Sturm’ (featuring. Revenant) and ‘Kaiserjägerlied' (featuring. Baptist).

This is the step Mavorim needed so greatly to transform the music, hence if a new recording should come it would only be right to keep in steady footing of the projected path as to not contradict the progress made on Axis Mundi. 

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Alex on February 14, 2020.

In strikingly similar fashion to Vananidr I’d almost missed out on Mavorim’s 2rd full length record (after having put out an EP, Aasfresser well worth the status of a full album). As if that was not an earful of music, we are later gifted with a full length under the title Axis Mundi that even without its 2 additional cover songs pushes the 1-hour mark that would challenge the attention span of some listeners. If you're the browsing kind then this is not for you, but if you’re one that likes a good old-fashioned endurance trial then Axis Mundi is tailored precisely with such in mind. Not only is the record pushing the clock, but it has the necessary variety and moments of awe to adore and keep your stay an interesting one. It was not that long ago Minenwerfer gave us a record astoundingly beyond words being "Alpenpasse" put out on Purity Through Fire, now fellow label-mate Mavorim has risen to the occasion of challenging affiliates and itself with Axis Mundi. Project engineer P. with the slight aid of Revenant providing additional vocals on ‘Wie ein Strum’ and Baptise doing the same for "Kaiserjägerlied" evinces a musical fortification too great for an average fan to even grasp the immensity of.

Immediately noticeable is P’s music utilizing the flute and keyboards which are assembled thoughtfully and brought forward in the mix that when heard comes as a moment of tranquil acoustic refreshment, an element that was mostly absent on past albums that were more straightforward black metal if I recall correctly, or at least on Silent Leges Inter Arma. To some level it was introduced on the Aasfresser EP along with a weighty sense of melancholy that hits you full throttle on ‘Aus Asche auferstanden’, one of the best pieces of black metal Mavorim has made since its inception. Bringing me to the intuition of the album that could be mostly described as an emotional assault, because the music on Axis Mundi has been approached at an angle greatly multi-layered and mature. Guess you could say it’s a well calculated move to introduce the listener to new ways, especially ones more familiar with the vast majority of Mavorim’s music; to incorporate new features early-on, rather-than stick to one formula for years then receive massive push-back from supporters when different components are installed.

You’ll get acquainted with the melancholy of aforementioned ‘Aus Asche auferstanden’, then without notice Axis Mundi would toss you into the battle with ‘Wo kriegergleiche Kräfte waltenh’ and ‘Wie ein Sturm’ to follow. Situated in between all this is a glowing body of guitar melodicism calling into effect yet more melancholic notes to aid the pagan-esque sung chanting while the latter shows a prominent traditional technique complemented by ambient keyboards. If you have ever been a supporter/listener of Kampfar’s music you’d find some resemblances to "Profan" and "Djevelmakt" existing on Axis Mundi, also a riff structure somewhat similar to Sxuperion’s ‘Irreligious Cosmic Void’ appears on ‘Wo kriegergleiche Kräfte walten’. A favorable degree of tempo shaping and subtle to conspicuous assertions of tuneful ambiance continually reappears on songs down the order such as ‘Der Himmel bricht entzwei’ that again finds ample room to insert chanting pagan-esque vocals. Because the record has many succinct ways to keep the listener engaged, it never comes to a standstill or point of inactivity, thus avoiding the curse of attentive coercion. Sometimes you’d have to force yourself to sit through something this vast but due to the scope of Axis Mundi musical depth it comes as a welcomed joy than an obligation.

What I’ve come to find striking and characteristic of Mavorim’s music since discovery, is the ability to give credible representation of the artwork; on Axis Mundi, they’re both enigmatic/obscure and poignant emanations from the cover depiction that in turn is exalted throughout the record. Can’t miss a note with a production so clear that in turn justifies the plausible covers of ‘Wie ein Sturm’ (featuring. Revenant) and ‘Kaiserjägerlied' (featuring. Baptist).

This is the step Mavorim needed so greatly to transform the music, hence if a new recording should come it would only be right to keep in steady footing of the projected path as to not contradict the progress made on Axis Mundi. 

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Alex on February 14, 2020.

In strikingly similar fashion to Vananidr I’d almost missed out on Mavorim’s 2rd full length record (after having put out an EP, Aasfresser well worth the status of a full album). As if that was not an earful of music, we are later gifted with a full length under the title Axis Mundi that even without its 2 additional cover songs pushes the 1-hour mark that would challenge the attention span of some listeners. If you're the browsing kind then this is not for you, but if you’re one that likes a good old-fashioned endurance trial then Axis Mundi is tailored precisely with such in mind. Not only is the record pushing the clock, but it has the necessary variety and moments of awe to adore and keep your stay an interesting one. It was not that long ago Minenwerfer gave us a record astoundingly beyond words being "Alpenpasse" put out on Purity Through Fire, now fellow label-mate Mavorim has risen to the occasion of challenging affiliates and itself with Axis Mundi. Project engineer P. with the slight aid of Revenant providing additional vocals on ‘Wie ein Strum’ and Baptise doing the same for "Kaiserjägerlied" evinces a musical fortification too great for an average fan to even grasp the immensity of.

Immediately noticeable is P’s music utilizing the flute and keyboards which are assembled thoughtfully and brought forward in the mix that when heard comes as a moment of tranquil acoustic refreshment, an element that was mostly absent on past albums that were more straightforward black metal if I recall correctly, or at least on Silent Leges Inter Arma. To some level it was introduced on the Aasfresser EP along with a weighty sense of melancholy that hits you full throttle on ‘Aus Asche auferstanden’, one of the best pieces of black metal Mavorim has made since its inception. Bringing me to the intuition of the album that could be mostly described as an emotional assault, because the music on Axis Mundi has been approached at an angle greatly multi-layered and mature. Guess you could say it’s a well calculated move to introduce the listener to new ways, especially ones more familiar with the vast majority of Mavorim’s music; to incorporate new features early-on, rather-than stick to one formula for years then receive massive push-back from supporters when different components are installed.

You’ll get acquainted with the melancholy of aforementioned ‘Aus Asche auferstanden’, then without notice Axis Mundi would toss you into the battle with ‘Wo kriegergleiche Kräfte waltenh’ and ‘Wie ein Sturm’ to follow. Situated in between all this is a glowing body of guitar melodicism calling into effect yet more melancholic notes to aid the pagan-esque sung chanting while the latter shows a prominent traditional technique complemented by ambient keyboards. If you have ever been a supporter/listener of Kampfar’s music you’d find some resemblances to "Profan" and "Djevelmakt" existing on Axis Mundi, also a riff structure somewhat similar to Sxuperion’s ‘Irreligious Cosmic Void’ appears on ‘Wo kriegergleiche Kräfte walten’. A favorable degree of tempo shaping and subtle to conspicuous assertions of tuneful ambiance continually reappears on songs down the order such as ‘Der Himmel bricht entzwei’ that again finds ample room to insert chanting pagan-esque vocals. Because the record has many succinct ways to keep the listener engaged, it never comes to a standstill or point of inactivity, thus avoiding the curse of attentive coercion. Sometimes you’d have to force yourself to sit through something this vast but due to the scope of Axis Mundi musical depth it comes as a welcomed joy than an obligation.

What I’ve come to find striking and characteristic of Mavorim’s music since discovery, is the ability to give credible representation of the artwork; on Axis Mundi, they’re both enigmatic/obscure and poignant emanations from the cover depiction that in turn is exalted throughout the record. Can’t miss a note with a production so clear that in turn justifies the plausible covers of ‘Wie ein Sturm’ (featuring. Revenant) and ‘Kaiserjägerlied' (featuring. Baptist).

This is the step Mavorim needed so greatly to transform the music, hence if a new recording should come it would only be right to keep in steady footing of the projected path as to not contradict the progress made on Axis Mundi. 

Rating: 9.1 out of 10