Each year the number of bands connected to the Helvetic Underground Committee continues to expand. Whether it’s the pummeling and dense Zoroastrian themed death metal of Dakhma, the folklore/medieval leaning black metal of Ungfell, and everything else in between, the Swiss musicians that make up this collective have a knack for compelling songwriting and sounds that push towards something unique. The latest entity to come out of this is Ophanim, which is made up of Meister Tekel (Ungfell, Lykhaeon, Kvelgeyst) and Voidgaunt (Dakhma, Tardrigrada) as they explore ancient Judeo-Christian mythology through sweeping atmospheric black metal. The group’s debut Tämpelskläng offers the type of material that is likely to immediately draw you in with its balance of powerful, dense instrumentation and ethereal melodies, but there are plenty of details waiting to be discovered upon repeat listens.
Even though the four songs on Tämpelskläng all crack the ten-minute mark, Ophanim not only justifies this length of time with material that provides multiple peaks and plenty of twists and turns but they manage to keep it engaging from beginning to end. Opener “Lueg uf zum Schlangemal” spends its first minute or so letting hazier melodies and acoustic guitar draw you in with a more mysterious tone before exploding into a maelstrom of blasting drums and soaring leads. Where some atmospheric black metal needs minutes and minutes to reach these peaks, Ophanim reaches a powerful and commanding level almost immediately, letting the unrelenting drums and layers of guitar and bass hit you with a considerable amount of force. This force is balanced by the ethereal and entrancing nature of the melodies, which have a more hypnotic and psychedelic quality to them that gives off a warmer feel. But this isn’t just repetitive blast beat driven material either, as there are natural pauses to each song that allow ambient elements to take the spotlight, and the drum performance itself incorporates quite a bit of variation. Stylistically, this might be the closest another band has come to the sheer wonder and entrancing atmosphere of Urfaust’s Empty Space Meditation, though Ophanim puts their own flavor into it and feels more rooted in the mysteries of the world around us rather than the stars. “Fiebertraum” remains the strongest track off the album for me, as it starts off with an immense and entrancing melody that immediately grabs your attention, but there are small touches like symphonic/orchestral flourishes that give an almost hymnal feel to the music. It’s worth noting the production values really help Tämpelskläng to have the level of impact it achieves, as it gives the material plenty of low-end rumbling and density but provides the clarity necessary for all the little details to stand out. There’s plenty to discover upon repeat listens too, as while a particular melody or riff might grab you initially, additional layers reveal themselves with each time through.
Meister Tekel handles all the vocal work throughout Ophanim’s debut, and for those that are familiar with his work with either Lykhaeon or Ungfell it’s really interesting to hear how different he sounds here. There are still harsher screams that are on the raspy side, but there’s an additional echo effect and the pitch itself doesn’t sound exactly like either of those bands. Ophanim also utilizes a lot of singing and layered harmonies that give off a chanted or hymnal feel, which makes sense given the subject matter of Tämpelskläng. At some points the vocal work does start to get swallowed up by the dense layers of instrumentation, but they always manage to break back through a few minutes later and take the spotlight. On first listen the harsh approaches may be what stands out, but as you spend more time with Tämpelskläng it’s the chanted and sung arrangements that steal the spotlight. This is particularly true on “Fiebertraum”, which has some downright beautiful and haunting vocal moments.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the bands associated with the Helvetic Underground Committee, but Ophanim’s debut is my favorite Dakhma’s Blessings of Amurdad in 2021. It reaches a truly hypnotic level of atmosphere that sticks with you from beginning to end, and the songwriting keeps things engaging even as the track lengths stretch outwards into double digits. This is another release that snuck out towards the end of 2023 as everyone was starting to skip over new material but shouldn’t be missed for fans of anything black metal adjacent. Tämpelskläng is available from Eisenwald.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg