You may not have come across German black metal band Tauthr before but given how spread out their releases have been that’s not surprising. Formed back in 1991, the group released two demos (neither of which seem to be uploaded online anywhere) before disappearing for over a decade. Tauthr’s primary member L.Wachtfels would go on to join Endstille and play a key role in the particularly aggressive sound that band offered. In 2010 Tauthr emerged with their debut full length Life-Losing, which showcased a bleaker sound with slower, expansive writing compared to the blitzkrieg of Endstille. It was an album that caught my attention thanks to being on the always top notch Ván Records, but in the years that followed it seemed like Tauthr had gone back into an extended or even permanent hibernation. Another fifteen years have passed since Life-Losing, and the band has now broken this hibernation with Krybl, which brings a new lineup and tweaked approaches to songwriting. It’s an equally depressive and introspective release that’s filled with jagged edges, but despite the familiar sound there’s a lot here to draw listeners in.
Compared to Life-Losing, Krybl emphasizes a bit more melody and has a slightly clearer production that allows the layers of guitar to expand naturally over the recording with a somber presence. Tauthr varies the tempo from track to track, with some adopting a faster and more aggressive slant that captures the same violence as other black metal while others slow things down and spread out slowly with a more depressive cadence. On the former end of the spectrum songs like “To the Sea” and “Awake” hit hard with a noticeable bit of low end, and there’s some slight punk edges to the bass lines. But you’ll also get some more sprawling atmosphere on songs like “Empty Days” where the melodies seem to hover over your speakers and feel like they’re going to swallow you up. What’s also interesting is the guitar work on tracks like “Only” give off a similar feel to Endstille albums like Navigator or Endstilles Reich, but rather than the sheer attack of that band here the wall of sound is used to create something much colder and hopeless. This makes sense given that L.Wachtfels has handled lead guitar for Endstille since the beginning, but the tone in Tauthr shifts it towards something different. Admittedly the way the guitars unfold from track to track does make some moments harder to tell apart on repeat listens, but the tension and melancholy continued to draw me back.
Grølman has taken over on vocals from the band’s previous vocalist, and he brings a noticeably more tortured and depressive performance that’s much higher in pitch. Where Life-Losing had a lot of growls and lower end, here the approach is raspier and often feels like you’re hearing a person slowly descending into madness over the course of each track. I’m pretty sure you also hear him vomiting near the beginning of “To the Sea”, which seems appropriate given the title but also blends in with just how ugly the actual screaming is. Considering the abrasive qualities it’s interesting to see the closer titled “There is no Black Metal”, perhaps suggesting that thematically the band considers themselves in a different space, but Tauthr is definitely just as intense musically.
It wasn’t clear over the past decade or so if Tauthr was a band that would ever put out any new material or would stay buried, but they’ve returned with a sophomore effort that’s just as strong as its predecessor. There remain some parallels to Endstille, but the writing is focused just as much on melancholic and bleak melodies that do their best to suck you in and not let you go. Some moments blur together over time, but at its peak level the guitar work and vocals have staying power. This one was released independently right at the end of October and I haven’t seen much chatter, but it’s worth checking out if you skew towards the depressive end of the spectrum.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
