There’s few records these days that, due to the strength of a lead single or two, compel me to anxiously await when a promo will hopefully filter into ye olde digital desk. The latest from Blutengel is one such record and the singles in question, “The Victory Of Light” and “Wie Sand”, have been on constant repeat since their initial release in late April and mid-May. The album in question, Erlösung – The Victory Of Light, is practically a love letter to the Goth scene and the match ready to light a fire under our collective asses once we can safely dance like no one’s watching in our most favorite darkened clubs.
That’s the feel for sure when “Illuminate My Soul” begins Erlösung… with that special sauce that makes this opening salvo instantly so iconic and then “Wir sind das Licht” is a fantastical futuristic romp with sick beats and sicker vocal lines from Chris Pohl with Ulrike Goldmann’s harmonies subtly flowing in to give the track an ethereal flow through the syncopated blasts of Electro bombast. “We are not dead” is synthetic symphonic symmetry that frickin’ bounces thanks the distinguishable bass lines that continually throb while “Weir ist dein Meister?” is a nasty dancefloor rager that solemnly slaps.
“Deine Dämonen” is a somber affair akin to a vampire’s lament while pondering some ongoing torture related to an immortal curse until “I am the Darkness” enters for a triumphant rally embracing the, ahem, dark with the blows from Pohl’s constant bark softened by Goldmann’s haunting delivery. The aforementioned “Wie Sand” was the second taste of Erlösung… and it is still a rousing indicator of what this record is all about with the Goldmann-led ditty relying on lush melodies and synthetic atmospheres to get the Blutengel point across. On the flip side, the Pohl-driven “No Religion” which drops next continues to build on that with a more direct and pointed vocal attack offering a sonic dichotomy that still seamlessly segues from track to track under the Erlösung… blanket.
Even deeper within, “Darkness awaits us” purposefully pulsates towards a sweeping hymnal and an angelic merging of Goldmann and Pohl’s voices which carries over into the transcendent “We fall” featuring one of the strongest individual and solo vocal performances from both vocalists. The title track is a dizzying dance tour-de-force that gives your feet one last chance to party before the piano-laden “Hand in Hand” closes up the Erlösung… shop with one final epic orchestral bow.
Erlösung – The Victory Of Light will release on July 16th through Out Of Line Music. Pre-orders are up now and can be found in a variety of formats when you head here and here. For more from Blutengel, follow them across the information superhighway when you click here, here, or here.
One Response