The opening track ‘Anno Domina’ opens with powerful drums, black metal distortion guitars bolstered by Zachary Ezrin (Imperial Triumphant) and drummer Brendan McGowan‘s double bass beats which are layered in the booming vibe of the bass guitar. However, the music mostly underscores the operatic singing, while the riffs are imbued in black metal scale the scathing rhythm and the riffing have a natural ebb and flow.

The tremolo-picked riffs sometimes remind me of the Swiss black metal outfit Aara and they often contrast with the symphonic themes of the church organ and guitar strings, which naturally align with the blast beats bringing a powerful mélange in the next song ‘Leck Mich!’

There is a contemporary aspect concerning the riffs, even though Folterkammer takes its inspiration from 90s-style black metal. The role of the front-woman Anarchia is pivotal as she provides scowling majestic growls sang mostly in the German language. The guitars are the backbone of the songs offering straight blackened chugging riffs where the drums hit at high velocity.

While the ominous church organ wafts between slow passages, all this adds to the haunting soundscapes that are soaked in heavy riffs. Folterkammer‘s approach to black metal will make the listener immerse in the grandeur of the clear spoken words in the opening of ‘Die Unterwerfung’ with elegant strings lashing against blistering blast beats. The song composition highly elevates these elements. In many ways the guitar riffs of Darren Hanson and Zachary Ezrin transition into fierce but refined black metal with the commanding rasps of Anarchia and thundering blast beats reinforced by the tremolos.

The vivid operating singing on the opening of ‘Küss mir die Füsse!’ gives this track a traditional black metal flavor of grandeur with the booming bass guitar of Laurent David bursting onto the laden-tremolo guitar strumming. The dark majestic chord pattern paint a grim picturesque against the slower drum beats. We get one kick-ass black metal vibe that keeps the tempo powerful and dynamically constant with beautiful hooks.

The angelic vocals in the background are rich, while her high-end screams set an operatic aria throughout the song. The drums then execute some blast beats. The neo-classical compositions appear to be fluid and balanced between the aesthetic art of symphonic European bands like Angizia. It goes beyond the usual expectations.

The riff work on ‘Algolagnia’ reminds me of Mayhem. There is also a clear influence of Norwegian black metal bands but with some uniqueness. Folterkammer plays a variation of black metal that mixes some gothic elements.

The songs feature rapidly strummed riffs that sound fierce, but there is more repetition and emphasis on this cold necro riffing  that sound evil. Especially the grim haunting vocals resemble bands like Cradle of Filth. The drums are fast at times and fit in the raw black metal style. One can agree about the exquisiteness of the gothic atmosphere created with the vocals. Folterkammer doesn’t rely on synth, instead their music is riff-driven.

These aspects become relevant when the tremolo melodies are used and the band could not hit the mark better on songs like ‘Herrin der Schwerter’ emphasizing subtle tremolos and varied vocals spectrum to add more aggression to the blistering drums.

Folterkammer is a band of unique and remarkable gimmicks. Therefore, the mood and atmosphere beautifully offer memorable moments. While the instrumentation can be compared to melodic black metal, the usage of the tremolo-picked riffs shows how the band can pull out some catchy riffs. ‘Weibermacht’ marks a beautiful portrait of a band that possesses creative talent and tracks like “Das Peitschengedicht” echo sinister ominous black metal rasps that hold the black metal aesthetics together.

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