ALBUM REVIEW: Pøltergeist - Nachtmusik

-
Poltergeist - Nachtmusik

Canadian Goth Metallers Pøltergeist (not to be confused with the Swiss Death Metal band Poltergeist, formerly Carrion) offer up their debut album, after a slew of demos on bandcamp. 

Poltergeist

With a penchant for the mystical metallic music of Angelwitch, Cauldron and the Blue Öyster Cult, as well as the Goth/Shoegaze of the Sisters of Mercy, the Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and the Mission, the band formed from the ashes of trad metal band Whyte Diamond in 2019. 

The Goth influence is instantly obvious in the slow intro Einfurung, with a plaintive two note piano motif running behind some disharmony synth notes, but once the second song Burning Sword starts it becomes a more Metal affair. The vocals of Kalen Boker (also lead guitar) are quite styled like Wayne Hussey of the Mission, the guitars of Jacob Ponton twang away in a typically Goth jingle and this runs through the entire album. The bass of Ben Wytham really underpins the guitars, with drums Al Lester of label mates Spell, who has now been replaced by permanent drummer Amy Moore. Lester’s work is very strong, but with nice flourishes and tasteful fills. 

Poltergeist - Nachtmusik

It took me four songs to realise who this band reminded me of, and it’s a mixture of Joy Division, the Chameleons (thanks go to Mike Silk for helping identify this) and a bit of the metal of Type O Negative without the baritone vocals. Solos are understated and seem effortlessly played, and all tunes are catchy. Title Track Nachtmusik, which is more of an interlude than a song per se, sounds like it’s straight out of an 80s horror movie, say Fright Night or The Lost Boys. 

Lead single Children of the Dark is the standout track; a rockier song that retains that jangling guitar work, with a real mix of the Chameleons and the Mission at their imperious best. The lyrics are also suitably gloomy, being consumed by the ocean, vampires, HP Lovecraft and David Lynch’s Twin Peaks so all the standard Goth touchstones. Will We Ever Live Again is at odds with the rest of this album, as its more of a straight ahead rocker, but is also a welcome break from the 80s darkwave that pervades the rest of the tunes, after ten songs the outro of Dammerung is all discordant solo guitars, put through some serious reverb/autotune, then sped up and slowed down to leave you feeling quite uneasy. 

This is a real contender for album of the year for me, and when they play London, expect to find me in the dry ice near the front.


Nachtmusik is out on 25th October via Bad Omen Records
Review by Andrew Matthews
Photo credits: Shane Rempel

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LIVE REVIEW: Magnum - A Passage in Time KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton 25th January 2025

-
Image
If ever there was an evening that personified the phrase ‘Bitter Sweet’ then this would be pretty close to the top, if not the peak itself. The penultimate gig of the short UK tour celebrating the genius of Tony Clarkin: founder, guitarist, songwriter, producer, etc. of his lifelong project, Magnum. A melodic hard rock band from Birmingham, formed sometime in the early 1970’s (even Tony himself wasn’t 100% sure exactly when).  The fact that this run of gigs has happened at all is astonishing, as Tony’s cohort for the entire 50 years plus of the existence of the band, the ever-youthful Bob Catley, announced in a heartfelt post last year that his heart was broken, and that it would be impossible to continue with his mate. Well thankfully after a tour with power metal supergroup Avantasia, Bob’s Magnum heart was healed somewhat, and he decided to put together this tribute tour to give Tony the send-off he deserved.  I’ve been to many gigs at KK’s Steel Mill, and this was the most...
Read more

ALBUM REVIEW: UFO - Obsession (Deluxe Reissue)

-
Image
1978 saw the seventh album by UFO and the final release by the classic line-up of Mogg, Way, Parker, Raymond and Schenker (until their reformation in 1993). Chrysalis records present the album in a newly remastered package which includes a previously unreleased 2024 mix of Live at The Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, originally featured in parts on the seminal Strangers in the Night live record. Mixed from the original multi-track tapes by engineer Brian Kehew, this is the most sonic version of the recordings to date. Kehew comments that, “Our new mix of the Cleveland show is definitely a bit more aggressive than the original Strangers LP, sounding more like a front-row seat than Row 50 position.”  But let’s drop back into the album first before getting to the live tracks. Having released the brilliant Lights Out in 1977, UFO were on a high and returned to the studio to record Obsession . It was on the subsequent tour that Strangers in the Night was recorded. Obsession may not have h...
Read more

ALBUM REVIEW: Masters of Reality - The Archer

-
Image
2009 was the last studio release by this seminal band, whose debut album in 1989 is rightly regarded as a classic and still gets regular airtime in this house. With Chris Goss the only original member, the elusive genius now brings the band back to life once more with their latest album, The Archer .  Masters of Reality has always driven their own course. Rightly credited as a major influence on the desert rock scene, the band’s canvas was spread much wider. The Archer comprises nine tracks that span just under 40-minutes, making it an easily digestible record but not one that diverts from the quality that Goss has always crafted. Here he’s in fine form, the sprawling songs take their own shape and form, nothing rushed and much mellowness as the bluesy vibes cascade across the songs. Barstow , which sits in the middle of the album is a perfect example. A sleepy gentile track that oozes relaxed quality, it’s nonetheless a fine example of the laidback approach which makes this album...
Read more