Cromlech/Of Owls And Eels/Darkness Shall Rise/2025 Full Length Review

 

  Cromlech  are  a  solo  project  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in t his  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  atmospheric  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2025  album  "Of  Owls  And  Eels"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Darkness  Shall  Rise.

  A  very  dark  sounding  intro  starts  off  the  album  while  also  introducing  atmospheric  synths  onto  the  recording  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast b eats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  album  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  A  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Spoken  words  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  songs  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  as  well  as  one  track  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  whispered  vocals,  one  song  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  nostalgia  and  mysticism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Cromlech  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  and  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Past  Forever"  and  "Mordlust".  8  out  of  10.

  www.facebook.com/cromlechxciv   

Cromlech Interview

 

 1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?

Cromlech was formed in 1994. It´s a solo project. Through the creation of a Full Band named Dies Ater this project was buried before it lived. In 2021 the idea came back...

2.You have a new album coming out towards the end of September, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical styles that yo went for on the recording?

The musical styles? Well, It´simply old Black Metal without technical speed records, just atmospheric, and sombre. 2 Songs are actually old ("Cold and Stiff" and parts of "Fields"). The rest is completley new Material. Written between 2021 and 2023. 

3.You started the solo project in the 90's but waited until this year to finally release some music, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait?

As indicated at the beginning before I could finish the Cromlech Demo, Dies Ater was born. From there on no one of us needed a solo project anymore and we all set the focus on this band and it´s live activities.

Dies Ater split up in 2014, later I played in Albez Duz. This Band is on Ice since 2019, cause the singer disappeared. So I had as good as no musicians around me anymore and the pandemic begann. It was actually a weird time. I wanted to go on and so the idea of Cromlech came back.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored so far with this project?

Personal experiences.Inner war and inner peace. Nothing I can or want to explain specifically. But the lyrics are sung understandably.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Cromlech'?

I choose the name back then, because I was fascinated of the song and the lyrics from Darkthrone´s opening track of "Soulside Journey". Sure, today there are hundreds of Bands with the same name. But in 1994 I was definitely one of the first, so screw it!!!

I took this Name again as planned and yes, it feels good and right!  

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

This picture, actually a "Selfie" was taken outside when I was 15, I think. It was also considered for the Demo Tape back then. Fortunately I still had this Pic in my basement and could use it for the Album.

Maybe it was also influenced by Darkthrone´s Album Artwork of the same Year. But I´m not sure!!11! 

7.With this project you record everything by yourself but have experience playing drums in full time bands, how would you compare the two?

The one does not exclude the other. But it´s right, I recorded everything by myself. Since some years I´m the owner of the Lighthill Studios. There I record Drums and Guitars. Mostly the rest (Bass, Keys, Vocals) and the mix at Home.

The first album I produced there was "The coming of Mictlan" (2014) of Albez Duz. In my personal Discography I would set it on Number One.The time, the songs, the people, the artwork...But that´s another story! Next to "Cold and Stiff" (personal number two of all albums) of course!

I  also recorded the Demo from Azketem ("Izernznytazure") and the upcoming Album it will be released in 2024. Stay tuned!

To produce own material can be pretty stressful. As far as I'm concerned, the productions aren't totally perfect. BUT! They have that spirit, if you want that old spirit. Nothing is clinical or technical. And exactly in this way what I had in mind. That is real self-realization. And I rate the albums so highly for a reason.

8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

Mostly positive I think. The album had a premiere on Youtube by Black Metal Promotion. I could definitely tell more about it when the Record is old!

9.Are you involved with any other bands these days?

Actually no. As I said for  Albez Duz I´m still looking for a new singer and Guitar Player. So Albez Duz is dead but dreaming! Cromlech is at the moment  the only active project... 

10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

I´m now 45 and most of the dreams I had have already been fulfilled. I will go on and I´m working on new material for a second Cromlech Album. An End is far away!!

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Well, don´t want to mention any specific Band. But if I have to I would say Darkthrone. That was maybe the biggest influence in the beginning. See the Bandname, the Cover Artwork and so on. These days they don't interest me anymore. I can just mention my last bought records: Cavalera´s "Morbid Visions" Re-recordings (one of the Highlight of the Year, well done!), The Beatles Discography (Love them all, especially the last albums), Wolfsmond "3" (Masterpiece!) and longer ago: Uriah Heep´s albums from 71 til 73. Simply amazing. There is a lot more These were the first things that came to mind.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks. Alles ist gesagt. 

 https://archaic-sound. bandcamp.com/album/cold-and- stiff

Cromlech/Cold And Stiff/Archaic Sound/2023 Full Length Review

 

  Cromlech  are  a  solo  project  from  Germany  that  plays  an  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his 203  album  "Stiff  And  Cold"  which  will  be  released  on  September  30th  by  Archaic  Sound.

  Keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times  while  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  music  also  being  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  second  wave  era.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  of  the  album  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  atmospheric  touches,  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length,  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.   

  Cromlech  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  more  atmospheric  and  keyboard  orientated  style  of  90's  era.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  themes  as  well  as  the  closing  song  also  being  written  in  German.  

  In  my  opinion  Cromlech  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cold  And  Stiff"  and  "Vogelfrei".  8 out  of  10.

   https://archaic-sound. bandcamp.com/album/cold-and- stiff