Review: Ungfell – De Ghörnt
The Swiss duo have returned with their 4th full-length album, promising yet more rustic black/folk metal goodness for people to headbang and aggressively frolic in the woods at night to.
Ungfell are a very interesting beast to talk about, and I’m more than happy to do so ever since I discovered them around the release of their sophomore album Mythen, Mären, Pestilenz in 2018. The band pretty much became the talk of the black metal circles online, and thankfully for good reasons, their unique blend of raw yet melodic black metal with folk music and even some punkish seasoning really turned heads, albeit with the almost inevitably and dumb pigeonholing attempts and reductionist comparisons, namely how this band is sonically similar to an extremely sketchy French band that I don’t even need to bother naming (because screw that and specially them), and because Ungfell themselves made it very clear that they want nothing to do with testosterone-poisoned nerds LARPing as biker Vikings and are staunchly against fash nonsense. And the fact that their music is good is even more good news too!
So, with the band on album #4, the very creatively titled ‘De Ghörnt‘ (Swiss-German for “the horned one”), what is the band offering this time around? Well, the short answer is a distillation of all the best parts of their previous albums as well as a fairly stripped-down approach in comparison to their 2021 LP, Es grauet. The band are still employing folksy melodies, chanting and acoustic guitars, but this record has a darker and more acerbic bent, with a clear preference for guitar riffs and more propulsive percussion, the band’s mastermind Menetekel has also fully shed his previous shrieked vocal style for a more guttural and dry style which perfectly suit the more aggressive music; furthermore both Menetekel and his partner in crime Vâlant also do a really good job at incorporating clean singing, gang vocals and appropriately dramatic monk-like chants, and it’s astounding how they fit together.
However, while the band has shifted their focus towards a back-to-basics approach, dialing back on their more bombastic and pastoral tendencies, that doesn’t mean their off-kilter side is gone; the aforementioned folksy and melodic acoustic guitars still pop out in key moments of the songs, and on that note, the composition and arrangements on the album are excellent, with every riff, drum beat, breakdown and vocal delivery perfectly placed and timed. Not a single note is wasted from beginning to end, with every section achieving maximum impact, especially when the synths, clean vocals or solos hit. Additionally, the synthesizers by Menetekel not only add an extra layer of ambiance and texture, they also have impactful moments, and at no point do they sound cheesy or overwrought, which is an impressive feat of skill, especially in black metal.
Furthermore, while Menetekel and Vâlant have always been very talented individuals as shown with Ungfell and the various other bands they’re members of in their Helvetic Underground Committee, in this record you can hear just how good they are, because the compositions are deliberately scaled back from the bells and whistles of the preceding concept album. With the greater focus on guitars and drums, you can really hear how good Menetekel’s riffage and soloing are, and how good Vâlant’s drumming is, and how well these two play together—even if Menetekel carries the lion’s share of the instrumentation. Yes, his synth and bass playing is also excellent, but the music wouldn’t pop off as well as it does without Vâlant behind the kit.
There’s very little for me to complain about; at 7 songs, a 47 minute runtime, and very well-balanced song lengths, with the closing track being the longest at over 9 minutes, Ungfell knows exactly when to keep a song going and when to stop, when to let the synths lead melodies and when to just keep the “trve kvlt” riffage and blast beats. Overall, Ungfell continue to surprise in delivering consistently good black/folk metal that feels fresh and unique, while also remaining true to the core tenets of black metal.
5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
De Ghörnt is out now on Eisenwald.
