Track Premiere: Narzissus – “Vanitas/Victoria”
For all you trve atmo’ black/Euro Folk/Django Reinhardt/Jazz Clarinet heads out there.
Erech Leleth makes absolutely rad and tasteful jams in a bunch of projects you might know about if you are rad and tasteful: Bergfried, Ancient Mastery, Summer Haze ‘99. All Erech Leleth joints, all 100% certified bangin’. Today fortune smiles upon the rad and tasteful, cuz I have a fresh new Erech Leleth track to share with you, from his melodic black metal project Narzissus’ upcoming full-length, Akt III: Erlösung.
Narzissus is atmospheric black metal that’s keen on folk melodies and harmonies, sick riffs, and thoughtful application of wind instruments. Think Mystras and Thy Catalfalque. If I had to put a number to it I’d wager Narzissus references no fewer than 3 musical traditions per song. Case in point, slap play on “Vanitas/Victoria” below and get knee deep in cool black metal, what I can only assume is either a melody lifted from either a 90s melodeath song or an Irish jig (@1:47), a tasteful af Django Reinhardt influenced “manouche jazz” guitar interlude, and a jazzy, moody clarinet outro:
Here’s what our bud E.L.has to say about the track:
Vanitas/Victoria is in my opinion the most powerful track on the album and I’m really happy that I got support by Quentin Seewer on guitars and Siarhey Shylenkou on the clarinet for it. The song is a call to action to escape the spirit of acedia and do your duty.
German lyrics:
“Dem einen gegeben, dem anderen genommen
Manch einer wird’s hegen, mancher lässt’s verkommen
Gesegnet sind jene, welche es wagen
Nicht bloße Beute zu sein, sondern selber zu jagen
Denn alles ist besser, als klanglos zu geh’n
Drum wecke die Geister, komm, lass mich sie sehn“
English translation:
“Given to one, taken from another
Some will cherish it, some will let it go to waste
Blessed are those who dare
Not to be mere prey, but to hunt for themselves
For anything is better than to go without a sound
So awaken the spirits, come, let me see them”
Akt III: Erlösung drops January 12th. Vinyl pre-orders are available from Shape of Storms Records. Cassettes from Fiadh Productions drop on January 19th!
