Der Schwarze Hort

The black metal orthodoxy of Totenwache is evident in their press photos, resplendent as they are with corpse paint, invisible oranges, and grim expressions. Their logo has not one but two inverted crosses in it. This is, in fact, your father’s black metal. But damn it if they don’t make that seem exciting! Der Schwarze Hort, the Hamburg band’s debut full-length following a demo and a split release with their fellow countrymen in Mavorim, is a scornful, if surprisingly slick, black metal assault that hearkens to the genre’s mid-’90s boom. Totenwache especially excel when their songs break into huge, swelling melodies, perhaps showing the way forward for a band who shows tremendous promise.