Release Date: July 18, 2019
FFO: Darkestrah, Serpent Column, Sørgelig
Inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 's " Faust . Eine Tragodie ". Front cover by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1652. Black metal side project of Darkestrah .
Faustus is a jewel of the underground, I must say. It represents almost an optimal state of raw black metal, a genre with a strong focus on the atmosphere and the melodies instead of a high level of technical performance.
The intro contains several archived wind sounds, which are covered by noise as it approaches its end. Admittedly, intros are not necessarily a good addition to most albums, but the sheer cold atmosphere immediately threw me into the scene, and I just can't listen to this EP again without hearing it. The first real track on the album is "Die Natur ist Sünde, Geist ist Teufel", German for "Die Natur ist Sünde, der Geist ist der Teufel" and a quotation from Goethe, which matches the Faust reference on the artwork and the band name. It's very exciting to watch how the atmosphere slowly builds up and develops in a sad and very cold direction, which is simply the main feature of this EP. The harsh vocals of Resurgemus simply cut through the sound of the guitars and despite its incomprehensibility, it is very pleasant as it melts with the music.
Resurgemus, the vocalist and guitarist on this album, has done an incredible job. The sound of his riffs is typical for the raw and atmospheric nature of early German black metal and can be compared to many bands from the transition of millennia. The riffs are technically not too complex, but more than justify themselves by the skillful use of the fuzzy sound. The production quality is comparable to a recording made with a Nokia 3310 in a basement, but that's where part of the charm lies. Good production quality is not necessary with metal as long as the available resources are used intelligently, which is the case here.
Asbath was responsible for the drums and did a pretty decent job. His style is not too much based on blasting parts, which are quite pleasant and can be found on this album at certain times. The overall sound was not too loud, which is a very wise decision for this kind of music, as the focus should remain on the melodic and dark tones of the guitars. I was not openly impressed, but I am certainly far from being disappointed by the drums. - Vanass Heluphicclo - Metal Archives
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Titles translation:
1. The Witches of Brocken Mountain
2. Nature is Sin, Spirit is Devil
3. And Satan Leads the Ball
4. The Pentagram on your Threshold
5. The Leipzig Midnight
Recording information:
Recorded in December 2004 in Leipzig, Germany by Asbath and Resurgemus.
Follow the band at these links:
https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Faustus/Lipsia/772536
https://shaytanproductions.bandcamp.com/album/faustus
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