Cruz Del Sur, “Primordial, bardic hymns for forest dwellers.” – Sarah Ann, Smoulder The first full-length from expansive, brilliant German epic metallers-on-’70s folk-rockers! A glorious intermingling of epic metal, epic doom, acid folk, folk, folk rock, Krautrock, renaissance fair-styled music and ’70s rock, Germany’s Grendel’s Sÿster may have no identifiable and convenient genre tag, yet on their first studio album, Katabasis into the Abaton, the band weaves a dynamic, potent spell untethered to anything but their own creative whims. Formed in 2015 after a series of impromptu jam sessions tucked away in the Vosges Mountains region in France, Grendel’s Sÿster—comprising vocalist Caro, guitarist/songwriter Tobi, drummer Till and bassist Simon—proceeded to release the Night Sea Journey/Sayings of the High One single in 2017, which was followed by the Orphic Gold Leaves/Orphische Goldblättchen EP a year later. Cruz Del Sur Music subsequently signed the band in 2020 and reissued the 2019 Myrtle Wreath / Myrtenkranz EP, which brings us to Katabasis into the Abaton. Recorded between 2002 and 2023 at der Soundmann Studio in Stuttgart with Mitch Meister (Jan Sachsenmaier provided mixing at Harmony Mastering in Stuttgart), Katabasis into the Abaton features nine songs that are harmonious, driving and multi-faceted, straddling the above-mentioned lines while casting a wide net suitable for the heaviest ‘banger and the most stoned-out rocker. It’s a credit to the songwriting brilliance of Tobi, who, in his own estimation, claims that being “patient” and “attentive” was the secret sauce for the album’s creation, including a surprise pairing with Caro on her mellotron arrangement on “Golden Key (Won’t Fit).” Caro’s development as a vocalist is palpable across the album. She can either be a metal goddess or sorceress, depending on what the song requires. Yet, it is her ability to slip into these roles effortlessly (and sometimes within the same song!) that is a direct reflection of her emergence as a frontwoman. And, across Katabasis into the Abaton, Caro is singing about historical, mythological and philosophical themes that are relatable on a personal level but are viewed through the lens of Jungian psychology. As a special treat to their homeland fans, there is also a German-language version of Katabasis into the Abaton available on compact disc and digital. Grendel’s Sÿster did it for the challenge and fun of it all but also to explore the depth and roots of their native language and to give it an archaic and timeless feel. And perhaps that last word, “timeless,” is the best description of Grendel’s Sÿster, for they are a band that could have thrived in any era. It just so happens that we are lucky to have them in the here and now in 2024. 1. Boar’s Tusk Helmet 2. The Plight of a Sorcerer 3. Rose Arbor 4. Night Owl’s Beak 5. Golden Key (Won’t Fit) 6. The Fire That Lights Itself 7. In Praise of Mugwort 8. Cosmogony 9. Eberzahnhelm 10. Die Bürde des Schwarzkünstlers 11. Rosenhag 12. Nachteulenschnabel 13. Güldenes Schlüsselein (klemmt) 14. Unentfacht Flammend 15. Beifußweise 16. Kosmogonie
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