[Reviewed by stark]
Der Blutharsch has probably taken one of the most surprising turns in the so-called post-industrial underground. From martial industrial, still cherished by many, to space/ psychedelic/ kraut rock. From blitzkreg to mushrooms. It was a good and brave decision – the majority of the fans were confused, many of them have stricken the band off their watchlists. Well, in my opinion the martial industrial genre bears the stench of a rotting corpse these days, so escaping it and actually playing what you really have in your soul is the one and only valid option. Let’s leave the narrow-minded folks in their war ghetto.
Albin Julius didn’t change the name of the band (as many other musicians would have done after such a turn). He just extended it, so now we’re dealing with Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand. Under this moniker he released quite a lot of stuff, including the collaborations with Aluk Todolo, Josef Dvorak or Skullflower. A rather diverse set of artists. “Sucht & Ordnung” is their last solo opus, considered a full-length, but bear in mind that it’s less than 30 minutes long.
It’s not that different from the previous releases. The guys figured out what they want to do, what they’re best at, and now they’re just polishing their vision of space/ kraut, which is not that distant from the 70s classics, yet it has their own, contemporary and personal touch. The sound is a bit better this time (I had some objections in this regard in the past). Frenetic rhythm sections, cosmic noises in the background, guitar solos, a minimal use of vocals (only some German recitations in the second track) – all this is to be expected on “Sucht & Ordnung”. Not so many surprises, except for some parts in the second song where the drum blasts and the lunatic work of the guitars bring to mind some black metal cultists like Darkthrone or Gorgoroth. That was… interesting.
So you probably know what to expect by now. There’s no need for drastic changes. There’s been one in the past and that’s enough. This is simply another good album by Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand. Nothing more, nothing less.
Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand – Sucht & Ordnung
WKN, WKN49
CD/LP/Digital 2016
Santa Sangre 