Recently, after a three-year hiatus, the eleventh full-length album by the Greek band Wolfnacht, titled "Erberinnerungen," was released. From the very beginning, it's clear that Athalwolf certainly hasn't changed the narrative of their project, remaining as aggressive as with each release. Three years ago, two albums were released: "Blutgebunden" and "Soldatenlieder," the latter of which had a slightly different format, as they rework German songs, whether military or folk, into a performance not so much metal or black metal, but Wolfnacht's touch is certainly very evident.

This year, however, it's a 100% black metal opus, with seven songs spanning nearly 40 minutes. The cover already tells us a lot about the music we'll encounter here: a figure resembling Greek statues rising from the fire with torches, behind it a gleaming Hakenkreuz, and at the bottom, a German accent in the form of people who evoked the spirit of the past and the old principles.

Musically, the album opens with a nearly two-minute instrumental intro that makes us feel like we're sitting in the front row of an opera rather than listening to a black metal album. But as for Athalwolf's operatic playing, there will be more of it. Wagner's opera comes to an end, and the song "Unter dem Einfluß der Runen" begins. A very rhythmic and catchy track, right after the distinctive intro.

Here we hear Wolfnacht, which we've become accustomed to over the years, good production, the distinctive timbre of the Greek's voice, which comes to the forefront with its Germanic lyrics, and of course the riffs, nothing new either, but as always, we hear plenty of epicness combined with catchy, ear-catching parts that will get your feet moving.

I'm also pleased that Athalwolf didn't forget about the bass while recording this album, and it lends the songs a distinct color, which, as a bassist, makes me very happy. As I mentioned at the beginning, the symphonic-operatic moments persist, remaining very active during the moments where classic black metal battles unfold, giving these songs a truly wonderful atmosphere, as if the sound of ancient Greece had been combined with German ferocity, if that's even a word.

Of course, such moments don't only appear when playing black metal, but Wolfnacht creates many such interludes on this album, giving us a moment to catch our breath before the next battle, which will unfold on the ruins of old empires and powers. And as with such more epic-triumphant recordings, we also encounter clean vocals, which are delivered quite forcefully by Athalwolf, but this certainly doesn't soften the experience of this album; in fact, it's a positive.

A while ago, I ranked Wolfnacht's albums, and they have many great things in their discography that I enjoy revisiting. But there's also a second half, very uneven and mediocre. Here, however, as time progresses, Athalwolf's musical career also shows progress, with each subsequent album becoming increasingly refined and better.

While Erberinnerungen may not be my favorite release from this band, it's certainly among the band's strongest releases. Released at the end of the year, I think it will cause a stir and appear on many lists summarizing this year's black metal.

For now, I'll summarize what I've written and what you can hear, whether on YouTube or by purchasing a physical disc. It's a very solid album; you won't hear anything new here, in terms of riffs, vocals, or simply the way they play. It's a style familiar from their last few albums, but enriched with a significant amount of monumentality and solemnity, primarily thanks to those symphonic moments that, on their own, would be perfect for playing with the whole family on Christmas Eve.

Add all these elements and you get a truly excellent album. There are faster and more furious moments, as well as slower ones that give us a moment to rest and reflect, and of course, those parts that grab our ears and make our feet twitch, like the second and seventh tracks.

And that's all I had to say about the new Wolfnacht. I think this album made the end of the year period more pleasant for many, and I highly recommend it to those who haven't heard it yet.