Tiefenstrom - Geistersturm

Imagine the previously featured Agony of Souls, but with a much-enforced Ambient aspect to it. Imagine a concept themed around ships, ghosts, the sea at night. Urban legends, drowning Sailors, and the secrets of the Ocean - perhaps set in a time where Trees reclaim the land, decimating the ruins of Mankind, and Nature unleashes it's full bloody vengeance upon it's captors.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Tiefenstrom.

Consisting of Agony of Souls' 'Alastor' - Synths and Programming, and 'Scarecrow' (Not an AoS member) - Vocals and lyrics, this is both Beautiful and Haunting. Un-nerving, yet blissful.

Intro track "Chironex Fleckeri", not content with winning song-title of the year, is the typical mood setting Intro piece.

"Aus den Fluten" starts off with the usual Synth, but the vocal work is immediately noticeable. Some will hate it, some will love it. It's extremely intense and distinctive. Lyrically, this stuff is genial. Despite lyrics all being in German, my ability to speak said language has been able to provide the following.

I don't want to write a legend in this review, but put this following formula together : Young man -> Rowing Boat -> Grief -> Siren Song -> Bloody Rocks -> Bloody Ocean -> Ocean Cries.
Pretty deep stuff, pun intended.

Assuming that creativity and originality is the basis on which we judge music, Tiefenstrom would be this scene's Suicide Commando, or :wumpscut:. Musically, this isn't as synth-driven and catchy as the Agony of Souls stuff, but being a different project, would we really expect it to?

What this is, is a series of tales, put to dark and brooding Industrial. Vocals aren't meant to be pretty. They're meant to be shriekish, and painful. If you asked the landscape to give up it's secrets, do you expect it to deliver them in soothing Baritone, or Hateful Banshee?

Tracks like "Tote Meere" (Dead Sea) and "Your Dark Heart" (which features the other member of Agony of Souls), are designed to be as revealing as the Captain's Log on the Marie Celeste.

Essentially, if you strip this down to just how the music sounds, this is danceable, but raw and as abrasive as a strip of Sandpaper grinding the Flesh.

Conceptually, I give this my absolute highest merit, as there is just something ethereal and compelling about the Sea. Especially when this is delivered in such a story-like manner.

For fans of:
Ghosts
Thunder
Myths
Intelligent Electronica Apr 27 2011