SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NACHTMAHR – WIDERSTAND

Nachtmahr 
Widerstand 
Trisol Music Group 

Austrian band Nachtmahr, headed by Thomas Rainer, has been described as “an industrial orgy” by critics. Within this world of heavy dance floor stomping beats, that is high praise. Upon exploring their latest EP Widerstand, that praise holds weight.
 
Widerstand features three new Nachtmahr songs – “Firmament”, “Ungezähmtes Land”, and “Mütterchen Russland” along with various remixes of “Firmament” and “Ungezähmtes Land” by different artists allowing Nachtmahr fans and, mostly, fans of hard-hitting, rhythm heavy industrial dance floor music to deep dive and explore the finer reaches of these tracks,.

“Firmament”, the original version, features a deliciously eerie piano intro leading into a pulsating and throbbing dance beat that is sure to draw out a crowd. Rainer’s lyrics are in German and are full of those rough and guttural tones that make the language a delight to listen to. I look forward to this song being played on the dance floors very soon.

I’m a fan of the Russian vocal version featuring synth pop band Omni-mar. The sensual female vocals on this version add a new alluring element to the already enticing track. Industrial metal band Shaâghot took this track and made it even harder, more manic and a further assault to the senses. It’s great.

“Ungezähmtes Land”, in its standard carnation, at first sounds like many an industrial track I’ve heard played at the clubs into the chorus kicks in. It’s gorgeously melancholic and melodic. It’s luring; easy to fall into a trance with this one.

The Russian version of this track featuring Eisenwut with Michael Evdokimov on vocals – his voice reminds me so much of Til Lindemann from Rammstein, but of course in Russian, that it’s playing tricks with my mind.

The remix by Affentanz doesn’t seem to do the track any favours – it’s far too processed and filtered, in particular the vocals, for my taste. On the other hand, Greg Oroth’s version features heavier guitars giving the track a more power metal vibe that works very well.

Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio offers a cover of the track in English which, paired with the down tempo and darkly morose tune, feels strange and oddly uncomfortable.

And yet “Mütterchen Russland” with a similar slower and ominous tune is richly haunting and beautiful, very poetic.

I wish there was more in this EP than three songs and a few remixes but that should all be rectified when the full length album is released. Unsure when that will happen but, as someone who was originally unfamiliar with the band, it’s something I’m now looking forward to.

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