Eishelig
Die Garten Des Herrn

February 2004
Released: 2004, Napalm Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Waspman

Based in Bochum, Germany, the four lads that comprise Eishelig got their start in 1998, worked fast and released a 7-song demo the next year. Through numerous festival appearances that garnered great notices, the band ended up signing with Napalm Records, who released their self-titled debut album in 2001. The positive reviews for that one helped the band get on a successful tour of their native country with L’Ame Immortelle and Garden of Delight. All of which brings us to this year, and the band’s brand spanking new album.

I have to admit, I’m extremely torn on this one. On the one hand, DIE GARTEN DES HERRN is a catchy, expertly arranged and played slice of gloomy doom rock, a la CRIMSON-era Sentenced/Type O Negative etc. with some tiny bits of Rammstein (only in the vocal melodies) thrown in, on the other hand it is a little derivative and repetitive. The album opens extremely well with the rocking “Wahntrieb”, a very catchy song, with an infectious, piano-colored chorus. The actually stuck in my head, a rarity for songs sung in a language I don’t understand (the whole album is sung in German). It also serves to highlight the gothic-draped vocals of Dennis Mikus. His voice is good, but a little too similar to every other deep-throated gothic crooner. It would be nice to hear him fire off a scream or something every once and awhile, but alas, he plays it straight most of the time adding only the occasional Hetfield-like growl.

The front half of the album is loaded with great songs, as each of the first five are winners. After that the songs all start to sound the same, totally dissipating the affect of the album. I think part of the problem is the band’s lack of tempo shifts, as most songs rumbles along comfortably mid-paced, without variation. More distinction between songs is needed here, but there is a lot to like within Eishelig’s music.