Year : 2020
Style : Melodic Death Metal
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 111 mb
Bio:
Strydegor was founded in 2007 by singer and guitarist Florian Kunde, bassist Clemens Thieke, drummer Sven Martinek and guitarist Slava Giebel in Hagenow.After the musicians were already active in another band, they decided to start new under the name Strydegor and play melodic death metal from that point on.In spring 2008 the band released their first demo album „Legends of Midgard“ and in autumn 2008 the EP „Midwinter’s Eve“. This was followed by a contract with the Austrian label CCP-Records and the release of the debut album „Back on Ancient Traces“ in 2009.Two weeks before the release of Back on Ancient Traces, guitarist Slava Giebel died on the night of May 23, 2009 in a traffic accident in Bresegard near Hagenow.With the help of Jan Reichardt, Oliver Reimer and Julian Dierkes, the band decided to play their concerts and to continue the work with the band in honor of Slava.In 2012 the second record „In the Shadow of Remembrance“ followed, also via CCP Records and with Frank Schneider („Fränk the Tänk“) from the band Full Assault, a guitarist for live performances was found and concerts at festivals such as Metalfest in Dessau with bands like Megadeth or Behemoth, as well as many concerts in Germany, Austria and Belgium.In October 2012, David Holst was introduced as a permanent guitarist.Due to personal differences, Strydegor decided to part ways with their long-time drummer Sven Martinek in the spring of 2013 and found a live replacement in Norman Mirs, then in Simon Dierkes, brother of Julian Dierkes and a friend of the band.However, Dierkes had to leave the band because of professional reasons before the studio recordings and so the band found a suitable live and studio drummer in Christian Eggers to do the planned recordings for the third album „Enraged“.The recordings took place in the LFF Project Studio with producer Martin Schulz in Neubrandenburg. The Mixing was done by Steffen Nevermann from the Shredsound Studio Rostock and for the mastering Jonas Kjellgren, who with his Black Lounge Studios has already worked with bands like Hypocrisy and Immortal.„Enraged“ was released worldwide on September 12, 2014 via the 7hard Records label and an extensive release tour has been announced. Shortly before the release, David Holst decided to leave the band. Live guitarist Patrik Witzke, who was responsible for the band’s promotional photos in the past, joined in for the other concerts.Christian Eggers also announced his departure after the release of Enraged, due to personal differences and in order to spend more time with his family.In 2015, Daniel Hauschild (guitar) and Immanuel Promnitz (drums) completed the band’s line-up.The release of a new record was originally scheduled for 2016.In July 2016, the band announced on Facebook that they had parted ways from their bassist and founding member Clemens Thieke.Martin Schmidt, who had previously appeared as a live guitarist, was introduced as the new bass player on Facebook in December 2016 and continued the work on the new record with him.In August 2020, the band released a new logo and new band photos via social media as well as the collaboration with MDD Records from Southern Germany.On October 20, 2020 Strydegor released the first single entitled „World In Your Hands“ on Youtube. On November 13th 2020 the fourth album entitled „Isolacracy“ will be released via MDD Records.
Album:
I’ve only known Strydegor for a few days, but I’ve seen enough to know that they’re one strange Teutonic beast. I hadn’t heard of this German quartet prior to this review, but if I had, their latest album would come as something of a surprise. From their debut in 2009 all the way up to 2014’s Enraged, their Viking-inspired, rougher-edged melodeath sound has remained relatively consistent. Then in swoops their latest Isolacracy, an album which trades longships for lament. While this album doesn’t mark a radical sea-change in Strydegor‘s sound, it does reveal a band eager to move past it’s roots and transition into a type of melodic death metal that cranks the angst while still aiming to wallop you with harmonious riffs and hooks galore. With new themes, a new logo, and a new album, does Strydegor pull it off?I should say so, and it’s on display right at the outset. On 2014’s Enraged, Strydegor set the tone with a war-like instrumental, complete with ominous horns and strings. On Isolacracy, opening instrumental “Beware the Beast Man” instead surprises with chimes, synths and techno beats. Unless this is a concept album about Odin-worshippers shredding on keyboard, Strydegor are clearly headed in a new direction. This first track embodies that goal, and it definitely works. But where things really get going is on second track “Innocence Corroded,” which presents us with an effective (if not wholly original) template for the remainder of the album: death metal roars, earnest cleans, and earworm choruses that delve deeper into your brain than the Ceti Eel in Chekov’s ear. It’s clear that for all the personal growth Strydegor is aiming to accomplish, they have little interest in reinventing the melodeath wheel. Sure, there’s a hint of Idle Hands at the beginning of “Stars and Strife,” a chunky-riffed, double-bassed beast, and there are several groovy sojourns into Lamb of God territory, but the order of the day is classic melodeath, spiked with enough emotive, clean-sung choruses to make Barren Earth blush.And I must admit, while I usually prefer my melodeath with more “death” and less “melo,” Strydegor‘s straightforward but competent approach makes for a fun listen that I’ve returned to outside of my reviewing duties. That’s not to say that Isolacracy isn’t without its flaws. By the album’s midpoint, the blueprint they’ve so firmly established loses some of its luster. “Into the Unknown,” an unnecessary mid-album instrumental, slows the pace and halts the album’s momentum. Penultimate track “Oceans” is a decent number, but when compared to some of the true bangers that come both before and after, I would have suggested leaving it as a salty afterthought on the cutting room floor. These are all minor quibbles, as none take away from the fact that Isolacracy is an undeniably enjoyable listen. Album closer “As April Slowly Fades,” with its dual piano/acoustic opener and Ghosty throughline, eases any remaining concerns, enveloping the listener in catchy, riffy goodness that borders on the sadboy. Isolacracy ends not with a bang, but with a whimper, and it’s all the stronger for it.ll four members of Strydegor turn in solid performances here, but their only constant member, Florian Kunde, is the MVP. His is the voice that we hear growling, rasping, screaming and crooning. And while his vocal approach may divide listeners, Kunde’s cleans make this album what it is and provide some of the most memorable sections on Isolacracy. Drummer Immanuel Promnitz also deserves a shout. While not bombastic or complex, it’s Promnitz’s drums that come to the rescue when things start to veer from the “melodic” and into the “mellow,” biting back with aggressive double bass and the odd blast beat that injects just the right amount of blackened edge.Isolacracy is an engaging melodeath album, overflowing with enough hooks to break the bonds of any tackle box. Is it innovative? Nope. Will some listeners find all the clean-sung choruses a tad on the cheesy side? Probably. But none of that takes away from Strydegor‘s ability to successfully evolve as a band and construct a tight, catchy and memorable melodeath album in the process.
Line Up:
Florian Kunde - Guitars, Vocals (2007-present) - See also: ex-The Alphes, Darragh
Daniel Hausschild - Guitars (2014-present) - See also: ex-Human Debris
Martin Schmidt - Bass (2016-present)
Immanuel Promnitz - Drums
Tracklist:
01. Beware the Beast Man
02. Innocence Corroded
03. Lucid
04. Stars and Strife
05. World in your Hands
06. Into the Unknown
07. Escape
08. Enemy:Inside
09. As April slowly fades
10. Oceans
11. Still Alive
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