Cruda Sorte - Innozenz FLAC

The album at hand is the first full-length effort of the Berlin Black Metal Band Cruda Sorte that may be known to a willing listener interested in the Berlin BM Underground by their 2006 and 2007 Demos Kapitel 1 and Kapitel 2 as well as their recently published split release with Veineliis. In addition to Cruda Sorte’s Nathanael, the solo-artist behind Veineliis contributed drums and synths to this record, while the former musician, also known because of his past activities with Withered and Misanthropic Path, is responsible for the remaining compositional elements.
In general I have to state that this album, recorded in the shady Wilhelminenhof Chambers, exhibits a huge recording technical as well as compositional improvement compared to the previous efforts. The saw-like guitars create a lot of pressure, consistently enhanced by the well-balanced drumming. These instrumental elements are supported by the sufficiently audible vocals that are way more variable and powerful than before, while always haunting the listener by their suffering and frantic nature.
Thematically, Nathanael deals on this effort with a protagonist’s position in being and time, while the primary conflict settles around divine-satanic principles. In doing so, personal, satanic chaos-gnostic as well as biblical-historic aspects are contemplated in a direct, quite prosaic manner. These lyrical approaches are also evident in the song’s respective titles as they seem to depict a development in the protagonist’s self (Innocence – Salvation – Confession – Abyss – Revelation – Fire). Considering this, the album’s title (“The Innocent One”) is to be mentioned, as there were some well-known popes in the Catholic Churches’ history with this particular name, whereof at least two gained some special inglorious reputation. Pope Innocent III (13th century) was the precursor of the Holy Inquisition and a huge admirer of the Crusades, and during his period of rule the Albigensian Crusade was started and the 5th Crusade initiated. Pope Innocent VIII, ruling in the late 15th century, with his fancy on inquisition and witch-hunt that was even enhanced by the publication of the Hexenhammer, to whose pitch-black realms The Ruins Of Beverast dedicated their last album, further spread the seeds of inquisition. In this respect, the thematic approach of this album is obvious, because it certainly does not deal with the obeisance to these two popes but, on the contrary, with their regency’s utmost criticism.
This also becomes evident listening to the short introduction of the first song that displays a short implementation of an inquisitional scenery. However, this album is not about exorcism as such, but rather about deicism. Furthermore, in my personal opinion, this album’s lyrics and title strongly question the realms of “guilt” and “innocence” itself, question, whether or not we are burdened with guilt ourselves because of some Fall of Mankind, whether these sins can be taken from us and how we, in our ephemeral existence, judge these two central aspects of our being.
Let’s finally get to the music itself. All of the songs, excluding the ‘intermediary song” Confessio, chiefly consist of raging passages that induce a lot of pressure and a kind of tension that, while intensively listening to them, create an unpleasant feeling, manifesting progressively, of angst and agitation. These passages consisting of rage, possibly evoking memories of Hate Forest, are occasionally introduced, broken or outroduced by some ambient material, but none of the calmer passages manages to relief the afore created tension. Likewise, there are no pleasant melodies on this album, but, frankly speaking, these definitely would be inappropriate to the quintessential theme. But there are, as one might hope, some more melodic parts that contribute at least to a moderate relief of tension. And that is why I personally consider these parts (and the respective songs) to be the highlights of this piece of bitter work. So, for the sake of giving a recommendation, I’d suggest listening to Exsolutio or Barathrum, even though I’d strongly recommend to everyone who feels in a mood apt to these depths to “enjoy” the entire album. If one likes to dive into these abysmal depths and their reflections of human nature, I can only give the advice: Listen to this infernal piece of music when being in the right mood. Give it some tries, as it is not cumbersome but highly unpleasant. It certainly is no easy-listening for blissful moments, but who would talk about the impacts of inquisition on people while laying in sun-immersed grasses in a park with his beloved?
It is a brutal, abysmal record being able to drag you into really devastating realms. So don’t expect a “happy ending”. This album is going to leave you as you’ll become, if you are in the mood to try to digest it: Unpleasant, and full of fear.

T_L_H