Originally organized as a black metal project in 1996, German act Seasons In Black has evolved with a sound that encompasses death, doom, gothic, hardcore, and groove elements for their first album in twelve years, Anthropocene. Four-fifths of the lineup remains from 2013’s The Swansong Diearies self-released record, gaining lead guitarist Leon Hanff during the COVID-19 period in 2021. The inclusion of some guest spots from members of In Extremo, End of Green, and the first metal-performance of German musician/comedian Hannes Ringlstetter color these tracks with more depth and diversity as the record rolls along.
First song “World Wide Venom” opens with some kind of a drum loop, keyboard/stunted guitar fade in before kicking into a doom/hardcore/death montage, the vocals ranging from semi-discernible growls set to a rhythmic stomp while the subsequent guitar foundation allows the occasional gothic keyboard work of Markus Neumeier to add alternative textures to the proceedings. Slower doom/groove double kick action from drummer Harald Hemauer makes “Seasons In Black” an intriguing follow-up, the instrumental sections featuring a low-tuned catchy riff sequence that equally takes from the death community as it does doom and gothic measures. Questionable genre-melding often takes certain cuts into directions that while diverse may not necessarily sit well with many groups of listeners – where straightforward execution may have improved the consistency factor as an overall front to back album. Crematory/Paradise Lost visions come to mind when hearing “Inside”, a cover of the 90s original hit from Stiltskin, Michael Stein and Specki TD from In Extremo adding vocal layers to build up the pulsating guitar hooks.
The second half of the record to these ears contains much more memorable and exciting songwriting. The crunchy twists of “Blacksite” with the forceful, repetitive chorus soon transitioning into a lighter, almost cosmic atmosphere as a certain standout – while the darker grooves penetrate “Hell Again” between its supplementary narrative voice against a steady supply of gothic/death riffs that cause head swirling good times. Most will enjoy the balanced production where the layers of guitars drive the main musical components while not discounting the importance of keyboards, bass, and drums in the mix. The geometric shapes that surround the snakes on the cover will be another deep dive discussion for those who desire striking imagery in their metal releases.
Self-proclaimed as ‘doomcore’, Seasons In Black develop so many different aspects to their sound, it’s difficult to decide where they prefer to go in terms of a style with Anthropocene. This scribe could see Life of Agony followers digging this as much as Six Feet Under mavens – as well as some in the Paradise Lost or Crematory camps. In the end, it’s a decent set of material, a veritable musical stew that could go down well for some, while not appeasing others.