Antrisch - Expedition III: Renitenzpfad

Antrisch is a black metal band from Germany, who formed in 2020. Their latest album, "Expedition III:  Renitenzpfad,” is their second full-length album; they have also released an EP and a live album.

The previous album, “Expedition II:  Die Passage,” was insanely good and this one is up there with it, but whether it is better or not will depend on personal preferences.  Whereas the first one was atmospheric and focused on facing death in an unforgiving environment, this album, at least to me, is quite a bit more aggressive with a story focused on the more violent tendencies of an asshole conquistador named Lope de Aguirre.  The guy was a menace and the music reflects that. 

The band still incorporates plenty of atmosphere into the album but rather than cold and destitute, it’s maddening and claustrophobic.  Even the multitude of clean passages among the explosive black metal parts are the deadly descent into a mind that’s slipping off the edge. 

I really like how this album is put together.  It has seven songs across a runtime of just over 47 minutes—perfect length that has enough time to allow the listener to explore its depths but doesn’t overstay its welcome. Oh, and all seven songs are actually full-length songs–no pointless interludes, or intros and outros that go nowhere.  The band incorporates these elements into the songs themselves, and this approach is the best way to do it. 

The first song, “Conquista - Prolog,” begins with sinister spoken words and clean tones.  These elements make it very clear that this album is a journey into darkness.  Their atmospheric passages are like set pieces, but they offer nothing for comfort but instead more fuel for the burning mind.    The band is at their best when all these elements crash together and they do that very well on this banger of an opener:  super-fast drums, searing vocals, and riffs that compliment everything the song has to offer.

“Nattern & Narren - Lost Maranones I” is flavored with Spanish guitar and a trippy sense of foreboding doom.    The growled spoken words are a touch of madness that grazes against the song’s trembling vibe.  The drums are very catchy, a steady rhythm the rest of the songs roll off from.  This one is riff based, especially the mid-section that coats the song in a ton of headbanging moments.  Antrisch have proven themselves to be adept at creating both atmospheric and heavy hitting music—this song is a fantastic example of what the band offers with their sound. 

“Abkehr - Non svfficit orbis,” is one of my favorites on the album–I absolutely love the deep tones that push through in the song’s opening seconds.  The Spanish guitar accents the tone just right, setting the song up for some truly terrifying riffage.  It’s groovy, it’s catchy, and, above all, absolutely horrific.  This song is like exploring some unknown jungle:  dense with danger around every corner.  The middle portion of the song alternates between groove, spacious, clean moments, and outright speed—it does a little of everything and does it well.

The final song, “Canis Lvpvm edit - Wolfsfalle I Verratener Verrater,” is another favorite of mine and ends the album highest of highs, albeit grueling and gruesome.  The first two and a half minutes are brimstone and unrelenting force.  It evolves into a disturbing passage where the vocals are really upfront but bolstered by maddening clean music, an atmosphere that reflects the carnage of depravity.  

Antrisch’s “Expendition III:  Renitenzpfad” is a challenging, vexing album that avoids the dreaded ‘sophomore slump’ while setting the stage for whatever the band decides to do next. Highly recommended.

Rating: Excellent