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Lugubrum > Gedachte & geheugen > Reviews
Lugubrum - Gedachte & geheugen

Not really there yet - 55%

Abominatrix, May 24th, 2018

Well, I’ll just come right out and say that I think this is probably Lugubrum’s worst, or at best, least interesting, album. It’s not too bad, but neither is it going to change anyone’s world or leave you feeling gobsmacked and disoriented or with a ridiculous grin on your face like much of their later stuff will.

The most interesting thing about this, probably, is it’s “half ‘n’ half” nature. If you have this on record, I expect, you have a metal side and an ambient side. The metal stuff is more aggressive and ugly than what can be heard on the first album, Winterstones. however, their “semi-pro drummer” (the band’s words, not mine) has yet to join the band, and that means the drumming still has the somewhat laid-back approach of the previous album, which doesn’t fit this material as well, simply because it’s calling for more power and aggression. Also, most of the riffs just aren’t that great. Once one has gotten past the general abrasiveness of everything (a really loud, distorted mix, caustic vocals and frantically sawing guitars), you might in fact find that some of the patterns here are a little on the obnoxious side. They’re certainly not trying to endear you with anything pretty or majestic.

On the other hand, there is some genuine beauty to be heard in the second half of the album, which is made up of a variety of short, simple synthesiser pieces utilising cold brass, string and percussive tones. Every so often, someone will mutter something portentous-sounding in Flemish. Burzum wouldn’t be a bad reference point for some of this stuff, but Lugubrum generally state themes a lot less and are happy to get things over and done with in a concise manner. I’m glad they didn’t do more like this, though. It’s not remarkable, and sounds like a side-step or detour from the path they needed to take. The band could well have gotten lost here, and then, what a poorer world we would live in. In an interview I once read, Midgaars said he sold the synth he used here to the band’s bassist, and, but for some minor synth usage on, for instance, Albino de Congo, it may as well have been buried deep in a closet full of pantaloons. I have nothing against synthesisers or these kinds of explorations; I just feel this kind of work is nothing very special in black metal circles. Remember when it seemed like every European black metal “genius” (and some US-based ones too for that matter) seemed to have their own albums of synthesiser doodlings?

I’m sorry i really don’t have much to say about this, but it’s the kind of thing that belies the fact that this band would in short order become something remarkable. It lacks much personality. The metal half is kind of dull, and I feel almost awkward admitting that I prefer the ambient half even though it’s no great shakes either. Some of the consonances are pleasing to the ear, after all, but that’s hardly what I listen to Lugubrum for. The band was still in its prepubescent phase, essentially feeling its way around, and this hasn’t got the charm and appeal of Winterstones.

The Joke's on Us - 28%

PigfaceChristus, June 10th, 2010

Lugubrum have always let their quirky sense of humor come through in their work, and “Gedachte & Geheugen” is no exception. But maybe the joke’s gone too far, to the point where the band is laughing at you for actually listening to this album. Well, at least it doesn’t have the sound of someone shitting or burping because that’d be idiotic, right? Lugubrum would never do something like that, of course. To be blunt, “Gedachte & Geheugen” is barely an album. It is an hour-long endurance trial that tests the listener’s tolerance for colorless MIDI music and fuzz-ridden black metal. That’s right, it’s another one of those albums split down the middle, excluding the intro track, into two styles. So the black metal songs are supposed to be the “Gedachte” part, and the synthesizer filler tracks are “Geheugen?” I guess they’re as complimentary as shit and piss.

Only around twenty-one minutes of black metal comprise the hour, and it just reeks with that same deliberate under-production that you hear in bedroom projects. It must be deliberate because the quality of “Winterstones,” released two years before “Gedachte & Geheugen,” is much better than this. Now, the production isn’t too terrible by black metal standards, but the messy, fuzzy, and downright cacophonous quality of it makes the music impotent. This debilitates the drums the most, which blast along somewhere in the background without any sense of force behind them. Likewise, the vocalist sounds as though he is screaming through a glass bottle that is strapped to his mouth like a muzzle. The vocals are distant, cavernous, and abrasive in their gargle-y indiscernability. What’s strange is that the production isn’t even consistent across the six listenable tracks. “Stahlheim II” and “Als de Goden Zwijgen” are tepid messes of wishy-washy static, while in the others the fuzz is a little clearer—sort of like Ulver’s “Nattens Madrigal” but without the punch or melody.

Composition-wise, the black metal tracks aren’t of terrible quality. Beneath the static, there’s a slight kernel of originality and, always a plus, the bass is actually audible. However, when Lugubrum do get off the blastbeat wagon, the music gets even messier. That’s why “Dampen Uit Een Ondiep Graf” is, in some respects, the standout track and, in others, the worst. Because of the sort of production the band is working with, the music doesn’t support very clean transitions when it takes on martial-style drumming or a non-tremolo guitar pattern. Even if the black metal tracks were the best thing since “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas,” they still wouldn’t be able to make up for what follows in the album.

The next thirty-seven minutes or so are nothing but throwaway synthesizer tracks that sound as unnecessary as Burzum’s keyboard releases and as cheap as the typical ambient filler tracks you find on nearly every black metal album. I don’t know what it is about keyboards, synthesizers, and electronic boops and beeps that send a dense listener crying atmosphere. There’s nothing glorious about cheaply-rendered ambient tracks. There’s nothing epic about them. It doesn’t take me back to the good old days when people used to wipe their asses with leaves and sacrifice their left testicles to the sun. With faux-trumpets that sound like farts and faux-harpsichords that sound like the buzzing of flies, these tracks do absolutely nothing except make me wish I were listening to an 8-bit Nintendo soundtrack instead of this.

Considering how only a third of the album is worthy of a listen, a 28% rating is actually not that bad. Lugubrum made three crucial mistakes in creating “Gedachte & Geheugen.” First, they split the album down the middle into a black metal side and an ambient side. With an hour’s worth of music, yes, it might be a good idea to have some sort of chapter-like structure to the album, but to split it down the middle into two clashing styles, with only silence for a transition, is not very wise. Second, they deliberately skipped out on the album’s production quality, probably to mock the black metal trend. Sure, that’s a little funny, but if your music suffers for it then you shouldn’t do it. Third, they padded out the album with an overwhelming amount of ambient filler. Even if you do like Lugubrum’s black metal, tracks two through seven become irrelevant next to the thirty-seven minutes that follow. In the end, “Gedachte & Geheugen” fails at supplying good music, and it fails at being an album, but at least Lugubrum make up for it on their other releases.

Strange and brilliant... - 87%

Snxke, July 6th, 2004

Lugubrum and the strange variety of "brown metal" they play is certainly unique, intelligent and listenable. This CD, is of course no different. Though the production is strange (as usual) it's full enough to encapsulate all of the instruments without anything dying in the mix. The vocals and guitars are seedy enough to work. The drum sound may be a little weak, but compared to most black metal bands on the market today who attempt something like this it's quite good. The band is spot on to what they do, which only they do that well and I was very impressed with this record.

One can hear the wit and intelligence in the songwriting from a mile away. The songs are both musically entertaining and knowingly funny while not losing a dark vibe (this is BLACK humor folks) that treats black metal with respect instead of parody. The band constructs great riffs/music and a mood of black mockery that transcends the typical neanderthal "hate, kill, destroy" attitude that has infected black metal as of late. This music has a certain taste, class and flippancy that brings Lugubrum into their own fashionable place and brings black metal back into the realm of those who can think something through. Tasteful classical melodies, strange guitar turns and harsh (yet interesting) vocals all mesh together with a sense of strange mood to make for one great couldron of black (brown) metal.

Lugubrum have really outdone themselves here...the music is well composed. The theme is spot on and the wit intact. Many black metal bands could only wish to have the unique vibe that they've created over the years. This record is among my favorites and I suggest it to all fans of black metal and Lugubrum alike.


BUY OR DIE!!!