Wehmut

Wehmut aren't exactly treading new ground with their self titled release, this is pretty standard as far as DSBM goes but the band has enough of a unique identity to separate them from the herd. Unlike 90% of the scene, the music Wehmut plays is very bass heavy and as a result the music feels much more expansive than other, more claustrophobic releases

If you're a fan of the DSBM scene (which I'm going to assume you are, considering you're on Wehmut's band page) then nothing about this will surprise you. A lone guitar churns out slow to mid paced gloomy yet melodic riffs whilst the vocals are a tortured wailing pushed into the background. Like the best releases of the genre, vocals are used as another instrument, never the forefront of the music they enhance the atmosphere with their mournful and passionate delivery.

The riffs Wehmut play are quite original, although minimal in nature they are certainly not as droning as say Trist. Repetition is still a heavy feature of Wehmut's music but the riffs never overstay their welcome. It helps that the riffs are engaging with a fair amount of variety present throughout this demo. The use of clean guitars is quite frequent and adds another layer of emotion and atmosphere onto an already emotional core. Drums, like most of the genre are simple, possibly programmed.

Although Wehmut may seem like an ordinary DSBM band, there is much more compositional and atmospheric depth in the music than a band such as Happy Days. The bass presence is the albums most interesting feature, having a strong role throughout, though they never drown out the other instruments and it's nice to hear them not following the guitars throughout much of this albums running time. I was oft reminded of America's I'm In A Coffin throughout this release with the audible bass but unlike said band the man behind Wehmut is actually a good song writer.

Hand in hand with my critique of the bass comes the production. Wehmut features some of the best production I've heard in the genre. Guitars have a very hazy tone to them allowing to create a depressive wall of sound. Vocals are pushed back possessing a clear, haunting tone. Nothing on this release ever blurs together and the album as a whole has a very natural and organic feel to it. Transitions between the electric and acoustic sections are seamless and the quiet interludes are actually interesting and serve as more than connective tissue between the black metal sections.

I'd probably recommend Wehmut for people just discovering the genre as the band adheres to well established conventions but presents them in a much more accessible format than other bands. The atmosphere Wehmut creates probably rivals Lyrinx in how soul destroying it is, easily some of the most mind numbing and brutal soundscapes to come out of the genre. Depressing, well written and completely and utterly absorbing. This is how the genre should be done.

It was cold and dark when I discovered the one-man project of Till Seidemann titled "Wehmut". Alone, the name of this band surprised me with nothing of the generic wrist-slitter-suicide-names. And the name is well chosen. Wehmut carries a really melancholic atmosphere filled with sorrow, depression, and despair.


That being said, when I discovered Wehmut I almost lost my hope/faith in DSBM. Most of it was just playing 2 chords as fast as possible, blastbeats in the background, and a vocalist who sounds either like a dying gnome or like fucking cats. Most people say that Germany has some of the best DSBM with bands such as Nyktalgia or Sterbend, but to me they sounded totally like what I described before. I was heavily disappointed by most depressive BM bands I found, because if the instrumental use was good, there were still this high-pitched, screaming vocals which remind me a lot of Vikernes.


But then came Wehmut. I think I have found Mr.Seidemanns music by accident when I was browsing for some songs of Forgotten Tomb... the lyrics, the instruments, the vocals...everything sounded melancholic, yet still unique. I was very impressed by the music, which was so thoughtful and deep. So I ordered the full-length as fast as I could. When it arrived, I was even more fascinate. Tthe CD was made of black polycarbonate, which already gave you a impression of what dark music awaits you. The first song, "Melancholie", started and I recognized another unique thing about Wehmut: the masterful use of clean bass-riffs. The bass gave the whole rhythm a really great melancholic touch, making the whole songs kinda de(e)pressive. Normally, DSBM bands use monotonous, almost unheard bass lines. But Wehmut has a real nice-sounding, evident bass sound on the whole album. You need to listen to the album in CD quality to hear it, so don't let the Youtube sound fool you. In general, the songs begin a bit slow. The track "Trostlos wartend"(could be translated to=desolate waiting) begins even with a very monotonous drum pattern until the clean guitar comes in. The songs contain a well-mixed use of clean and distorted sound while the bass almost always stays rather clean and audible. This full-length also contains the song from the promo, "Ableben". Unlike there, the vocals are not so screamy and generic, and in my honest opinion the track sounds better at the full-lenght than on the promo. And honestly, if I would have heard the promo before some examples for Wehmut's other music, I probably would have thought of it as another uncreative, generic DSBM project.


Now some words about the visual elements of this album and Wehmut. The pictures used on this full-length depict mostly empty rooms/corridors of abandoned houses in black&white. Not so typically for a black metal release, even in the depressive genre. Artistically speaking, I feel that those images are there to depict the inner emptiness, the feeling of being lost in a shattered future, all alone. The booklet is very minimalistic, containing lyrics from the songs "Melancholie" and "Trostlos wartend" As I said before, they are much, much more thoughtful and poetic than the usual depressive crap. The booklet also contains a poem of Ernst Toller and a quote of Franz Kafka. The whole booklet is in black with grey letters, which looks kinda like they were created with a typewriter. Finest black minimalism, so to speak. Wehmut's logo looks kinda like roots...a visual sign for the fact that melancholy is deeply rooted in us all? Well, at least it is something special.

I already mentioned the black polycarbonate CD. When you remove it, you see an image of the musician behind Wehmut, Till Seidemann. Not your typical BM freak, but he looks rather intelligent, unlike other artists of this genre. In summary, the music is also accompanied by good visual art.


I'd recommend this album to you if you'd like to explore depressive black metal besides the generic crap. Wehmut has intelligence, melancholy, and well-made rhythms.

Depressive black metal. A sub-genre that everyone seems to have an opinion on. Personally, I enjoy a lot of material that has come out from this sub-genre and when it’s done right, in the form of fellow German bands Nyktalgia and Wigrid, it’s done exceptionally well. In actual fact, it ranks up there with some of my favourite brands of material whenever a band hit’s the nail on the head with a depressive black metal record. This review will look to evaluate the chances of Wehmut, who I recently reviewed, and see whether the sound projected by this band has enough potential to make them a hit within the sub-genre and with those fans who’re becoming tired of bedroom bands and rip-off merchants. Wehmut’s promo, which I enjoyed, did establish this one man act as a potential favourite of mine if the abilities were harnessed in the correct manner. Till is an obvious candidate for praise as his exploits have produced another scintillating spectacle for us fans of the sib-genre which has suffered a lot of ridicule.

This self-titled effort starts as it means to go on. ‘Melancholie’, perhaps a rather clichéd name for a depressive black metal song, is by no means a bad opening to the debut effort. This brand of depressive metal is likely to go down as a hit if the band gains enough recognition. What I particularly like about this song, and the record in general, is the fact that element of the instrumentation, which is incredibly important to this brand of metal, is overlooked. For example, take ‘Melancholie’ into consideration and confine oneself to this song along for just a second. The bass, an instrument often overpowered by the highly influence distorted guitars, is prominent and adds a lot to the emotional basis which is where the foundations of this record are built. Throughout the song the bass takes hold of the audience and projects images of despair and sorrow to the willing listener. The bass is fantastic. It drives the emphasis that the lead guitar displays in terms of the emotional value of the self-titled piece. The vocals play a part too, of course. Without them acting as another instrument of anguish, the themes behind the lyrics wouldn’t be portrayed. Whilst I do not know the lyrics to the songs, one can imagine the lexical field that comes into play.

The production is also perfect. Whilst it isn’t as clear or concise as some of the other leading depressive acts, it suit’s the needs of the band and that is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most important element of the soundscapes. Without a suitable production, the instrumentation can lag. Where some bands use a lo-fi sound and others stick to crystal clear methods of portraying their ideas, Wehmut use a production that is somewhere in between the two. This allows for a much more expansive style in terms of soundscapes, which are often beautifully basking in sadness and sorrow, which is apt. Much of the material is slow, unlike other acts like Nyktalgia, who focus on fast paced material. Wehmut are in no rush to finish, which shows in the length of the songs on the record. Each song is over 8 minutes long, just enough time to successfully direct the soundscapes to where ever Till wants them to be, in an emotional sense. With the inclusion of the now infamous ‘Ableben’, this record will please a lot of people.

Main positives? The guitars. This is the primary element of nearly every black metal band, regardless of which sub-genre they ultimately fall in to, and dictates the outcome of the listeners opinion. ‘Wehmut’ manages to create a number of fantastic leads, all drenched in melancholy, which makes this an essential listen for any fan of slow churning music with an aching heart. The bass. This aspect of black metal is often left behind because it cannot cope with the emphasis on distortion that the guitars bring to the foreground. Wehmut’s self-titled piece doesn’t have this annoying problem. The distortion isn’t overpowering and doesn’t detract from the other instruments, which allows the bass section to enhance itself and entrance the listening audience with a few splices of sorrowful joy. Percussion isn’t terrific, but it does enough to merit some credit. There isn’t as much use of cymbals or the snare on this record which, to me, enhances the durability of the album. The bass suffers a lot when black metal outfits seek to use an enormous amount of double bass and snare attacks. Depressive black metal bows down to Wehmut.