Review by Jeger
Nargaroth – Apocalyptic Steel
Record Label: Season of Mist Underground Activists
Year: 2026
Rating: 7/10
Germany’s Nargaroth is a coveted Black Metal institution despite band leader, René “Ash” Wagner’s complicated relationship with the music. He has dedicated his life to the genre; others have seemingly dedicated theirs to demonizing German Black Metal. Nargaroth is not a Nazi band. In 2001, they released their controversial “Black Metal ist Krieg” LP. The so-called controversy behind this recording is due to Ash’s decision to use wartime photographs of his relatives and of course the track, “The Day Burzum Killed Mayhem”, which details the fateful night in which Mayhem leader, Euronymous, met his demise at the business end of Varg Vikernes’ (Burzum) pocket knife. All the better! It’s my opinion that controversy is a mark of truth. On June 26, Nargaroth will release their new LP, “Apocalyptic Steel”, via Season of Mist: Underground Activists.
Nargaroth
Songwriting for “Apocalyptic Steel” took place in 2014, but the material was overshadowed by the expectations of “Era of Threnody”, which was released in its stead. Now, the proper time for “Apocalyptic Steel” has arrived! Total chaos, the war to end all wars looming, society on the brink of total collapse and the soundtrack? True German Heavy-steel-inspired Black Metal. In almost militant fashion, following its horrific intro (horrific in a good way), “Apocalyptic Steel” kicks off with “Steel Apocalypse” – Black Metal thunder! – a hard-driving momentum-propelled track; set to a myriad of rhythms that underlay bewilderingly nuanced riffing patterns. Tempestuous in essence and sending you spiraling into madness… “Twisted Steel” – musically maddening and compounded by chilling spoken-word passages. Does anyone else drink alone? Well, you’re in good company with George Thorogood and Ash here. I would’ve just covered George’s version, but hey, this one hits, too. Chaos is the vibe throughout “Apocalyptic Steel”, nothing excessively melodic or martially rhythmic, just heavy, chopping, swirling, storming BM; kind of like Immortal’s “Damned in Black” on steroids.
Sell your soul to the Gods of Rock & Roll! “Metalheart” serves as a tribute to the ancient Faustian spirit of Rock, of Metal. Compositions are air-tight and astonishingly intricate; the kind of stuff that only skilled Veterans are capable of. I will say that “Apocalyptic Steel” is a superior album to “Threnody”. Unfortunately, that doesn’t say a whole lot.. “Threnody” was a dud, and while I admire the spirit of this record, I feel like a fresh, all-new-material LP would’ve served Nargaroth better.
As the German Black Metal scene is shaped by contemporary Labels like AOP Records, old-school bands like Nargaroth and Bethlehem are taking a backseat these days. Albums like this one don’t really help… Listen to it for entertainment value. A valiant effort, but ultimately, “Apocalyptic Steel” is an average and in some ways a disjointed record. Apparently, it was inspired by Heavy Metal, as I mentioned previously, but I’m not really hearing that either. You could even call the band lazy for releasing this album and I believe few would argue. What began with such promise has now become a dud as well. Don’t ignore “Apocalyptic Steel”. It’s worth a spin. Just don’t expect to be wowed. Tributes and anthems of pride and of real Black Metal revelry are what’s in store.
Ash has made his stance on BM clear and “Apocalyptic Steel” is a fitting record that displays his brilliant vision for BM – a vision of conceptual diversity, as opposed to just spinning the Satanic wheel over and over again. Innovative? check. True? Indeed, just nothing to write home about. I will also say that I am now left with an appetite for all new material from Nargaroth. Mulligan granted…