Rană – Richtfeuer
Just over halfway through 2023, I'd say this is one of the best things I've heard so far and will almost certainly be a top record for me at the end of the year.
Where does one genre end and another begin?
It’s, inherently, a kind of silly, unanswerable, question. It’s one that, however, I think is a fun thought exercise, if you don’t put too much stock in it.
I ask because Rană is clearly a neocrust band, but if I was going to describe the band they often reminded me of the most as I listened to their excellent new album Richtfeurer, it would probably be the great French post-metal act Year Of No Light. Both bands absolutely crush listeners with a suffocating heaviness that, nonetheless, rests on achingly beautiful songwriting, infused with melody.
In fact, Rană pack this album with really nice riffing and clever songwriting. For example, the whole middle section of the first track, “Läutern,” from the chaotic part leading into the clean passage in the middle, then back into a rolling, epic riff to come out of it, all flows and builds nicely, each part anticipating the next in a way that pays off beautifully.
One place where Rană really stands out is how many different parts they can cram into a song. Their songs have a lot of movement to them, which means that even with three songs on a four song album that top ten minutes, the songs constantly feel fresh and interesting, always turning corners and hitting you with something new and different.
If you’re into epic neocrust in the vein of Downfall of Gaia, Morrow, Wretched of the Earth, Archivist, etc., this is a really great entry in that canon. Just over halfway through 2023 and I would say this is one of the best things I’ve heard so far, and will almost certainly be a top record for me at the end of the year.
