Zerschopfung is the third album Alexander Leonard Donat has released as Vlimmer, that follow on from the band's initial series of 18 ep's, this is alongside his running Blackjack Illuminist Records and also putting out albums as Fir Cone Children, Verneblung, Assasun and Leonard Las Vegas while releasing the works of other similarly minded bands.
The album opens with the darkly atmospheric Losig that feels like the opening music to a doomed horror film. Flurfall is a swirling dark synth goth pop with Alex's vocals feeling quite insistent amongst the repeating drum pattern with disturbing synths.
Makks was the most recent single on the album, it has a more stripped back feel, that almost hints at A-Ha at there most gloriously poppy had they decided to go goth, the addition of the zither to the normal mix of synths and drum machines gives this a more eastern or mittel European feel.
Teeritt has a cool synth pop keyboard sound as I wonder if Leonard is singing about whatever happened to Edna or if this is about something far more interesting.
Platzwort has an urgency to it, as the chiming sounds weave around the speedy piano line, like poppy seeds raining down on a tray of platzels before they go in the proofer to bake. This rushes along as you prepare everything.
Gipfelluft is the darkest and doomiest sounding song on the album, as the sense of anticipation for what's about to happen gets too much, synths explode as darkened shards of sound impinge at regular intervals.
Fatalideal one of the earlier singles has a sheen of glossy synths as Leonard explains what his Fatalideal is all about in these most fatalistic times of pandemic and climate crisis.
Todesangst is as claustrophobic and fraught as the song title might suggest, as everyone at some point suffers from Todesangst, this widespread fear of dying has only been exacerbated by the times we are in, the all-enveloping worry and distress created by the music fits the theme perfectly.
Austrocknung is a thirsty bass led look at water shortages and the need to preserve our water infrastructure, that's almost perfect for some Goth slow dancing as we wonder how we will find enough water for everybody, at least I guess that's what the lyrics are about, as usual my knowledge of German is limited.
Find out more at https://blackjackilluministrecords.bandcamp.com/album/zersch-pfung https://www.facebook.com/VlimmerMusic
