Germany's Cromlech has set 6 June as the release date for its second album, Of Owls And Eels, coming via Darkness Shall Rise Productions on CD, vinyl, and cassette.
Cromlech was launched by Impurus, the band's sole member, in 1994. Much of the first album was written back then under Cold And Stiff, originally meant as a demo. But for various reasons, it was properly recorded and released nearly 30 years later in 2023. During the Cromlech lay dormant, Impurus made a name for himself as a drummer of Dies Ater, Cryogenic, and Albez Duz.
Of Owls And Eels, musically and atmospherically a black metal album, is also a daring effort of a seasoned musician, expressing himself without paying attention to genre conventions. Thus, we are presented with a diverse and highly enjoyable album, where cold black metal riffs and high-level drumming merge seamlessly with eerie keyboards and surreal, almost hallucinatory soundscapes: a journey through shadow, memory and dream.
Of Owls And Eels is dynamic, unpredictable, and unmistakably quirky - brutal in places but also melancholic and touched by a sense of quiet reverie. Due to Impurus' outstanding skills as a songwriter and musician, he managed to weave various elements together splendidly. The result is an album of intense atmospheric weight - seven songs that completely transcend the limitations often associated with solo black metal projects. It's almost unfathomable that such depth and scope could emerge from the vision and hands of just one man.
The first track and preorder info will be announced shortly, while some Cromlech live shows for 2025 are already planned, one at the A Night of the Ancient Spells Darkness Shall Rise concert in November, together with Gehenna and Penthos. Link
Of Owls And Eels tracklist:
1. Old Incineration Hymn
2. Past Forever
3. Owls In The Fog
4. Ice Curse
5. Eels (Part I)
6. The Quiet Witness
7. Mordlust