Austrian Ambient Post-Black Metal band Ellende, whose name refers to the middle high German word for ‘being out of one’s country,’ is the vision and solo project of Austrian multi-instrumentalist L.G., along with some input from session musicians.
Ellende – Todbringerin (AOP Records)
Release Date: 30 August 2024
Words: Jools Green
He returns with his fifth studio offering, Todbringerin, which may sound familiar to some listeners because it is a re-recorded and re-arranged version of the 2016 album Todbringer.
L.G. explains that “because the licences of the old record are not completely ours, and additionally, all recordings were deleted by the former recording studio, this is the only way that this album can be released again, as a full re-recorded reinterpretation.” 
Although Todbringerin is a reinterpretation, it still follows closely the original path of Todbringer. The lyrics continue to be delivered in L.G’s native tongue. In many ways, the subtle changes are those that would naturally evolve over time with any live act, which, with the aid of those previously mentioned session musicians, Ellende is.
However, there are a couple of minor content differences between this offering and its predecessor. As a result, this version is about six minutes shorter, but none of these differences impact the quality or enjoyability of this version whatsoever, and the production is much sharper this time around.
Opening on the brief piano-led funereal instrumental Am Sterbebett Der Zeit, this sets the slightly solemn mood for the album and is followed by Ballade Auf Den Tod, which continues in the haunting reflective mood of the original Ellende recording. The screams are less tortuous but still impactful, and overall, there is a smoother, more polished sound to the guitars, complementing those still scathing, acidic vocals.
The violin/strings are not quite as prominent but are still included, continuing to add a haunting undercurrent with more emphasis and flourish to the riffing.
The next piece, Verehrung, is, as before, contemplatively reflective to open. I love the drum work across this piece. It’s a little more flamboyant than the original. There is no agonising scream both in the early part and latter part of the track as there was the first time around. Further in, the screams are more controlled and less tormented than the original. But it is still superbly impactful and probably more appropriate as the title translates as Worship.
Instead, it’s straight into that reflective, contemplative melody, which is a little more complex in this version. The backing choral harmonies are also a little more to the fore, which I like as they are superbly atmospheric, and the violin/strings have been replaced by tremolo picking. But it’s equally as effective in adding a beautifully reflective atmosphere.
The next two pieces, Scherben Teil I and II, were one originally epic fifteen-minute track. Here, they have been split into two more manageable tracks of around seven minutes or so. But the two parts do flow fairly seamlessly together. Following the same path as the original with an acoustic opener, this pans out to reflective leadwork, drum rhythms and a haunting blackened melody that is a large part of the backbone of this Ellende piece.
Sound-wise, overall, it’s cleaner and punchier than the original. The first tortuous scream is gone, though the acidic vocals are sharper with noticeably strong backing harmonies. The guitars are fuzzy but not distorted, the melody is cleaner, and the whispered vocals have far more clarity. The extended screaming vocals that follow the spoken element remain in this version, and there’s a greater focus on the beautiful closing strings section.
With Versprochen… the first notable difference is the addition of strings alongside the clean, reflective guitar and sparse drums. You still get that wonderful, subtly distorted guitar sound across the track and in the latter part, the orchestrated element is far more sophisticated and has more depth than the original. It sounds like a meld of both brass and strings. It is, again, a superbly reflective and contemplative piece and still has that lovely soaring and reflective leadwork on closing but delivered with more complexity this time around.
Verachtung is, without a doubt, my favourite piece of the album. Upliftingly up tempo musically, yet vocally scathing, again, it is sharper and cleaner than the original thanks to that noticeably better production. It is a piece that, on both versions, has great drum work packed with engaging fills, and although this piece is a solid driver, it has a great ebb and build. The strings have been kept on this version, too, which I’m pleased about, and the closing screams are even more powerful.
Because I like this piece so much, I put the lyrics through a translator, and they are as brutally moving as the music.
Am Ende Stirbst Du Allein is the final track on this version of the album. Opening on an extended reflective acoustic opener, it builds with piano and sombre drum beats. Now, there is extra guitar layering and strings, adding a huge amount of depth to the sound. This is a beautifully melancholic piece impacted with an intense burst of second-half tremolo picking alongside acidic vocal delivery as before. But again, it’s sharper, more defined, and much more dense in sound, closing as before on a haunting swathe of piano work.
The original release featured one more piece, an acoustic version of Wind and although it was a great reflective piece, its omission this time around, I think, gives the album a stronger finish.
Personally, I think Todbringerin is, like the original, a bleakly beautiful, emotive and engaging listen. This is a superb reimagining that has benefited from a better production, too.
I’ll leave the final comment with L.G., who feels that “this record hits the nail on the head, packed with recent vitality and executed with refined abilities while also staying true to the atmosphere and devastation created in 2016, but decide for yourself.”
I agree with him, and I believe, on listening, you will too.
Todbringerin will be available as a CD, vinyl or digital download via Plastic Head, Edel and Bandcamp.
