Vergeblichkeit – Was hängt der späten Jugend an?

It’s always a difficult task to review a material received from an artists that is very limited information about. From my limited search I learned that Vergeblichkeit is one-man project from Upper Austria. A man responsible for all instruments & vocals, songwriting & lyrics, artwork & design, recording, mix & mastering is – EinTrostlosesPferd.

Now we move to an even more challenging task, to describe the sound on his 10-tracker record entitled Was hängt der späten Jugend an?. It’s apparently his ninth album (?!) since its founding in 2015. In other words; EinTrostlosesPferd has been a highly productive and busy man.

As you can see from the moniker of this album, and from the song-titles listed below, that it’s an album entirely written in his native German language. Thus, the track listing is following;

01. Was hängt der späten Jugend an? ► What is attached to late Youth?
02. Zu Lebenszeit im Epitaph gedacht ► Remembered in the Epitaph during Life
03. Wechselleib am Äther deines Herzen ► Changing Body in the Ether of your Heart
04. Am Mäander steht ein Schloss ► At the Meander stands a Castle
05. Warte nicht auf mich ► Do not wait for me
06. Willen ist wie Vomitus ► Will is like Vomitus
07. Im Narrativ ► In the Narrative
08. Sucht hält meiner Liebe Pfand ► Addiction holds my Love Pledge
09. Es gibt kein Ende, nur ein Grab ► There is no End, only a Grave
10. Wie du mich liebtest, lass mich los ► As you loved me, let me go

I appreciate the fact that it’s done in German language as his deep vocals work well together with the atmosphere and dark and desolate nature of this release. It adds an extra layer to his current mix of dark, black, gothic & industrial metal. Unfortunately, the production quality of the vocals somewhat dampen an otherwise great listening experience.

Musically, the album is a colorful mix of goth & black metal with occasional industrial, electro- and minor pop influences. Especially the inclusion of these scattered black metal elements in the background gives an extra strength to its sound in general. In general, the songs are reminiscent of each other, at least when speaking of the way they are built up.

The main reason why the grading here does not come higher is the lack of quality when it comes to the production. It’s a shame since the first thing many fans (and reviewers) notice is the production. Unfortunately at some places Was angebracht der späten Jugend an? sounds more like a demo recordings than a full-fledged album. It’s esp. exemplified when it comes down to vocals and some of the instruments, which sounds a bit thin and like fading away in some places.

Was hängt der späten Jugend an? might not be the best summer release this year, but it’s totally different, esp. in the mix, and therefore something I would recommend for fans of Neue Deutsche Härte, Laibach, Depeche Mode, Oomph! and all those who prefer their music diverse offering a colorful sonic mix of different styles.

For further information on Vergeblichkeit and EinTrostlosesPferd’s latest project visit https://RunningWildProductions.bandcamp.com/album/Was-h-ngt-der-sp-ten-Jugend-an