Of all the records released in 2020, Folterkammer‘s Die Lederpredigt is one of the most memorable. Combining second-wave black metal with opera, the band—which features members of Imperial Triumphant with Swiss singer Andromeda Anarchia—creates an original, highly-recognizable sound, one that can be heard on their debut, out today via Gilead Media.
In addition, Folterkammer shared a music video for the album’s second track, “Die Hymne.” Inspired by the album artwork, the music video combines black metal imagery with images of baroque and gothic architecture. Like everything else Folterkammer does, it’s a unique combination that works despite its unorthodox nature.
“The video for ‘Die Hymne’ is black-metal nostalgia wrapped in an intricately-woven collage of early baroque aesthetic and gothic architecture,” expands drummer Brendan McGowan. “It’s an extension of Alex Eckman-Lawn’s album artwork and Andromeda’s lyrics, where she’s this dualistic and ethereal figure speaking from the ancient past. The video features flickering reminders of the grotesque violence at the intersection of religion and state, and offers the only solution to that marriage: a vengeful destruction by fire, which in Andromeda’s lyrics here inspires her character’s rebirth.
“We filmed her parts remotely via Zoom (she’s in lockdown in Paris and I’m in NYC) and the rest is found footage.”
Watch the video for “Die Hymne” below. Die Lederpredigt is available via Bandcamp and on Gilead Media’s website.
