It was at that moment when the sun was no longer so exhausting with its rays and summer was slowly preparing to die that four young men, eager to create, came together and conceived an ambitious project to shake everyone up. A musical one.
The epigraph is taken from the band's website.. Offertorium
Unfortunately, one must acknowledge the fact that this review is being written at a time when it has become known that one of OFFERTORIUM's leaders can no longer be with the band. How this will affect the group's future remains to be seen.. For now, we have in our hands the sole promo recording "Ohne Dich," dated 2004. The recording contains five compositions full of Melancholy and Despair, Diversity and Contrasts -- which fits perfectly into the general paradigm of the various incarnations of gothic doom as a musical style.
Melancholy -- that's the keyboard parts saturating the entire album. They pursue the listener throughout the whole recording, keeping one in a state of mild bewilderment and unpredictability.
Despair -- that's the band's lyrics, whose concept has fully absorbed the ideas of the literary movement "Sturm und Drang," which formed in Germany.
Diversity -- that's the varied thematic guitar textures, from calm and gentle riffs to technical solo passages, not skipping speed and technique.
Contrast -- that's the enchanting female vocals and, as their counterpoint, the accompanying male vocals. It's also the mood and impression that remains after listening.
Honestly, to understand the music, I had to listen to the recording several times. The time spent listening was not wasted -- for the music of OFFERTORIUM is an ocean of vivid and twilit emotions, capable of engulfing anyone who tries to merge with it as one.