When I first started listening to Lutemkrat’s “The Last Survivor”, my expectations were high. For a one man band, the CD packaging and photographs are very crisp and well-done. Combined with the positive feedback I had read about the album, I was excited. However, the moment the acoustic intro started playing through my speakers all I could focus on was how impressive the music WOULD be…if it weren’t for the constant irritating squeaks and scrapes heard while Wolf is playing. Granted, this track would be very difficult to pull off perfectly, as the acoustic piece has some impressive musicianship and Lutemkrat is obviously on a budget. I respected this, but at the same time didn’t want to listen to a whole album full of minor fuck-ups. The first real track put my fears to rest, though. “Silent Death” will startle any listener not quite prepared for the loud, harsh vocals and furious drum tracks that follow. This aggression delivered right from the start helps yank the audience out of the daze the intro may have induced. Like all the songs on this album, melody is achieved not by Wolf’s cold and distant shrieks but mostly by the tremolo-picked guitar leads and time changes. The drum programming is impressive and varied, sounding very little like a machine at all. Despite most tracks clocking in at over 6 minutes, there’s enough variation to keep the listener captivated. When some bands aim for long songs, they tend to get repetitive and constantly resort back to the same verse and chorus melodies. Lutemkrat, however, manages to mix things up enough that even the 7+ minute long songs never get tedious. Combined with the occasional slower segments, such as the end of the title track and the impressive acoustic breaks of “Vengeance” and “Journey Through Inner Landscapes”, this album really delivers in both the melody and aggression departments.

If I have one criticism for “The Last Survivor”, it is that the whole album really blurs together. Though consistently solid, there are no “wow” tracks on this album. The result is a CD that is easy to listen to over and over, but may ultimately be forgotten and most likely won’t end up on many “best of” lists. The reverb-soaked vocals of Wolf could use some variation, as could the guitar leads. Tremolo picking is not the only form of black metal riffing. Also, that intro track could really, really, really have used another take.

Rating:

|  8.9/10