Don’t you just love musicians who aren’t content to stay within the confines of one band/project? People like Hellhammer (Mayhem, Arcturus, Winds, Age of Silence, ex-The Kovenant) and Lazare (Solefald, Borknagar, Age of Silence) never cease to be enriching no matter what particular endeavor they’re tied in with. In this case, virtual jack-of-all-trades Cornelius Jakhelln Brastad (Solefald) is at the wheel with Sturmgeist. The latter chip away at industrial metal that is mildly enjoyable, if not a little disappointing.

A composition such as “Ragnarok” is pretty straightforward. As expected, Cornelius’s unique, patented vocalizations are present throughout “Meister Mephisto”; the guy takes care of all the instrumentation on the disc, which is impressive in and of itself. However, the reliance on electronic elements becomes irksome after some time. I definitely would’ve preferred acoustic drums and such. “Shock & Awe” has a captivating chorus, and the music is solemnly conveyed. The Jagermeister-loving Norwegian is seldom in a jovial mood. Incomparable riffs can be found in “Army of Odin (Harsfjord),” and the aforementioned tune sounds similar to something Solefald might forge. Other opuses – “Master Hunter” and “Rattenfanger” – tend to just be present without offering any real, substantial qualities.

I really wanted to like Sturmgeist’s “Meister Mephisto,” but I couldn’t ignore my discontent with the record. It wasn’t as fulfilling as, say, a typical Solefald release. I would’ve much rather seen Cornelius toiling away at that. But, there are a few gems contained within the mine known as “Meister Mephisto.”

[This review was first published on the now defunct scandinavianmetal.info webzine]

Distributed in Denmark and kindly suplied by VME