Band brings righteous talent

German band Schattenmann has been raising hell since 2016, and last month, Schattenmann released their album Chaos. Frank Herzig’s vocals dominate each track with authoritative sound. The guitar playing from Jan Suk and Luke Shook (bass) fills the air with face-smacking riffs, and the drum playing by Nils Kinzig contributes to the endless insanity with soul-shaking drum beats. Schattenmann shows they know how to create metal music that blows people’s minds.

Bittersweet “Die Ruhe vor dem Sturm” kicks things off in a short but sweet way. The opening track is only 18 seconds long, but it is full of energetic guitar playing that quickly zaps the ears with sharp guitar notes. “Die Ruhe vor dem Sturm” quickly introduces listeners to Schattenmann’s world with face-smacking guitar playing.

The title track, “Chaos,” gives an example of what kind of singer Herzig is. While listening, it is enjoyable to hear how Herzig can sing and scream out the lyrics in passion, allowing anger and hatred to be felt through his vocal performance. “Chaos” is a heart-pounding song that has Herzig using his bold vocals to express himself.

“Alles auf Anfang” has Suk playing his heart out on the guitar. Throughout the entire piece, powerful guitar notes emerge from the background with madness, and in some ways, Suks guitar playing keeps everything together by how he maintains to stay on the same musical structure the rest of the band is playing on. Suk is a gifted guitarist, and on “Alles auf Anfang,” Suk isn’t afraid to show the world how amazing he is as a musician.

Soft but loud, “Cosima” has Shook giving the atmosphere a hard smack of bass guitar playing. This tune is different from the rest due to how the band changed the tempo to a slower beat, and although the tune is a different style, it does not stop Shook from performing deep bass guitar riffs that are capable of jolting people’s veins. From start to finish, Shook does not disappoint on “Cosima” by how the deep rumbles add a touch of non-stop craziness. 

The rhythmic “Voodoo” is a tune that has Kinzig drumming his heart out. This stunning composition has smooth drum beats that will cause people to tap their feet while listening. Kinzig changes his drumming playing from cultural to heavy metal. “Voodoo” is a catchy track that has Kinzig playing hard-hitting drum beats.

The ever-captivating “Jetzt oder nie” gives an aspect of how creative Schattenmann is with their music. With this song, the band does a great job of testing the waters with a different musical vibe. While the music is blaring from the speakers, the instrumentation and vocals bring in an ’80s-themed sound before metal blends with the sharp music. “Voodoo” is an incredibly powerful tune that has a strong blend of ’80s and metal musical style that shows how Schattenmann is not afraid to try something new in the world of music.

Booming “Komplett auf Anschlag” closes the record on a high note with angry lyrics. Although the words are written in German, it seems like Herzig is telling a story by how gritty his vocals sound and the emotions of anger and fear can be heard from his dominant performance. “Komplett auf Anschlag” is a great song that has Herzig singing with pure emotion.

Schattenmann are true masterminds on their latest release, Chaos, proving how the metal genre has influenced them to become a band.