Desolation

Desolation is a German black metal band based near Hannover, formed in 1994. The group is active from 1994 to the present and is associated with depressive black metal, black metal, death metal, ambient black metal and brutal death metal.

History

Desolation is founded by drummer Thomas Nagel and guitarists Nicolas Marochow and Felix Hanisch near Hannover. The original line-up is completed by Torsten Sander and Johannes Bergmann on vocals, Kai Mühlenbruch on bass, and Lydia Herrmann on keyboards. In 1997, Lydia is replaced by Sebastian Thomas, who also takes part in songwriting. During the recording of the debut CD Call The Storm in 1999, Torsten leaves the band and Sebastian moves from keyboards to vocals. Kai later leaves in 2002, after focusing more on his work with Galloglass, and is briefly replaced by Henning Pfeiffer before the band is left without a bass player. In September 2004, Nicolas goes to the United States for a semester and Kai returns as a live substitute on the band’s first major tour with God Dethroned and Fallen Saints; by 2005 he is again playing bass at concerts.

Recordings and style

The band records its first demo tape in the winter of 1996/97 with help from Willi Herrmann and Claus Feldmann at Kick-Studio, later also issuing it on CD. Call The Storm is recorded in the autumn of 1999 in the SMR-Studio in Hanover and is produced by Carsten Frank and Desolation. In 2004 the band joins AOP Records, which gives it full-time access to a recording studio. Its second album, Under Pitch-Black Skies, is released in 2006.

Desolation’s sound develops from its early material into a layered style with sharp riffs, heavy drumming, keyboard parts that range from melodic to harsh, and several vocal approaches. The lyrics are personal and reflective rather than based on typical genre themes, and are described as melancholic without being negative.