Wandlung by Schwarzmalerei

Wandlung, the debut album by Schwarzmalerei, is a deeply mental, introspective, and personal work — an observation of shiftings within a human’s mind. The story unfolds by drawing a line from birth to death, exploring transformative states such as awakening, release, inner conflict, delusion, and passing over.

Written between 2020 and 2024 in a place close to nature, both the conceptual approach and the sound design draw inspiration from the surrounding environment, reflecting on transformation and the interplay of the elements.

Starting with field recordings of water blended with muffled drones (Prologue), the album takes the listener on a slow but intense journey, evolving into a dark, moody, low-tempo rhythm that unveils a colder landscape, with distant crows echoing (Ubasute).
As it moves forward, it picks up both tempo and emotional speed, turning into a frenetic, spinning state of mind — like wandering through a mental labyrinth on the edge of losing control (Vertigo) — and leads to solitary early morning vibes, unleashing memories of what has passed (Saudade).

The interludes stretch time and space with ghostly voices of drones streaming into synthetic fields (Interlude I), enclosing a synth-heavy, ambivalent scenery of light and darkness (Dualism), then drift into metallic textures (Interlude II), just before diving into heavier and warmer rhythmic realms shaped by fire and dust (Clouded Judgement).

It all peaks in a wild shamanic ritual, where unpredictable rhythms and wooden percussions meet haunting atmospheres (Wahn), only to end in a trance-like sinking down to earth — a mellow, opiated state of mind, like slowly fading into a dream (Epilogue).

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