Der Blutharsch - Fire Danger Season

There is alot of music over these four discs, and alot of styles and sounds are presented, but I think this boxset works well as both an introduction to the Der Blutharsch sound up to 2001, and a collection of rarities and oddities for the established fan. The artwork is nice, as the ubiquitous iron cross motiv makes multiple appearances, including a shaped CD for Disc One. The poster is an out of focus live shot of Albin and Marthynna with torch in hand in a Zapfenstreich like pose, all this housed in a soft leather pouch. Overall, a nice package.

Disc One has six unreleased tracks; three instrumentals and three tracks with Albin and Marthynna doing vocals. Overall, these songs have a very When-All-Else-Fails era sound, and although the sleeve states the tracks are from 1997 to 2002, most cannot be ealier than 2001. The instrumental tracks 2 and 4 are the strongest to my tastes (and proabably the oldest), and are the most restrained and dark in their sound, reminding me of the Der Sieg Des Lichtes style.

Disc two is a priceless collection of some super rare compilation and vinyl tracks, and is a huge benefit to any Der Blutharsch fan who doesn't have the contacts and resources to puchase all the oddball releases these tracks were originally issued on. Almost all of the songs here are a solo Albin Julius in top form focusing on his trademark sound that existed between 1998 and 2000. There are a ton of great tracks here, but of particlar mention are Track 3 from the Inutiles 7", a brooding apocalyptic anthem with beautiful lyrics and sampled strings very similar to the darker moments on The Track Of The Hunted. Track 4 is a 180 degree shift in sound, an uplifting pseudo-march with very catchy chorus line and sampled horns that reminds of more upbeat style on The Pleasures Received In Pain, while Track 11 sounds like some of the better moments of Der Sieg Des Lichtes, and is the perfect combination of dark atmospheres and Albin's lethargic voice. This boxset is worth getting for Disc Two alone.

The two remix discs are interesting for a while, and if nothing else, act as a good introduction to some new bands. But I lost patience with them pretty quick, as the change in styles from one track to the next is often quite drastic, and makes it really hard to sit through an entire disc, let alone two. Highlights for me though are the remixes by Dernière Volonté (in his trademark martial pop style), Wumpscut (for a total elektro/ebm beast), Tribe Of Circle and Sophia (for martial industrial par excellance), Bearer Of The Inmost Sun and Graumahd (who do very nice neofolk interpretations), while honourable mention goes to His Divine Grace for a 909 driven pseudo-trance number that has more than a few similarities to everyones favourite Albin Julius project...La Maison Moderne!