Reviews:

From Earshot: (By Mike)

  Das von Silenius von SUMMONING und Martin von PUNGENT STENCH gegründete Industrial projekt KREUZWEG OST könnte dem einen oder anderen schon vom Debütalbum "Iron Avantgarde" auf Napalm Records bekannt sein. Martin Schirenc hat die Gruppe zwar mittlerweile verlassen, dafür konnte Silenius mit Oliver Stummer und Ronald Albrecht zwei neue Mitstreiter für das Projekt gewinnen.

  Zelebrierte man auf dem Erstlingswerk noch ziemlich harten, teils etwas chaotischen Industrial mit stampfenden Rhythmen, geht es im Vergleich dazu auf "Edelrost" melodischer und epischer zu. Die Schlagzeugsounds und Synthesizer erinnern teilweise ziemlich an SUMMONING, ebenso die bombastische Atmosphäre des Albums. Vom Konzept her hat sich allerdings nichts geändert, man beschäftigt sich nach wie vor mit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. Die Samples stammen aus Filmen mit eben dieser Thematik und dienen keineswegs nur als Beiwerk sondern ersetzen ebenso wie auf dem Vorgänger den Gesang.

  Mir persönlich gefällt "Edelrost" besser als "Iron Avantgarde", da das Album einfach strukturierter, melodischer und einfach leichter verdaulich ausgefallen ist. Für SUMMONING-Fans lohnt es sich sicher, das Album einmal anzutesten, ansonsten dürfte die Scheibe am ehesten die DER BLUTHARSCH-Zielgruppe ansprechen.

From DarkLife:

   Edelrost is a gritty work fusing martial industrial and lo-fi orchestral and bombastic arrangements to create a soulless recipe of post-industrialism. Kreuzweg Ost hail from Austria and this is their debut work, clearly indicating their penchant for the hymnic and apocaliptyc while hammering the listener with bit-crushed martial percussion and equally distorted ambience backdrops. From where, now and then, a triumphant hymn raises ponderous, glorious, conjuring feelings of invincibleness. Quite atypical in its fast shifting of scene and the overall distorted quality of the sound, this is quite a courageous step into the arena for a newcomer: Kreuzweg Ost literally make their way in with pounding, militaristic furore that borders on the oppressing.

From Judas Kiss: (by LP)

  Like the calm before the storm, the dark ambience of the opening track of 'Edelrost', the second album from Kreuzweg Ost gently entices you into what is to become one of the most awe inspiring, bombastic and unreservedly martial releases to have surfaced for a considerable period of time. As the short, introductory track evolves, you know that it's only a lead up to something bigger, something powerfully simulating and immense. Once this subsides however, the roar of 'Für kaiser, Gott und Vaterland' bursts forth from the speakers and you know that your about to experience a set of recordings that will literally grab you by the shoulders and whilst they attack your senses. Almost instantly you're engulfed by bombastically powerful orchestrations, martial samples, pounding snares and war-like Germanic samples which create a truly wonderful and captivating sound and atmosphere that thunders forth and tramples all that stand before them.

  Like a calling to arms for the post-industrial youth, 'Edelrost' presents up a majestic glimpse into a recording project that most of us won't have heard of until Cold Spring took the initiative and released perhaps one of the important and innovative martial releases since the early days of Von Thronstahl and Der Blutharsch. Driven by such a ferocious force of nature that is delivered through the myriad of sounds and aurally projected images 'Edelrost' can't fail to impress anyone who as the slightest interest in the martial genres. With such a gripping sound and intensity surrounding the entire album it would seem that perhaps this is just the sort of high calibre release the scene can truly benefit from. Without doubt 'Edelrost' is one of the most intense and captivatingly rousing releases of this genre I've heard in a long time

From DSide: (By Valentina)

  Release apocalittica e marziale per gli austriaci Kreuzweg Ost, con un cavaliere medievale in copertina a spalancarci le porte della tragedia umana ed uno scheletro düreriano che stringe in mano una clessidra a ricordarci la minaccia eternamente incombente della morte. I caratteri medievali usati per la grafica rendono davvero difficile la lettura dei titoli dei brani.. ad ogni modo l'iniziale 'Für Kaiser, Gott Und Vaterland' mescola sonorità neoclassiche con percussioni marziali e samples vocali che sembrano provenire da bollettini radiofonici di guerra degli anni '40, mentre 'Die Legion' riprpone gli stessi scenari in un'atmosfera orientaleggiante, infarcita dai soliti samples vocali e da violente esplosioni percussive che simulano deflagrazioni belliche. Molto evocative 'Zucht Und Hunger' - a mio parere l'episodio migliore del disco - trascinata da un lento loop downtempo sul quale s'inserisce un azzeccato motivetto di archi creando un'atmosfera veramente opprimente e claustrofobica, e la lenta 'Eiserne Menschen' che scorre cadenzata ed implacabile come un bombardamento aereo sotto un cielo nero come la pece, per sfociare in un epico finale di archi. Difetto mortale di questo lavoro dei Kreuzmeg Ost è la lunghezza dei brani che mal si abbina alla penuria di idee. La maggior parte delle canzoni sono costruite su dei pattern di circa 30 secondi che si ripetono immutabili per i successivi 6-7 minuti: questo senz'altro aiuta ad enfatizzare la componente opprimente ed apocalittica inducendo un certo disturbo nell'ascoltatore, ma a lungo andare il meccanismo risulta troppo abusato e la tentazione di spingere il tasto 'skip' sul lettore cd diviene irresistibile. Peccato, perchè alcuni dei brani citati hanno delle potenzialità espressive notevoli. Da rivedere.

From Mentenebre: (by Davo)

  Kreuzweg Ost es el nuevo proyecto de Silenius (ex de Verbannten Kinder Evas, entre otras formaciones) y Martin Schirenc, siendo “Edelrost” su segundo álbum, en esta ocasión editado en el año 2005 por Cold Spring, con toda la garantía de calidad que eso pueda suponer.

  La idea del disco queda rápidamente concretizada en las imágenes de su libreto, concurriendo el honor y la muerte en una evidente dicotomía de ecuación resultona en donde, a través de una relación ambigua, ambos conceptos, honor y muerte, se devoran y se alimentan, contribuyendo a enriquecer, no sin ironía, la base temática del álbum. Esta temática se pertrecha mediante proyectiles de gran calibre que parten desde profusos samples de películas absolutamente sui generis (bélicas o de serie z), hasta timbales y percusiones de marcado carácter marcial, pasando, cómo no, por loops ruidistas que texturizan el escenario o por orquestaciones vicarias que proyectan desde sus cuerdas virtuales épocas pasadas en donde la guerra y el honor se consideraban artículos eternos e inagotables desde los que adquirir un nombre para la posteridad.

  Y el desarrollo de la cuestión es caldo de cultivo para toda clase de interpretaciones, teniendo Kreuzweg Ost dos considerables aciertos: no regodearse en ideologías umbilicales (fundamental esta cuestión), y otorgarle el máximo protagonismo a la idea subyacente de la corrupción y de lo pútrido, arterias subterráneas que palpitan manifiestamente desde la primera nota exponiéndose sobre la críptica territorialidad del lema medieval, tópico que se resuelve a través de los recónditos laberintos del subconsciente europeo bajo la praxis minimalista de los ritmos oxidados, descompuestos, samples deteriorados y corrompidos ex profeso, decoraciones barrocas de tonalidades obscurecidas, voces de pretérito que remanecen bajo tierra violentando la disponibilidad anuente del oyente, siempre masoquistamente abierto a todo tipo de vejaciones y lamentaciones ajenas…

  “Edelrost” se perpetra como un acto de nihilismo bélico únicamente redimible por cierta sensualidad femenina (la mínima, aquí toda remanencia se dilucida a través de la indagación, nunca desde la obviedad fútil del homo optimitas) como es el caso de ‘Eiserne Menschen’, en donde todo ese cauce de latente venalidad va arrastrando la voluptuosa decadencia de la superficie hacia las mazmorras mugrientas y rijosas de la distorsión y de la sonoridad crepitante; o por la vehemencia masculina del santón invertido, caso del séptimo tema, ‘Rasputin’, festín marchito de cadencias martilleantes que se destaca a partir de un anfitrio llamativo y extenuante, un personaje sobrehumano que se cierne sobre la composición y que introduce melodías de talante llamémoslo –en un consentido arranque de nostalgia adolescente– gótico.

  Pero el argumento final no varía por repentinos y agradecidos paréntesis que se crucen en nuestro camino. Tenemos aquí un reciente catálogo de aromas añejos en donde vamos a ser voluntariamente sometidos a monótonos loops de violines y violonchelos melodramatizados, estallidos y explosiones epatantes, ritmos arenosos e insanidad apocalíptica muy en la línea de unos primerizos In Slaughter Natives; desde luego, marcialidad a espuertas y contextualidad siniestra y mortecina, todo ello corrompido por ese inevitable tempus fugit que aquí se reverbera en el pathos de las existencias pasadas, coros fantasmales, canciones de antiguas conflagraciones, posibilidades anteriormente explotadas por la franquicia WKN y que tantos adeptos ha creado, quizás porque estamos consolidando inconscientemente un nuevo atrezzo para nuestros sueños e ideales nihilista-elitistas en donde bandas como Kreuzweg Ost no suponen otra cosa, realmente, que un sinfín más de elegías dedicadas a los luchadores, los héroes románticos que se internan a sabiendas en las herrumbrosas fauces de una maquinaria infernal, carraspeante sombra de los mundos desaparecidos que sólo existieron en nuestra propia imaginería inconformista.

From Transmisiòn: (by Keni)

  De nuevo tenemos en nuestras manos otra formación cuyo sonido gira en torno a las atmósferas oscuras, los ritmos marciales, los samples de época y los elementos neoclásicos; y de nuevo es una banda amparada por el especializado sello inglés Cold Spring. Según su hoja promocional este nuevo trabajo de Kreuzweg Ost marca un linea de separación entre el ayer y el mañana... y quizás el tema que mejor se ajusta a esa descripción sea "Eiserne Menschen", con samples emocionates y ritmos grandilocuentes acompañdados de intensas percusiones marciales. Este es sólo un detalle que muestra a la perfección que estamos ante un buen disco que se torna indispensable para los amantes de los sonidos descritos.

From Hereditas: (by Jorge Flores / Emilio Hueso)

  Los maás introducidos dentro de la escena de metal extreme conocerán que detrás de Kreuzweg Ost se encuentran miembros de Summoning, lo cual es meramente anecdótico porque las influencias de Summoning no son muy patentes que se diga, salvo que queramos ver en las orquestaciones que podemos encontrar en "Edelrost" la "sombra alargada" de los austriacos Summoning. Tengo que sincerame al decir que "Edelrost" es un trabajo que tenia arrinconado y no sé porque razón, pues tras pegarle un par de detenidas escuchas puedo confirmaros que se trata de un potente trabajo de música Industrial Militarista, con cierta predisposición a la música neo-clásica debido a acertadas orquestaciones creadas mediante sintelizadores. Lo dicho, un trabajo muy interesante para todos aquellos que deseen adentrarse en ritmos marciales y orquestaciones neo-clásicas.

From Twilight Zone: (by Michele Viali)

  Dopo un esordio non pienamente convincente il terzetto austriaco Kreuzweg Ost realizza il suo secondo lavoro per l’inglese Cold Spring.Il libretto che accompagna il CD contiene pochissime informazioni per l’ascoltatore che deve farsi trasportare unicamente dalla musica. Il sound è marziale, con brani incentrati su percussioni potenti e nette. Si ha un largo uso di tastiere, di violini e di samples d’epoca; la voce è onnipresente in declamazioni imperiose soprattutto in lingua tedesca, mentre i brani d’apertura e chiusura sono estratti da polverosi vinili. La traccia che più colpisce è senz’altro Für Kaiser, Gott Und Vaterland -che a mio dire può valere l’intero disco- costruita su percussioni roboanti, temi eroici di wagneriana memoria e voce teutonica che rimanda agli anni ’30; forse il brano è un po’ eccessivo e non tutti lo prenderebbero sul serio, ma ammetto che mi ha subito conquistato con la sua strana vena da guerra targata Wermacht. La tensione tende a calare nel corso dell’album a causa della ripetitività dei brani e della durata del disco, forse un po’ lungo per quel che propone. Le tracce si susseguono tra luci e ombre. Die Legion avanza su belle note di violino arricchite da toni imperiosi di tastiera e sottofondo orientaleggiante; più nera, ma anche più prevedibile, è l’atmosfera di Zucht Und Hunger,Eiserne Menschen e Leu Der Lüfte su cui si aggiungono funerei e dilatati temi di tastiera. Ciò avviene anche in Zum Appel, brano più marziale e bandistico con uno spiazzante e azzeccato coro iniziale reperito da non so quale filmato o registrazione d’epoca. Non stupisce che la voce usata per il brano Rasputin sia sottilmente satanica, ma la musica lascia a desiderare e mal si amalgama con il testo e l’argomento.Un disco con alti e bassi in fase compositiva, con i punti meglio riusciti che risentono molto e troppo della lezione del primo Von Thronstahl e, più in generale, di tutta una lunga lista di nomi che hanno fatto scuola. Mentre devo ammettere che la resa audio è sopraffina, avvolgente e potente, forse più per merito della label che degli autori. La mia opinione è che il prossimo album firmato Kreuzweg Ost –che spero arrivi presto- sarà più maturo e suonerà assai diverso da questo!

From Blow Up: (by Paolo Bertoni)

  "Edelrost" è il secondo capitolo degli austriaci Kreuzweg Ost notevolmente cresciuti da "Iron Avantgarde". Il cupo prologo dark ambient della title-track ha poco seguito in un album che invece privilegia scansioni marziali ed incalzanti folate orchestrali ed osa Die Legion, tra sinuosità orientaleggianti, copmonenti rumoristiche e magniloquenti slanci epici. Sono però la crepuscolare nostalgia che domina Zucht und Hunger, la statuaria Eiserne Menchscn, percussioni sorde che azzerano distanze nell'approssimarsi minacciose, samples vocali prelevati de film di guerra, detriti industrial e decadenti afflati neoclassici, la grave e declamata Leu der Lufte, la marciaa inarrestabile di Fur Kaiser, Gott und Vaterland... a segnalarsi come i momenti di magior efficacia.

From KMY: (by Jiituomas)

  Itävaltalainen Kreuzweg Ost sortuu kakkosalbumillaan edelleen kaikkiin samoihin virheisiin kuin surkealla debyytilläänkin ( Iron Avantgarde , 2001), mutta ei enää aivan yhtä pahasti. Periaatteessa bändin julkisesti ilmoittama tyyli on kiinnostava ("making musical translations of various movies dealing with military or religios topics"; kirjoitusvirhe alkutekstistä, ei minun), mutta ongelmana on se, että siihen ei päästä. Musiikki kuulostaa pc:llä käsitellystä ja täydennetystä samplatusta aineistosta kootulta ja jää siten todella keinotekoisen ja ulkokultaisen oloiseksi.

  Kappaleita: 9Varsinainen vika on silti puhesampleissa. Niitä on aivan liikaa. Tällä kertaa valikointia on suoritettu paremmin, mutta sen seurauksena samoja klippejä loopataan uudelleen ja uudelleen raivostuttavaan jankkaamiseen asti. Kahta lukuun ottamatta levyn kaikki raidat ovat vähintään 6-minuuttisia, ja jokaisessa niistä (poikkeuksena Rasputin ) toistetaan yhtä tekstiä - usein tosin varsin pitkää - kautta linjan. Jankutuksen alle peittyvissä melodiarakenteissa on sen verran hyviä ideoita, että lopputulos ennen kaikkea harmittaa. Harkitummalla työllä Kreuzweg Ost voisi saada jotakin varsin tehokasta ja kaunistakin aikaiseksi. Sekä Die Legion että erityisesti Eiserne Meschen osoittavat että potentiaalia tähän olisi ollut. Nyt jää paha mieli koko paketista. Raidat ovat todella tarttuvia, mutta jäädessään soimaan mielessä lähinnä vain ärsyttävät. Erityisen selkeästi heikon tason huomaa, kun tätä vertaa saman yhtiön samanaikaisesti julkaisemiin muihin neoklassisiin levyihin: tämä jää valovuosien päähän niin HERR in kuin varsinkin Kriegsfall-U :n materiaalista.
Kaikkea muuta kuin keskeinen julkaisu. Tylsä ja itseään toistava.

From Phosphor: (by Paul Bijlsma)

  The latest Kreuzweg Ost album ends after almost an hour of bombast, leaving the listener flabbergasted or even chattered. Early Laibach mixes with medieval war rhythms and clear rendering German vocals. Sometimes even dark ambient has been used as intro to create a certain tension. But danceabe perussion orchestrations can be found on this album as well. The Summoning and Pungent Stench members present an excellent side-project, which can be filed best as martial-industrial with a military touch to it. Recommended.

From Sol De Pedra: (by Ricardo Silva)

  Os nomes Summoning ou Pungent Stench sempre me disseram algo, mas os dois nomes juntos também não me parece estranno de todo. Sob o nome de Kreuzweg lançam uma magnifica "banda sonora" de tributo aos ambientes e temas militaristas, com arranjos orquestrais dignos de um autêntico filme de guerra. A fazer tembrar, de uma certa forma, sons praticacos peto senhor Douglas P. com Death In June, Albin Julius com os seus Der Blutharsch, Puissance ou até mesmo Sephiroth (a lista nunca mais acabava só para os descrever). Este é um trabatho muito bem conseguido por parte destes dois fantásticos compositores. Os trabathos anteriores destes senhores, quer com Summoning ou com Hollenthorn, estão bem patentes neste opus de celebração á "guessa". Da obediência cega á revolução é apenas un passo...

From Fiend Magazine: (by Richard Stevenson)

  With the promo sheet trumping that the project contains members of black metal project Summoning and death metal band Pungent Stench, I was interested to see what would result in their take on a martial industrial/ neo-classical sound. What in the end is achieved is a slightly bizarre sounding concoction of martial drumming, orchestral loops, and multitudes of synthesiser generated textures, with some aspects of eastern music infl uences thrown in for good measure. Additionally the music is heavily laden with dialogue samples, but as in the most part are either in German or Austrian, I cannot decipher such themes being presented. Yet after fully absorbing the content of Edelrost, I must admit that it does not really favour my listening sensibilities. Firstly the music production is far too synthetic, whilst the written structure of the music seems generic of the style and sound of a synthesiser based black metal band, which are not positive aspects to my ear. Likewise with the heavy reliance on dialogue samples, it had me visualising the album as a soundtrack to some obscure German B-grade fl ick—be it horror movie or attempted war epic. The album is not bad per se, but lacks that certain innate characteristic that such a style of music really requires, and as such holds up poorly against the heavyweights of the genre.

From Beast Of Prey: (by Tomasz Lewicki)

  Nie ukrywam, ze zostalem bardzo milo zaskoczony ta plyta. KREUZWEG OST pochodzi z Austrii i jak dotad materialy tego projektu jakos do mnie nie przemówily. Jednak najnowsza plyta Austriaków, wydana przez angielska Cold Spring zrobila na mnie calkiem dobre wrazenie. "Edelrost" pasowal by jak ulal jako sciezka dzwiekowa do jakiegos wojennego filmu z okresu II Wojny Swiatowej, gdyz muzyka naszpikowana jest wszelkiego rodzaju militarnymi samplami z przemówieniami (gównie po niemiecku), oraz innego rodzaju dzwiekami z tamtego okresu, które przenosza sluchacza kilkadziesiat lat w przeszlosc. Wszystkie 9 kawalków jest zrobionych bardzo pomyslowo i co najwazniejsze nie ma tu takiego chaosu, jaki przyswiecal poprzednim krazkom KREUZWEG OST. Jest nieco wiecej wznioslych, patetycznych momentów, nastrajajacych do refleksji i upamietnienia tamtych tragicznych czasów. Sporo na tej plycie takze grzmiacych kotlów i innej masci militarnych huków, co znakomicie uzupelnia muzyke. Mi osobiscie ta plyta przypomina nieco dokonania np. ALLERSEELEN, czy tez LES JOYAUX DE LA PRINCESSE, ale co warte podkreslenia, nie mamy tu do czynienia z kopia muzyki wyzej wymienionych zespolów, a z oryginalna, pelna emocji muzyka . Calosc jest przy tym rytmiczna i utrzymana w bardziej orkiestralno - industrialnych klimatach, przez co wciaga i sprawia, ze naprawde milo sie slucha tej plyty. Z czystym sumieniem moge polecic ten krazek wszystkim fanom militarnych dzwieków, gdyz "Edelrost" bez dwóch zdan jest jednym z ciekawszych krazków tego typu grania, które ukazaly sie w tym roku.

From Musik Terrorverlag: (by TK)

  5 Jahre nach dem Debüt „Iron Avantgarde“ erscheint das Projekt KREUZWEG OST erneut auf der Veröffentlichungsbildfläche. Mittlerweile bei Cold Spring Records beheimatet verbirgt sich hinter der Formation der bekannte Österreichische Kreativkopf Silenius (aka Michael Gregor, SUMMONING, Ex-DIE VERBANNTEN KINDER EVAS), mittlerweile unterstützt von Roland Albrecht und dem dritten im Bunde, dem Grazer Oliver Stummer. Nicht mehr dabei ist Martin Schirenc, der sich wieder seinen Metal-Vorlieben in Form von HÖLLENTHON und PUNGENT STENCH widmet. Zusammen will das neuformierte Trio den Schrecken des 2ten Weltkrieges in ein furchteinflössendes Tondokument gießen, die ursprüngliche Philosophie von KO ist also über die Jahre unverändert geblieben. Musikalisch hat sich allerdings schon etwas getan.
  
  Während „Iron Avantgarde“ noch fast als reines Hörspiel mit einen wenigen Soundelementen daherkam, wurden nun die Samples wesentlich organischer mit eigenen Klängen verbunden. Und diese Klänge stammen aus den Bereichen Industrial, Ambient oder ansatzweise auch der Neoklassik. Wie schaut also nun ein typisches KREUZWEG OST-Stück aus? Thematisch zusammenhängende Sample Fetzen werden immer wieder geloopt und mit Percussion sowie Flächen zu einem fast rituellen Ganzen verschmolzen. Die Auswahl der Sprachausschnitte ist dabei sehr gelungen, was bereits bei dem Titelstück und Quasi-Intro „Edelrost“ deutlich wird. Hier rezitiert ein Sprecher auf fast unheimliche Art und Weise die Einleitung von Thomas Manns „Zauberberg“, dabei kommt eine geradezu beklemmende Atmosphäre auf. So präpariert taucht der Hörer ein in eine Welt der Soldatenehre, der Strenge und des militärischen Drills. Was die Verwendung der Samples angeht, kann man hier einige Parallelen zur Electro Formation FEINDFLUG ausmachen, wenngleich die eigentliche musikalische Umsetzung dann doch erheblich differiert. Dazu sollte man auch sagen, dass die Österreicher keinerlei Verherrlichung extremer Ansichten im Sinne haben, was dem aufmerksamen Hörer auch durchaus nicht entgehen sollte. Mit „Zucht und Hunger“ hat man zusätzlich einen kleinen thematischen Ausreißer drin, hier geht es eher um die extremen Bedingungen in einem Frauenlager. Ungewöhnliche Parts, wie beispielsweise arabische Klänge (inklusive der Benutzung einer Djembe) runden das Klangvergnügen ab.

  KREUZWEG OST üben eine sehr merkwürdige Faszination auf den Hörer aus, die uralten Originaldokumente mit ihrer pathetisch strengen Sprache wirken auf seltsame Weise anziehend und abstoßend zugleich. Dazu hat man es dieses Mal geschafft, rhythmische Soundscapes darunter zu legen, so dass auch nach mehrfachem Konsum keine Langeweile aufkommt. In Ausführung und Qualität ein hervorstechendes Werk für den Liebhaber ritueller Maschinensounds!

From Gothtronic: (by Nanhold)

  Before bursting out with the usual aplomb and unleashing a new review upon the public, first a bit of history! At the end of the last century Silenius (Summoning, Verbannten Kinder Evas, ex-Abigor) and Martin Schirenc (Pungent Stench, Hollenthon) thought it would be a good idea to join forces and start a rhythmic industrial project. This pestiferous intention resulted in the release of the debut album 'Iron Avantgarde' by Draenor Records in the year 2000. Thematically based upon the rise and fall of the Third Reich, this record showcases an organized chaos with pounding and thundering percussion for which rocket launchers, artillery and marching soldiers form the foundation and on top of that a cavalcade of samples derived from documentaries and authentic propaganda from the Axis as well as the Allied. The whirling and absurd atmosphere created that way can frequently even be called ridiculing. It's not strange that the label called this cd a must for musical masochists and doom prophets.

  Time to move fast forward towards 2005. In this day and age Silenius simply uses the name under which he is also known by the Austrian tax collectors office, Michael Gregor. Schirenc is no longer involved with this project, newcomers Oliver Stummer and Ronald Albrecht have filled the void. Furthermore Kreuzweg Ost is currently signed to Cold Spring Records, the label that released this second album. There are similarities with the bouncing debut, but when push comes to shove, this record is more consistent and ominous.  

  The cd opens with the title track, this piece of grisly dark wave serves as an introduction to the record. After that it's time for... Ein Lied! Mechanized classical melodies and an astute arsenal of samples are the building blocks from which 'Für Kaiser, Gott Und Vaterland' is constructed, here we are presented with the patriottism and the unconditional determination of Germany's military machine under Wilhelm II. The horrors of World War One and the ultimate downfall of the Second Reich are never far away, however.

  More blind obedience to orders can be found in 'Die Legion', which is about the Foreign Legion in North Africa. The noise of firing and reloading artillery, exploding grenades, Arabic sounds and ethnic percussion form the basis here, superimposed on that we hear the statements of a sadistic drill sergeant which antagonizes his troops with palpable delight. Ich Werde Euch Brechen!

  Next two dark martial industrial tracks avant la lettre follow, the grim 'Zucht Und Hunger' has a dark ambient undertone, organ play and a gipsylike tune provide the tearing rhythm with a melodic accent. The tragic 'Eiserne Menschen' with it's cold 'don't mourn, be strong!'-ethos is compliant with the preceding track when it comes to atmosphere.

  'Zum Appell' starts with darkly undertoned drunken sounds, subsequently the humming of airplane engines, staccato eruptions of gunfire, sedate classical moments and marching rhythms are welded together to become an embittered Luftwaffe composition.

  'Rasputin', some of you may have guessed it already, is a track about the malicious monk (actually a religious pilgrim) who played an important role at the court of the last czar Nicholas II and as such was an accomplice to the fall of czarism and the rise of bolshevism. This Siberian cold rhythmic track has, besides the usual vocal samples, been adorned with ethereal choral singing. Also I hear a resemblance with the synthesizer parts of Summoning in this piece. 

  Merging boisterous declamation and metallic percussion, 'Leu Der Lüfte' is a track soaked with Raison d'être-like neoclassical angst. A macabre beauty emanates from this fascinating song. With 'Lebwohl' we have reached the clincher of this album, after a little bit of traditional schlager music it's time to climb into the cockpit of a bomber to fly off into the night.

  Kreuzweg Ost has returned from a prolonged period of inactivity in a convincing way. The blood-drenched debris of 20th-century European history can supply enough inspiration for decades to come...

From Necroweb: (by Deathbringer)

  Während andere Formationen des Martial Industrials deutlich ihre Weltanschauung und politische Meinung zur Schau tragen, so gibt es doch auch jene, die ohne politische Motivation, alleinig eine entsprechende Atmosphäre erzeugen wollen. Zu letzteren gehört ganz klar das Projekt Kreuzweg Ost. Dementsprechend ist die Musik sehr bombastisch geraten: krachende Drumrhythmen treffen auf filigrane Melodien und neoklassische Elemente. Dazu kommen die sehr geschickt eingesetzten Samples, die nicht nur als kleine Auflockerung eingesetzt werden, sondern gleich als kompletter Gesangersatz. Und genau in diesem Punkt zeigt Kreuzweg Ost seine Stärke, denn nichts stört die Atmosphäre eines Martial Industrial Songs mehr, als unpassend verwendete Samples. Durch den großen Stellenwert der Samples in den Kompositionen von Kreuzweg Ost, kommt ihnen natürlich auch eine gewichtige Rolle im atmosphärischen Aufbau der Songs zu, und selbst den meistern sie in weiten Teilen sehr souverän. Ob nachdenklich melancholisch wie bei "Eiserne Menschen" oder kraftvoll treibend wie "Die Legion", stehts findet Kreuzweg Ost eine eingängige Mischung.

  "Edelrost" kann all jenen ans Herz gelegt werden, die allein der Musik und Atmosphäre wegen Martial Industrial hören, und keinen politischen Tiefgang suchen. Durch die Art und Weise wie die Samples eingesetzt werden hebt sich Kreuzweg Ost auch ein wenig von anderen Formationen des Genres ab, etwas wirklich neues darf man jedoch nicht erwarten, das Album überzeugt schon alleinig durch seine überaus solide Zusammensetzung bekannter Elemente.

From Filthforge: (by Simon V)

  This new monumental marching orchestral release is the second full-length work by Kreuzweg Ost, a bizarre and elusive project from Vienna involving Michael Gregor (ex-Die Verbannten Kinder Evas) and Martin Schirenc (former member of historical Austrian death metal band Pungent Stench). Their debut "Iron Avantgarde" was released in 2000 by Draenor Productions, and it's now famous English industrial label Cold Spring to publish their new effort.

  "Edelrost" introduces itself with a rather simple and effective artwork, portraying a medieval soldier holding two spears on the front, and a zombified body holding a hourglass on the inside. The music is pompous, bombastic and haunting, with powerful classical themes mixed with gloomy dark ambient soundscapes and samples in German language of unknown origin. After a short prelude, the wonderful "Für Kaiser, Gott und Vaterland" explodes in all its might, stalking the listener with its epic strings, thundering drums and angry, military sampled voices. It is surely the most effective track, together with the dramatic "Eiserne Menschen", a more industrial and frightening piece, where bashing percussions, machinery noises and orchestral themes melt in a tasty formula.

  Another impressive composition is "Rasputin", where excellent marble themes and cold melodies perfectly evoke the figure of the famous character, while "Lebwohl" is a disturbing conclusion, built around a traditional song. On the whole, all tracks are enough articulated and craftily assembled to make the listening of the CD quite enjoyable in its whole running time. The only slightly disappointing aspect of Kreuzweg Ost's music are the vocal samples, not always appropriately used and sometimes a bit annoying in their repetitivity, like on "Zum Appell" or "Leu Der Lüfte".

  Kreuzweg Ost is, anyway, a very interesting and quite original project, that, with a few possible adjustments, could gain an outstanding position inside the orchestral/military industrial area. If you're looking for the soundtrack to an epic and apocalyptic final battle at dusk, "Edelrost" is the right choice.

From Neo-Form: (by Nauthiz)

  Nach langer Wartezeit ist nun der Nachfolger zu "Iron Avantgard", Erstling Kreuzweg Osts, erschienen. Ihn ziert der klangvolle Titel "Edelrost" – eine blumige Umschreibung der Scheibe, die mit atmosphärischen, militanten und eindrucksvollen Klängen aufwartet. Michael Gregor, auch bekannt als Silenius bei Summoning, hat seinerseits zusammen mit Oliver Stummer und Ronald Albrecht ein durchweg in sich stimmiges Werk geschaffen, das so viel anders klingt als sein noch recht chaotischer und durchaus bizarrer Vorgänger. Melodische Bombast-Anleihen an Summoning lassen sich durchaus heraushören, so z. B. bei "Eiserne Menschen".

  "Das Vaterland braucht wieder eiserne Menschen" – mit jenem und vielen anderen Samples werden die einzelnen Stücke ausgeschmückt; jene werden jedoch nicht sinnlos und chaotisch aneinander gereiht. Viemehr passen sie einheitlich in die jeweiligen Songs, dienen sozusagen als Gesangsersatz. Durchaus eine Kunst an sich, hymnenhafte melodische Passagen mit den jeweiligen Samples auszustatten, so dass am Ende ein eindrucksvolles und experimentelles Stück Klangkunst zu Stande kommt und es nicht allzu sehr erschlagend auf den Hörer wirkt. Im weitesten Sinne könnte man Kreuzweg Ost noch mit Von Thronstahl vergleichen, was das Paaren von vielen unterschiedlichen teilweise militärischen Samples mit ebenso militärisch angehauchten Klangpassagen und orchestralem Ambiente angeht.

  Anspieltipps wären "Für Kaiser, Gott und Vaterland", ein Lied, das durch seine eindrucksvolle und historisch anmutende klassische Streicher-Melodie hervorsticht, ebenso wie "Eiserne Menschen" oder das eher bedrohlich-düster wirkende "Leu der Lüfte". "Edelrost" eröffnet die gleichnamige Scheibe mit ebenso düsteren sphärischen Klängen.

  Alles in allem ein wirklich interessant anmutendes Stück experimenteller Klangkunst im Rahmen des unerschöpflichen Bereich des Military-Ambient-Industrial. Nicht zu anspruchsvoll und die Gehörgänge überstrapazierend, sondern äußerst melodisch und eindrucksvoll. Gepaart mit der durchaus schönen in Grün- und Schwarztönen gehaltenen Covergestaltung mit einer Rittergestalt, die an lang vergangene kriegerische Zeiten erinnern mag, durchaus auch eine gelungene und nette Bereicherung fürs Auge.

From Monas: (by Roy)

  About five years ago I bought the first CD of this project in a recordshop. I listened to it first, found the album pretty funny and decided to take it home. "Iron Avantgarde" seemed like an album of metalheads fooling around with a popular kind of music (militant industrial) while forcefully distancing themselves from the (possible) politics of that scene. They didn't take the music too seriously and their first album is total laughter: crazy, weird, childish, funny and amusing. Then I heard that there would be a new album and I wondered it they could make the same joke again. I can both comfort and displease you about that: they didn't. "Edelrost" is a more serious album, still in the strange style with weird samples and even weirder melodies, but not as much presented as a joke. A comfort to some, but maybe strange for those who heard the first album and pushed it away. As for myself, sometimes I put "Iron Avantgarde" in my player to listen to the walking boots and childrens-songs, Dutchmen trying to speak English and stupid Italian. Not thinking too much about that, "Edelrost" is enjoyable too. What to expect when you never heard of the band before? Silly melodies and weird samples, not too structured music that is very busy in the beginning of the CD (reminding of the debut album), but as the cd continues more serious tracks, sometimes ambient/industrial, sometimes slightly orchestral. Again a nice album to play when you are in a silly mood.

From Orkus: (by Martin Kreischer)

  Was ist eigentlich mit den Österreichern los? Früher konnte man ständig mit einem weiteren Projekt aus dem Summoning/Abigor-Dunstkreis rechnen, heute hört man kaum noch was aus dem sonst so umtriebigen Wien. Immerhin haben es Kreuzweg Ost, das Nebenprojekt von Silenius aka Michael Gregor von Summoning, zu einem neuen Album geschafft. Auf Edelrost gibt es vorwiegend militärisch geprägte Klänge, jedoch ohne den oftmals faden ideologischen Beigeschmack. Vielmehr bietet die Platte wuchtige Soundscapes, die stellenweise an die orchestralen Instrumentals von Summoning erinnern, gewürzt mit einer kräftigen Portion Samples, die sich homogen in das Material einfügen. Ähnlich einer Gesangsspur fungieren die vielen Sprachfetzen, reißen die Tracks aus dem rein Instrumentalen heraus und geben damit Struktur. Das Ganze ist nicht nur mit einem großen Augenzwinkern versehen, sondern hat richtig Schneid. Allerdings fehlt es dem Werk an der nötigen Tiefe, der Aufbau wiederholt sich schnell, funktioniert am besten als atmosphärische Hintergrundmusik zum Einmarschieren, Militariasammeln und Waffenputzen – das apokalyptische Feeling von Toroidh findet sich hier nicht wieder. Military-Fans wird das herzlich wenig stören, die heroischen Stücke machen sich gut im Schrank neben Triarii und Arditi.

From Sonidobscuro: (by Z)

  De la tierra de Der Blutharsch y encuadrados dentro del sonido martial, pero...el segundo trabajo de Kreuzweg Ost , el proyecto industrial de Michael Gregor, el líder de Summoning, se aparta un poco de lo que la mayoría de los oyentes podrían esperar de los antecedentes citados, para incluirse dentro de la mezcla de estilos que parece haberse convertido en señal de identidad de muchos de sus compañeros de Cold Spring. Y es que se puede relacionar perfectamente este ‘Edelrost’ con los trabajos de otra de las bandas del sello inglés, esta ya más veterana, Von Thronstahl.

  No es que el sonido sea similar (que lo es en ocasiones), pero en ambos grupos se aprecia el interés por escapar un poco de las convenciones estilísticas del martial para llevarlo a otros terrenos. En el caso de Kreuzweg Ost, los samples de voces marciales tanto masculinas como las muy abundantes femeninas, los ritmos de marcha militar, las bombas explotando, incluso algún elemento más folk (como en ‘Für Kaiser...’ o los aires orientales de ‘Die Legion’), todo lo que se espera oír en un disco de este estilo, parecen dirigirse hacia terrenos más de “canción” en el sentido convencional, menos centrado en las atmósferas, como ‘Zutch Und Hunger’, donde las percusiones se convierten en una base electrónica casi bailable, el violín es casi de goth metal... lo dicho, llevar el sonido martial a terrenos más accesibles (sin llegar a sonar como Laibach...).

  También hay momentos más ambientales, como las oscurísimas ‘Eiserne Menschen’ (a pesar de ese casi estribillo orquestal), la violenta declamación de ‘Rasputin’ o ‘Zum Uppell’ y ‘Leu Der Lüfte’ (quizá los momentos de martial más puro del disco), pero también resultan menos angustiosos, más abiertos que en los discos clásicos de Der Blutharsch. A todo ello ayuda además la producción, que escapa del típico sonido analógico para orientarse hacia características de grabaciones más contemporáneas, posiblemente demasiado “limpia” en muchos momentos del disco, que hubiesen requerido un trabajo algo más sutil, sobre todo en lo que se refiere a las omnipresentes voces.

  En definitiva, un trabajo “raro”, difícil de definir y que seguro chocará a los seguidores del martial más clásico (a mí me pasó) por esa construcción final de los temas, pero que también puede suponer una ventaja para los que no terminan de verle la gracia a una colección de marchas, himnos militares y samples guerreros sin aparente coordinación. En ‘Edelrost’ esos elementos aparecen con otra forma y buscando otro fondo, una especie de “martial for the masses”. Claro que también es posible que Kreuzweg Ost se queden en medio, sin convencer ni a unos ni a otros...

From Obliveon: (by MK)

  Natürlich werden all die Bewahrer von Gutmenschentum und moralischem Schein wieder aufbegehren und versuchen, Kreuzweg Ost mit ihrem zweiten Album „Edelrost“ in ihr eingeschränktes und beschränktes Weltbild zu pressen, indem man den Österreichern einen Hang zu nationalistischer und militaristischer Verherrlichung unterstellt, doch wer „Edelrost“ sehr genau hört, dem kann und darf die Kritik an Obrigkeitshörigkeit und stumpfen, politisch motiviertem Gehorsam durch die Verwendung von Samples aus einer ganzen Reihe von Antikriegsfilmen oder von Kriegsveteranen nicht entgehen. Dass sich Kreuzweg Ost dabei eines martialisch anmutendem Klanggewitters und dem Military Pop entliehenen Elementen bedienen, verstärkt diese Intention nur noch, ebenso wie die Tatsache, dass hier auch und vor allem eine Reihe von Samples – die im übrigen einfach nur brilliant in die jeweiligen Stücke integriert wurden - Verwendung finden, die den Verlust der Jugend und ihrer kindlichen Unschuld eben durch jene Diktaturen anprangern. Dies in der Kombination mit den musikalischen Kompositionen, die zwischen Industrial, Neoklassik und Military Pop hin und her pendeln macht „Edelrost“ zu einem ungemein bewegenden, eindringlichen und imposantem Zeugnis pazifistischer Klangkunst, auch wenn manch Kritiker dies vielleicht nicht wahrhaben mag. Darüber hinaus bietet „Edelrost“ aber auch Klangopen wie „Rasputin“ oder vor allem „Leu der Lüfte“, die aus diesem Kontext herausfallen und einfach nur brilliant bombastische Kompositionen voller dunkler Schwere und Monumentalgewalt darstellen. „Edelrost“ hat nicht mehr und nicht weniger als die Höchstnote verdient, und dies mit Recht! (10/10)

From Fiend Magazine: (by Richard Stevenson)

  With the promo sheet trumping that the project contains members of black metal project Summoning and death metal band Pungent Stench, I was interested to see what would result in their take on a martial industrial/ neo-classical sound.

  What in the end is achieved is a slightly bizarre sounding concoction of martial drumming, orchestral loops & multitudes of synthesizer generated textures, with some aspects of eastern music influences thrown in for good measure. Additionally the music is heavily laden with dialogue samples, but as in the most part are either in German or Austrian, I cannot decipher such themes being presented.

  et after fully absorbing the content of ‘Eldrost’, I must admit that it does not really favour my listening sensibilities. Firstly the music production is far too synthetic, whilst the written structure of the music seems generic of the style and sound a synthesizer based black metal band - which are neither positive aspects to my ear. Likewise with the heavy reliance on dialogue samples, it had me visualising the album as a soundtrack to some obscure German b-grade flick – be it horror movie or attempted war epic.

  The album is not bad per-se, but lacks that certain innate characteristic that such a style of music really requires, and as such holds up poorly against the heavy weights of the genre.

From The Scrying Mirror: (by DJ De'Ath)

  'Edelrost' draws a line from yesterday to tomorrow, from hope to despair, from blind obedience to revolution. Outstanding arrangements - rhythmic military industrial and hymnal orchestration - creating an oppressive sonic soundtrack of incredible martial anthems. Edelrost is a slow atmospheric piece . Für kaiser, Gott und Vaterland features bombastic orchestration accompanied by militarised beats, easily the best track on the CD. Die Legion combines middle Eastern strings, toms against an industrial landscape and looped female gasps. Zucht und Hunger features Churchlike organs, strings, industrial slabs in a collision with German samples. Eiserne Menschen has an epic feel to it. Zeun Appell is an industrial bombardment. Rasputin features a sample of Peter O'Toole in a great piece of industrialised dark folk. Leu der Lüfte a great use of samples blend to create this masterpiece. Lebmuhl brings the album to a close in an almost epilogue like fashion. Another epic release from Cold Spring records

From Compulsion: (by Tony Dickie)

  This is undoubtedly the most unsatisfying release to emanate from the Cold Spring stable. The majority of the tracks here are based on black industrial atmospherics, a heady mixture of rumbling electronics, thunderous martial drumming, amidst war ravaged sounds and voices. The bleak oppressive sound herein captures the chaos and fear of the battlefield. Samples (often sped-up or slowed down) feature prominently on most tracks alongside passages of orchestral strings but I can detect little to recommend this. To be fair 'Eiserne Menschen' with its industrial drone and weeping strings peppered with female voices is effective in its restraint and its avoidance of orchestral bombast and martial effects. It's followed by 'Zum Appell' littered with spoken word and frenetic voices that pierce the industrial droning and powerhouse martial drumming. Throughout passages of symphonic music arise adding to the urgency and desperation of the piece. Like others, Kreuzweg Ost have adopted Arabesque percussion. Eastern beats provide the template for 'Die Legion', alongside haunting cello and the frantic grasps of a terrorised woman amidst the turbulent sounds of war. Its difficult to penetrate the bleak sound of Edelrost and distinguish between tracks. Although 'Lebmuhl' closes Edelrost with a recording of a crackly German folk song over ominous droning.

  Kreuzweg Ost have certainly created an oppressive black sound but for some reason this sounds like black metal musicians composing black industrial music.

From Heathen Harvest: (by Malahki Thorn)

  The music of Kreuzweg Ost is not easily comparable to other offerings within the genre. Kreuzweg Ost have compiled nine songs that vary from heavily martial oriented orchestrations to heavier industrial influenced tracks that incorporate a hefty dose of industrial noise into the otherwise symphonic compositions. Amidst these heavily orchestrated tracks appear influences of dark ambience and even industrial noise accents. Kreuzweg Ost has unified often divorced martial symphonic with undeniable industrial influences creating a new hybrid filled with the soaring emotional drive of martial orchestrations and the raw power of industrial music.

  Cold Spring Records is notorious for producing and promoting some of the very best music the postindustrial music genre has to offer and they continue this dedicated mission of excellence with the release of Kreuzweg Ost - Edelrost. Kreuzweg Ost follows in the legacy of similar Cold Spring musicians Herr, Von Thronstahl, Kriegsfall-U, Werkraum, Toroidh, and Karjalaan Sissit. This is admittedly a very hard lineup to follow in the tracks of but Cold Spring has proven they are capable of following one stunning release with another.
 
  Kreuzweg Ost is the latest band to join the Cold Spring family of martial industrialists and they have earned there place amongst their peers with their debut album Edelrost. Kreuzweg Ost is compromised of Michael Gregor, Martin Schirenc, and Oliver Stummer added to the line up in 2003 all of whom hail from Austria. Michael Gregor and Martin Schirenc formed Kreuzweg Ost in the year 2000 with Oliver Stummer joining the ranks in 2003. The original conception of the band evolved around the premise of creating music based upon specific movies that featured shared themes of war or religion. Seizing upon this formula the band has found a new way to approach the now maturing martial orchestral music arena.

  Having been five years in coming Edelrost is a very powerful debut for Kreuzweg Ost. Rather than launching with a premature album the band has enabled themselves to bring forth a mature and worthy album that will certainly be embraced by enthusiastic martial orchestra music lovers. The idea of forming music around specific films has enabled the band to draw upon a vast array of sampled voices and sound clips thus impregnating their music with sound clips that help define the accompanying music. The music of Kreuzweg Ost is not easily comparable to other offerings within the genre. Kreuzweg Ost have compiled nine songs that vary from heavily martial oriented orchestrations to heavier industrial influenced tracks that incorporate a hefty dose of industrial noise into the otherwise symphonic compositions. Amidst these heavily orchestrated tracks appear influences of dark ambience and even industrial noise accents. Kreuzweg Ost has unified often divorced martial symphonic with undeniable industrial influences creating a new hybrid filled with the soaring emotional drive of martial orchestrations and the raw power of industrial music.

  I personally found the sound clips, which tend to be the central focus of each song to be a bit of a distraction to the overall music but this may be because I do not speak German and the majority of the sound clips are in the German language. Being that the conceptual basis of the album is music formulated to accompany the sampled vocals, I could not help but feel I am missing out on something. Luckily, the music is of such high caliber that most anyone will be able to dismiss the lack of translation and embrace the overall mood of the music.

  Track one titled “Edelrost” launches the album with a dark ambient composition. The song begins with slow dark rumbling black ambience that rolls through the speakers like a dense fog. A male speaks in German while his voice is accompanied by the raw static hiss one would here when playing a record on an old phonograph. The mood is decisively foreboding and vintage. The dark atmospherics evolve slight with ghostly sounds penetrating the dark ambience adding to the somber mood of the track. Very tightly controlled industrial sounds filter into the music as the sound of a beating heart merges into the song near the end. After the sampled voice leaves the music, there is a short musical interlude before the song ends with the creaking sound of an old door opening. “Edelrost” establishes the vintage mood of the album as well as initiating the listener into the shadow that is to follow.

  Track three-titled “Die Legion” highlights the bands diversity as they incorporate music influences of the East with their decisively Western martial tones. “Die Legion” begins with delicate Cello playing joined by a random lot of thundering industrial sounds. The sound of war drums and clanging metal explode across the refined cello music only to withdraw as quickly as it occurred. A woman gasps briefly as if feeling the weight of the industrial explosions. After a brief interlude, Eastern music in the form of drums and woodwinds enter playing distinctly Eastern rhythms and melodies adding a notably defiant element to the music. The token male voice enters the music amidst the exploding of industrial drums and industrial noise. Soon the voice is competing with bombastic orchestration in addition to the force of the industrial noise and eastern melodies and drums. These various elements smash together with tremendous force like a musical representation of a true cultural clash until they merge into one monumental force. Martial drumming enters the composition and takes the lead for some time as if illustrating that the only true leader amidst the chaos is sheer force. “Die Legion” demonstrates thoughtful use of sound and music and really pushes the envelope in terms of creating the ultimate martial anthem.

  Track seven titled “Rasputin” is the only track on the album to feature vocals in English and ironically it deals with the enigmatic figure of the Russian cleric Rasputin. “Rasputin” begins with reverberating dark ambient drones embellished with a haunting male chorus. A male voice speaks over the music giving a very dramatic sermon about damnation. The mans voice is raw and very theatrical and it made me really regret not being able to understand the words on previous songs as his speech is so effective here on “Rasputin.” The music quickly shifts gears after the first segment of the vocal sample as thundering drums rip across the song in a demonic march. Industrial sounds are looped over the drumming creating a powerful song driven by drums and aided by harsh industrial sounds. If hells armies marched across the earth, this could well be their anthem. Part way through the song acoustic string orchestration joins the thundering drumming and the industrial assault adding a softer layer to the hellish anthem and aiding the song in its evolution. Kreuzweg Ost utilize a varied array of sound and musical influences in each song which help keep the listeners attention and create full bodied songs that evolve significantly as they progress. This non-linier approach helps exalt the music of Kreuzweg Ost above many of their peers.

  I have to admit to being highly impressed with “Edelrost.” I consider myself amidst those martial music fanatics that await every new release to enter the arena with drooling anticipation. I was highly anticipating this release due to the description Cold Spring gave of the music prior to the albums publication. Moreover, I have to say the description was accurate and the music actually exceeded my expectations. With every new artists that enters the scene there is always the fear that they will simply produce music along a prescribed format that has already proven to be successful for another fellow established artist. Though Kreuzweg Ost are not redefining the genre they have succeeded in carving their own unique vision from this ever expanding genre. “Edelrost” is sure to claim a lot of airplay amidst martial music fans and I am highly anticipating follow the career of these artists.

From GothicInfo: (by Paul Wiggers)

  Edelrost is the successor of Iron Avantgarde from the Austrian band Kreuzweg Ost, which was founded in 2000 and consists of Michael Gregor, Oliver Stummer and Ronald Ulbrecht.

  Compared to their previous release, a lot has changed. Edelrost sounds a lot darker and a lot more mature. They have cut down the amount of samples, which makes for easier listening. Although the music is still a combination of martial and industrial, Kreuzweg Ost has laid a greater accent on the neo-classical elements in their music now. This already becomes clear on the second track of the album, Für Kaiser, Gott und Vaterland, where they start off with a cello/violin backed with military drums. Throughout the rest of the album the cello and the violin are an important part of the current sound of Kreuzweg Ost.

  Lately you are hearing more and more eastern music influences in different kinds of music styles, and so does Kreuzweg Ost. Although it does sound great when used in a correct way -and they sure do use it perfectly- it doesn’t really speak for its originality. Besides the point of the eastern music this is a great album that you can keep listening to over and over again.

From Ikonen: (by Martin Kreischer)

  Military als Manierismus. Funktionierte der militärisch geprägte Post-Industrial von Toroidh noch als Kritik und Beschwörung einer kriegslüsternen und militäraffinen Ära, so bleibt bei vielen Epigonen meist nur noch ein Ästhetizismus ohne großen sinnlichen Überbau übrig. So auch bei Kreuzweg Ost, dem Projekt des Summoning-Kopfs und ehemaligen Abigor-Mitglieds Michael Gregor aka Silenius. Wurde das Debüt "Iron Avantgarde" noch von Pugent Stench-Musiker Martin Schirenc mitgeprägt und hatte eine ebenso chaotische wie verstörende Note, wirkt "Edelrost" gestraffter, durchdachter und konsistenter. Eine Arsenal von Film-Samples wird oft arbiträr, aber verschmitzt zusammengeschnitten, es zeigt sich hier die musikalische Seite der Formation im Gegensatz zum reichlich assoziativen Debüt, denn die Samples sind nicht wie bei vielen ähnlich gelagerten Formationen reines Beiwerk sondern fungieren als Gesangsersatz. So verschmelzen Samples und militärische Rhythmen, kombiniert mit den bombastischen Keyboards Summoning'scher-Prägung. "Edelrost" ist weit entfernt von einem reflexiven Umgang mit der heraufbeschworenen Zeit, dennoch hat das Album Stil und ist als ebenso augenzwinkerndes wie atmosphärisches Werk zu verstehen, das jedoch keine Tiefe oder intellektuelle Herausforderung bietet.

From Orkus: (by Martin Kreischer)

  Was ist eigentlich mit den Österreichern los? Früher konnte man ständig mit einem weiteren Projekt aus dem Summoning/Abigor Dunstkreis rechnen, heute hört man kaum noch was aus dem umtriebigen Wien. Immerhin haben es Kreuzweg Ost, das Nebenprojekt von Silenius aka Michael Gregor von Summoning zu einem weiteren Album geschafft. Auf Edelrost gibt es vornehmlich militärisch geprägte Klänge, jedoch ohne den oftmals faden ideologischen Beigeschmack. Vielmehr bietet das Album wuchtige Soundscapes, die stellenweise an die orchestralen Instrumentals von Summoning erinnern, gewürzt mit einer kräftigen Portion Samples, die sich homogen in das Material einfügen. Ähnlich einer Gesangsspur fungieren die vielen Sprachfetzen, reißen die Stücke aus dem rein instrumentalen heraus und geben damit Struktur. Das Ganze ist nicht nur mit einem großen Augenzwinkern versehen, sondern hat richtig Schneid. Allerdings fehlt es dem Album an der nötigen Tiefe, der Aufbau wiederholt sich schnell, funktioniert am besten als atmosphärische Hintergrund Musik zum Einmarschieren, Militaria sammeln und Waffeputzen - das apokalyptische Feeling von Toroidh findet sich hier nicht wieder. Military-Fans wird das herzlich wenig stören, die heroischen Stücke machen sich gut im Schrank neben Triarii und Arditi.

From Aural Pressure: (by ANM)

  Over the past eight weeks or so Cold Spring Records have released recordings by Kriegsfall-U, Deadwood, H.E.R.R and now Kreuzweg Ost. That is one mighty impressive roster of artists. Each different in musical style and in their own ways each an essential purchase. Do yourself a favour and buy them all and give your ears an early Xmas present. But…and this is in no way detrimental to Kriegsfall-U, Deadwood or H.E.R.R…there can only be one bride. Kreuzweg Ost is the chosen one for me.

  Founded in 2000 by Austrian underground artists Michael Gregor and Martin Schirenc, with Oliver Stummer added to the line up in 2003, this is their debut release for Cold Spring Records. Their mighty professed concept is about making musical translations of various movies dealing with military or religious topics. To meet this end they utilise Martial Industrial and Neo-classical music in ways that will leave you frothing at the mouth with rabid excitement. The nine tracks represented on ‘Edelrost’ takes the best bits from every know Martial / Neo-classical act, both past and present, and welded them into this riotous cd recording. Plagiarism at its best with their own added twists to the genres. Baron Frankenstein running freely amok in the studio creating the ultimate musical monster. Powerfully strong with no weak points to topple it. There’s the strident rampant anthems of ‘Fur Kaiser, Gott und Baterland’, ‘Zucht und hunger’, ‘Ciserne Menschen’, ‘Zum Uppell’, ‘Rasputin ’, and ‘Leu der lufte’ which will leave you reeling and gagging for more. The majestic orchestral pieces, electronic effects and thrusting drums making for an unforgettable aural pleasure. Even the slower tracks have a haunting beauty with a black atmospheric heart to them. The vocals / samples are a mix of male / female in German / English which works in conjunction to the music encompassing sensual voice and moans, threatening paranoid visceral rants and melancholy wallowing. Add in a little Eastern mysticism to add further flavour and that in a nut shell is ‘Edelrost’.

  Kreuzweg Ost’s stated aims have been met and surpassed with ‘Edelrost’. The barriers have been raised and the gauntlet thrown down. Who dares to challenge them? It will take something very special indeed to beat this recording hands down. Let battle commence.

From Synthesis: (by Troy Southgate)

  IN 2000 Kreuzweg Ost released their debut album, 'Iron Avantgarde', something I've not had the opportunity to hear at this stage. I was very keen, therefore, to listen to the follow-up, particularly as it was deemed suitable for a well-respected label like Cold Spring.

  Kreuzweg Ost - which roughly translates as a 'crossing into the East' - is an Austrian trio comprised of Michael Gregor (formerly a member of Summoning), Ronald Albrecht and Oliver Stummer. The gloomy imagery on the front cover of the CD shows a medieval warrior holding aloft two spears in his outstretched arms, whilst the rest of the insert is decorated with Latin stanzas, imperial crests, scythes and - in typical Holbeinesque style - a skeletal figure clutching an hour-glass. The title track, 'Edelrost', is an ominous slice of Black Industrial, and soft German vocals form a heady contrast with the fear-laden atmosphere of impending doom. It‚s a simultaneous compound of the potentially burgeoning and the effectively minimal, each fighting for territory in a soundscape pregnant with an underlying and subliminal aggression. 'Fur Kaiser, Gott und Vaterland' is quite different. A furious orchestral flurry, combined with rolling drums, militaristic orders and the sound of marching feet, acts as a brutal setting in which the aesthetic movement of a Wagnerian conductor's baton and the glint of a Prussian rifle become menacingly entangled. Here lies music that could mobilise the Wehrmacht itself.

  'Die Legion', continuing the group's obsession with conflict and battle, has a deep cello superimposed over the sounds of falling bombs and the frantic gasps of a frightened woman. Eastern drumming and high-pitched keyboard melodies add a slightly Arabesque touch to the proceedings. Indicative, perhaps, of a war of fantasy between the forces of Islam and those of the West, albeit in a more traditionalist setting. This is musical jihad; the S.S. Handschar Division caught in all its glory; the Mufti perched on a flying carpet over the Maginot Line. Like a cross between a Buddhist hum and a dying Messerschmitt, a deep drone signals the beginning of 'Zucht und Hunger'. Static crunches and beeping radio frequencies litter the foreground like shards of electronic lost property, eventually reassembling themselves into an ordered beat and becoming peppered with female vocals. This is followed by a catchy tune that wouldn‚t be out of place at a Klezmer concert; featuring wild horns that defy you to stick your favourite rabbi in a wooden chair and whirl around the room like a veritable dervish or someone who found some LSD down the side of an armchair whilst shopping at Ikea.

  'Eiserne Menschen' seems like a benchmark for everything this genre has to offer. Its powerful bass tones radiate their way through yet more fraulein exclamations and unrepentant drumbeats, like Sly and Robbie making an unexpected appearance at the Bayreuth Festival. It‚s a great track. 'Zum Appell' is a droning rumble lashed to the back of a monstrously slowed-down German vocal arrangement, spoken word and song uttered in both singular and plural. The drums on this track are fantastic, joined by fluttering trumpets and sampled cheers. The wall of impenetrable sound created within this eclectic cocktail is staggering and has a slightly Roman feel to it, the frantic vocals giving the whole thing a real sense of uncompromising action, dynamism and urgency. Towards the end it all comes to a clattering halt, with nothing but the ambient drone and slurred vocals remaining. 'Rasputin' is an historical figure that has always held a lot of interest for me, as does the entire story of the Romanov dynasty and their eventual downfall. This track includes English vocals reading the evocative lines from Proverbs 5:5: 'Her feet go down to death / And her steps take hold on Hell / Where the screams of the undead / Shall pierce the sinner like a sword'. And very effective it is, too. Before long, of course, this is followed by another massive timpani barrage, coupled this time with the ringing chimes of something almost resembling a glockenspiel and a constant scraping of unidentifiable percussion. The strange beat also reminds me a great deal of The Fun Boy Three's 1981 chart-topper, 'The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum'.

  Moving on swiftly, 'Leu der Lufte' contains a rumbling intensity and some near-hysterical shouting, but is comparatively minimal compared to the previous track. But the more I hear of Kreuzweg Ost, the more I think how wonderful it would be to see them perform live. Especially with a couple of percussionists on hand to really drive the bombastic message home. In fact some of the drum patterns remind me of H.E.R.R., although despite their fondness for timpani they tend to avoid using the rat-a-tat-tat of the snare most of the time. Finally, 'Lebmuhl' adopts a characteristic Alpine sound but quickly brings up the drone and places it alongside some scattered birdsong. And, like a hard-edged version of Sturmpecht, more traditional folk song is used to great effect before the album draws to a close.

  I really enjoyed this release and can recommend it to all devotees of Martial Industrial, particularly if you like your music cruel and tyrannical.

From Martial Industrial: (by Clint Listing)

  Ok so the last time I heard this project is was a side project of the Hollenthon/ Summoning members and they had released a very odd and short just 30+ mins in length CD on Draenor (Napalm sub-label). As far as the style not much has changed they have a lot in common with Novy Sevt and  Derniere Volonte with the more off the wall upbeat way they create Martial/ Neofolk. I know this sounds odd but Kreuzweg Ost almost sounds hopeful and happy at times. The very very odd Vocal samples that almost sound sped up. I get the feeling of the Band When on (Jester Records) from this project again if they were Martial Band. I'm never sure if this project is tongue and cheek or not. I have a strong feeling they are. Yet again a lot of these artists are adding Eastern or Asian elements to mix up the sound and make it more interesting and I'll tell you it does work but it almost seems like the new trend in Martial music. After just 3 tracks this makes me want to take several listens to digest this very bizarre Martial/ noise release.