Greif (album)

Last updated
Greif
ZealArdor Greif.jpg
Studio album by
Released23 August 2024 (2024-08-23)
Genre Black metal, [1] experimental metal, [2] avant-garde metal [3]
Length42:29
Label Redacted
Producer Manuel Gagneux
Zeal & Ardor chronology
Zeal & Ardor
(2022)
Greif
(2024)
Singles from Zeal & Ardor
  1. "To My Ilk"
    Released: 22 April 2024
  2. "Clawing Out"
    Released: 24 May 2024
  3. "Fend You Off"
    Released: 21 June 2024
  4. "Hide in Shade"
    Released: 19 July 2024

Greif is the fourth studio album by avant-garde metal band Zeal & Ardor, released on 23 August 2024. [2] It is the first album they recorded as full band.

Contents

Background

While Zeal & Ardor began as a one-man project by Manuel Gagneux, Greif is the first album to be written and recorded by a full band, [4] while expanding beyond the act's "black metal meets spirituals" roots. [5] Reviewers also noted the album's experimentation with styles ranging from funk to alternative rock to classic rock. [6]

The album's title was inspired by a carnival creature called Der Vogel Greif that Gagneux observed in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland. [3] Gagneux decided to include the full Zeal & Ardor live band in the album's creation in return for their years of service while touring behind the group's previous albums. [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Distorted Sound9/10 [7]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Metal Hammer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [8]
Metal Storm 5.8/10 [9]
Blabbermouth 7.5/10 [10]
Wall of Sound9.5/10 [5]
Metal Injection 6/10 [1]

The album received generally positive reviews, but with some reservations when compared to previous Zeal & Ardor albums. Kerrang! noted that the album is less heavy and aggressive than the band's previous works, though "it goes further and deeper than anything Zeal & Ardor have done before." [3] Blabbermouth called the album "Diverse, daring and occasionally wasteful with its charms." [10]

Distorted Sound concluded that "While you won’t find as much raw savagery" as on the band's previous album, "you will continue to experience the brilliant level of craftmanship [sic] which has been so ridiculously consistent through Zeal & Ardor's catalogue." [7] Metal Hammer praised the album as "the sound of a band seeking to reinvent themselves and innovate beyond their roots," but noted that "by expanding their remit, the laser focus of the previous records is naturally lost." [8]

A reviewer for Metal Storm also praised the album's attempts to expand on the band's previous sounds, but concluded that Greif suffers from "an excessive level of lethargy to the record, a lack of especially engaging and likeable songs, and a few too many moments that are likely to miss the mark." [9] Metal Injection showed appreciation for the album's experimental mix of styles within the band's avant-garde metal roots, but concluded that "the song composure and the hallmark passion of Zeal & Ardor just didn't come together on this release." [1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Manuel Gagneux.

No.TitleLength
1."The Bird, the Lion, and the Wildkin"1:33
2."Fend You Off"3:52
3."Kilonova"4:07
4."Are You the Only One Now?"4:26
5."Go Home My Friend"1:56
6."Clawing Out"3:42
7."Disease"4:34
8."369"0:55
9."Thrill"2:27
10."une ville vide"2:04
11."Sugarcoat"2:58
12."Solace"3:52
13."Hide in Shade"3:38
14."To My Ilk"2:25
Total length:42:29

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lauren Campanell Mercer (22 August 2024). "Album Review: ZEAL & ARDOR - Grief". Metal Injection.
  2. 1 2 "GREIF - Zeal & Ardor". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Album Review: Zeal & Ardor - Greif". Kerrang!. 21 August 2024.
  4. 1 2 Mills, Matt. "Zeal & Ardor on revolutionising metal, beating the racists and new album Greif". Guitar.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  5. 1 2 Wall of Sound review
  6. "Zeal & Ardor – "GREIF"". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  7. 1 2 "ALBUM REVIEW: Greif - Zeal & Ardor". Distorted Sound. 23 August 2024.
  8. 1 2 Rich Hobson (19 August 2024). ""Now they're seeing how deep the rabbit hole can go." Avant-garde metallers Zeal & Ardor have unleashed their adventurous side on the excellent Greif". Metal Hammer.
  9. 1 2 Metal Storm review
  10. 1 2 Blabbermouth review