Bergfried - Romantik III [Os]

Romantik III is Bergfried's debut album, the culmination of two EPs that preceded it, pressed here on bone-colored vinyl.

Erech von Lothringen plays all the instruments and Anna de Savoy sings, an unusual duo configuration that managed to produce music that sounds like a full band at full speed. Romantik I and Romantik II, two EPs released in 2022 and 2023, were clearly a launching pad rather than a destination, and this album is where the project takes off, with drummer Fabio Alessandrini, who kept the beat for Annihilator and Enforcer, having been brought in to give the songs real power behind de Savoy's melodic delivery. What's really surprising about this album is how bright it sounds despite tracks that promise only gloom, with melancholy running underneath rather than completely dominating.

Dark Wings sets the tone, catchy enough to flirt with pop without losing its weight. Queen of the Dead brings in Maria Nesh and Sarah Kitteringham for a truly fleshed-out vocal arrangement, Serenades leans most heavily on the album's tenderness, and Star-Crossed Love closes the emotional arc with the melodrama the title demands.

A first album that arrives sounding like a group that already has several records under its belt. Two preparation EPs will do that.