Nordstahl’s ‘Ragnarök in Berlin’ is a raucous, unapologetic assault on your senses. If you’re looking for something tame or even nuanced, this is not it. From its furious opening chords to its bleak, accusatory lyrics, ‘Ragnarök in Berlin’ is an album of unrepentant extremes. “Midgards Schlaf” is a slow, dirgelike dirge that serves as a perfect overture to the chaos to come. It’s a mournful, restless track that builds to a series of jarring, discordant crescendos. There’s a feeling of anticipation and dread in the air as the track goes on, like something terrible is about to happen, and no one is prepared.
“Ragnarök in Berlin” proper is a rager, with razor-edged guitar riffs and galloping percussion. It’s a pugnacious, embattled track that sounds like a fight has already broken out, and it’s not going to end well. The lyrical themes are similar to “Midgard’s Schlaf”, with an emphasis on the destruction of the world around us as well as the world within. The track is in German, but the emotion is universal. “Bifröst brennt” is a track about the destruction of the bridge between the gods and humanity. In the context of the album, it’s a metaphor for the breakdown of connection and community in the modern world. The track is fast and frenetic, with an almost desperate urgency to its percussion. “Mjölnir” is a slower, more atmospheric track that nevertheless feels like a call to arms. The titular hammer is silent in this song, but its power is still very much present. The track is a slow burn, building to a towering climax that seems to reach for the heavens.
“Jörmungands Kreis” is a chunky, bassy dirge with an air of menace to it. It’s a repetitive, relentless track that feels like a warning as much as a call to action. The lyrical themes continue to hammer home the sense of apocalypse and dissolution that runs throughout the album. “Lokis Lügen” is a snarling, frenzied track that feels like it’s on the verge of spiralling out of control. The lyrics are more insidious this time around, dealing with the seductive power of lies and half-truths. “Friggs Falscher Trost” is a colder, more desolate track that nevertheless feels like a fitting conclusion to the album. The theme of false comfort is revisited here, as we’re told that it’s all a lie and that we’d all be better off facing the truth. In a world where art and music have become ever more corporatised, sanitised, and focused on placating as many people as possible, it’s nice to see an artist like Nordstahl who doesn’t care about such things. ‘Ragnarök in Berlin’ is an album that doesn’t pull any punches and isn’t afraid to offend, which is all the more reason to give it a listen.
