Release Date: October 17, 2025
Label: Out Of Line Music
Primary Genre: Neue Deutsche Härte
Sub-genres: Industrial Metal, Dark Metal, German-language dark metal
Line Up:
Neill Freiwald – Vocals, Guitars, Programming
Neno Knuckle – Guitars
Robin Sem Vedrfölnir – Bass
Christian Eichlinger – Drums
Tracklist:
Aurora
Dominus Omnium
Miasma
Steh den Sturm
Los Los Los
Ohne Uns
Hinter dunklen Wolken
Alles dreht sich (feat. Hand of Juno)
Zerspreng die Ketten
Mana
Sternenschimmer
Erdling makes their return with latest album ‘Mana’, opening with a synth-driven introduction on ‘Aurora’ that seamlessly transitions into bass-heavy territory. Once again, my editor has assigned me another German language album to review, leaving me convinced he’s hinting that I should finally tackle Duolingo to enhance my linguistic abilities. “Ja Mein Herr”!
Setting language barriers aside—which have never prevented me from appreciating industrial music or German rock and metal broadly—Erdling’s sound positions itself perfectly between the industrial intensity of Rammstein and the output you might expect from American industrialists like Combichrist. Combining the vocal power of the former with the raw grit of the latter, this seventh studio album from Erdling delivers exactly what you’d expect: something rather impressive, particularly when cranked to ear-splitting volumes. When ‘Dominus Omnium’ is playing, if your house’s plaster isn’t vibrating and releasing small dust clouds, you’re doing something wrong and those speakers need attention.
‘Miasma’ continues the assault of heavy beats and riffing, but the band cleverly balances some of their most infectious choruses against brutal verses, giving listeners equal portions of darkness and light. Here’s another act whose press materials mention “neue deutsche härte”—which this month’s other reviews have taught us means “New German Hardness”—a term I wouldn’t suggest Googling without safe search enabled. This appears to represent a genuine musical movement emerging from the country, perfectly describing the material we’re hearing from productive German artists like Erdling. I’m certainly not objecting, because this represents the type of music Germany is delivering to audiences worldwide, resulting in increasing numbers of German-language acts achieving international success.
Perhaps my editor has a point—maybe I should dedicate more time to Duolingo, as it’s becoming clear that German represents the future, and with music of this caliber, I’m ready to fully embrace it.
Written by: Smudge
Ratings: 8/10
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