Greif (album)
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| Greif | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 August 2024 | |||
| Genre | Black metal,[1] avant-garde metal[2] | |||
| Length | 42:29 | |||
| Label | Redacted | |||
| Producer | Manuel Gagneux | |||
| Zeal & Ardor chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Zeal & Ardor | ||||
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Greif is the fourth studio album by avant-garde metal band Zeal & Ardor, released on 23 August 2024.[3] It is the first album they recorded as full band.
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.[2] 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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Distorted Sound | 9/10[7] |
| Kerrang! |   [2] |
| Metal Hammer |  [8] |
| Metal Storm | 5.8/10[9] |
| Blabbermouth | 7.5/10[10] |
| Wall of Sound | 9.5/10[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."[2] 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]