Ellende is one of the most fascinating and respected projects in the current Atmospheric and Post Black Metal scene. It was formed in 2011 by Lukas Gosch, known as L.G.
Ellende is his solo project and only includes other members for live performances. It comes from the world of Black Metal, directly from Graz, a historic city in Austria.
The name Ellende derives from a word in Old High German that originally meant someone who is in another land, an exile. In the Middle Ages, however, being far from one’s homeland was associated with suffering and the loss of rights, so the word evolved into the modern German word Elend, which means misery, misfortune, or deep suffering.
The project presents a blend of melancholy and aggression, with acoustic piano and violin passages that perfectly represent the sound of Ellende.
Its themes emerge from nature, misanthropy, and existentialism. L.G uses a vocal style that sounds like a cry of anguish carried by the wind, set within poetic lyrics inspired by the tradition of German poetry and philosophy, especially the movement of German Romanticism, also known as Dark Romanticism.
On January 2, 2026, together with AOP Records from Germany, the album Zerfall was released. It is the band’s sixth album, recorded and mixed by Markus Schwadorf Stock at Klangschmiede Studio, ensuring a polished yet organic sound.
Fans can expect an intense and melancholic journey marked by frozen darkness.
Nur
The first track of the album appears with a melodic and atmospheric guitar that serves as a fragile and emotional opening, something that fully defines the project of L.G.
The word Nur represents a theme of existential minimalism. It symbolizes the disappearance of all human greed, leaving only the silence of chaos.
Wahrheit Teil I
A perfect example of Post Black Metal, it brings aggression, a wall of sound with dense and atmospheric guitars, and drums with the presence of blast beats that portray mental chaos.
L.G delivers visceral screams that sound like someone being torn apart by reality. A break then rises where the guitar melody becomes clearer and sadder, representing the moment of exhaustion after the initial shock, when pain turns into acceptance.
This track addresses existentialism and reminds us that we live inside bubbles of safety, and that truth is what remains when those bubbles burst, calling into question human insignificance and finitude.
Wahrheit Teil II
As a continuation of Wahrheit Teil I, part two focuses on becoming accustomed to pain and on the loneliness of lucidity, creating an abyss between the narrator and the rest of the world. During the track there is a sound transition that resembles a distant echo, as if the music were fading inside a tunnel. It is a sonic representation of the soul drifting away from earthly reality.
Marked by a sound that is less aggressive than the previous track but more progressive and decaying, the music grows gradually. At times a space is left between the melodies in a masterful way. It is like a tide that rises slowly until it drowns you. When the vocals enter, they sound more dragged and more tormented than before.
There are moments when silence almost echoes, allowing the listener to process the weight of the lyrics.
Zerfall
Zerfall is the poetic core of the album, written in German, a language that highlights a rawness and a tone that are very specific to this genre. It describes the feeling that all our constructions, mental, emotional, and physical, are temporary. The individual frees himself from expectations, pain, and memories. The ending of the song, which gradually becomes quieter, represents this total fading.
It is an atmospheric and non aggressive track that begins with a melody rooted in piano. This time it forms a dense wall of sound in which the notes of the guitars and all other instruments can still be distinguished.
The guitars have an icy and crystalline distortion, with a strong use of reverb and delay, giving the track an immense spatial dimension, as if you were hearing the sound echoing through a frozen valley.
Übertritt
Meaning Transition, this work of art describes what happens when leaving a state of ruin.
The title Übertritt refers to the act of crossing a border. It is not necessarily physical death, but a passage from a state of human suffering to a state of fusion with the environment, using many images of water and tide in the lyrics.
It speaks of an oceanic pulse, suggesting that we should let ourselves be carried by the current instead of fighting it, representing surrender.
The bass tone is very full bodied, creating a submerged sense of weight that keeps a constant pulse and guides the listener through the fog of guitars, while the drums create mid tempo rhythms that emphasize the sway of the melody. When the intensity rises, the drums become more technical.
The guitar riffs begin softly and gain body, reaching a peak of intensity before retreating into cleaner and more melancholic passages. Clean guitars echo beneath the distortion, giving the music a depth that makes it sound alive.
Ode ans Licht
It represents the poetic concept The Light That Reveals, Not the Light That Warms.
In the context of Ellende, light should not be interpreted as happiness or naive hope. Following the tradition of Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetry, light here is transcendental and merciless.
An ode is a song of exaltation. L.G exalts the light because it allows acceptance. It is the moment when the narrator stops fighting the darkness and accepts that everything is exposed. It suggests that light can be as painful as darkness, yet it is necessary for final liberation.
Instead of dense and muffled riffs, we hear guitars with higher and brighter tones, a track strongly inspired by Shoegaze while preserving the essence of Black Metal. If the first five tracks of the album are a descent into the abyss, Ode ans Licht is the moment when you reach the bottom and look up, seeing the sun.
A highlight is the striking contrast of this track. While the instrumental sounds almost pure and majestic, the vocals of L.G remain visceral screams, as if the soul were suffering while the surrounding world becomes beautiful.
Zeitenwende Teil I
If Ode ans Licht brought clarity, this song brings drama. It begins to close the narrative cycle of the work of art Zerfall with an almost cinematic grandeur.
Lyrically, the track looks at the ashes of what was destroyed and realizes that the world, or the self, has changed irreversibly. It is mourning for the past mixed with acceptance of a new state of existence. It follows the line of German ruin poetry, where destruction is not the end but the foundation for a new world.
It conveys a sense of reverence, like walking through ruins, turning initial despair into something worthy of a final ode.
This is the track where L.G’s refined heritage shines most brightly, largely thanks to the guest violin of Klara Bachmair from Firtan. The violin is not just an ornament. It is the melodic protagonist, bringing a touch of Neofolk and classical music that elevates the song. The violin weeps, cries out, and guides the guitars.
The structure is far more complex. There are moments of emptiness where only the violin and acoustic guitar are heard, creating a suffocating tension that later explodes into melodic and atmospheric Black Metal. The drums are more measured and majestic. It is not about pure speed but about creating a weight that seems to carry history itself.
Zeitenwende Teil II
If Zeitenwende Teil I was the lament and reflection on what was lost, Zeitenwende Teil II is the direct confrontation with destiny and the complexity of change. It is one of the densest and most technically detailed tracks on the 2026 album.
It shows the moment when there is no way back, while the path ahead is still a fog of uncertainty, an inner struggle. It is not only about accepting decay, but about deciding what to do with the fragments that remain.
It features Peter Mairhofer from Norikum as a guest, bringing a dynamic unlike anything heard on the previous tracks. Peter brings a more technical and direct playing style. His sharper guitar on this track is more complex, with leads that intertwine with L.G’s base riffs, creating a dialogue between the two guitars.
The song alternates between furious blast beat passages that represent the chaos of change and moments of calm, where bass and clean guitars prepare the next explosion.
At the end of the track, the sonic density begins to dissipate. The musical conflict resolves into a more drawn out and sublime melody, symbolizing that the transition has finally been completed.
Reise
Reise, which means Journey in German, marks the end of the emotional journey described by L.G. It is the final piece that closes the album Zerfall from 2026.
It is the conclusion of a dense and emotional work. This track is not just a song but the final destination of the entire narrative we have followed since the first melody. It looks back and sees that the trail left behind has already been covered by snow. There is an acceptance that the destination of the journey is not a physical place, but a state of silence and total dissolution.
Here the tone is one of rest. The traveler has arrived where he needed to be, at the primordial void.
An atmospheric farewell echoes. A long introduction begins with clean guitar picking that evokes a sense of cold and distance. The drums and distortion enter organically, transforming the initial melancholy into a majestic wall of sound.
It is not an aggression of attack, but an aggression of release. The sound slowly fades away with layers of synthesizers or wind like textures, leaving the listener in absolute silence at the edge of immensity.
Final Thoughts
When we reach the end of Reise, the album closes a complete cycle. We began with emptiness in Nur. We faced the shock of reality in Wahrheit I and II. We witnessed the disintegration of everything in Zerfall. We crossed into a new state in Übertritt. We found painful clarity in Ode ans Licht. We accepted a change of era in Zeitenwende I and II. Finally, we completed our journey in Reise.
This album establishes Ellende not only as a band, but as a project of sonic philosophy. Once again, L.G has transformed pain and decay into something we can contemplate with admiration.