Austrian multi-instrumentalist Stefan Traunmüller has been active since the mid-1990s in various musical projects. He’s perhaps best known for his work with Golden Dawn, Selenite, and as a member of the Alpine folk collective Sturmpercht. Since 2010, however, he has mainly devoted himself to Rauhnåcht — his solo Pagan Black Metal project, which now sees the release of its fifth full-length album.
Back in the day, I followed Vorweltschweigen, Urzeitgeist, and the various splits and EPs in between quite closely — partly due to my direct contact with the label behind Sturmpercht. Over the years, though, Rauhnåcht slowly drifted out of my field of view — until this new release brought him firmly back into focus.
Rauhnåcht hails from St. Koloman, a small Alpine village overshadowed by the mighty Unterberg — a mountain that looms like a stone colossus along the Austrian-German border. The area is steeped in folklore: legend has it Charlemagne sleeps within the mountain, tended by the Unterberger Mandln — a race of dwarves — while witches, fairies, and ghostly huntsmen roam the wild slopes. It’s a landscape thick with myth and mysticism, and it’s exactly this atmosphere that permeates Rauhnåcht’s music.
That folkloric influence is front and center once again on Zwischenwelten. The cover features a Percht — a mythological figure from Germanic tradition, especially known in Alpine regions. She’s a winter spirit or goddess, protector of spinning and weaving, and a fierce enforcer of moral order. Think of those haunting processions in Austrian villages: grotesque demon masks, heavy cowbells, shaggy pelts — designed to terrify, and succeeding most with children.
Musically, Rauhnåcht shows he hasn’t been standing still. Zwischenwelten is a dynamic record, pulling influences from several Pagan and Black Metal niches. The standout track for me is “Alleinsamkeit,” which conjures strong echoes of Bathory’s Hammerheart — only grittier, dirtier, and steeped in Alpine soil.
Across its six tracks, Zwischenwelten weaves folklore and legend into a storm of Pagan Black Metal, where harshness meets subtle folk flourishes. Traunmüller’s tortured shrieks are the finishing touch, laid atop an album that’s both raw and impressively produced.
With Zwischenwelten, Rauhnåcht proves he still holds a key position in the Alpine Black Metal movement. Highly recommended for those drawn to dramatic, tradition-soaked extremity.
85/100
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