Album review: LAUTENFEYN – Verdammt Und Vergessen

March 13th, 2026 by david.wilson

Magic Mile Music [Release date 6^th March 2026]

Many years ago I was sent a CD to review (remember them!) by a German band called The Ordeal. The album was Descent To Hell and it was a metal masterpiece that still gets regular spins to this day.

The main man in that band was Olli Opperman who now takes a leading role in Lautenfeyn. After the demise of The Ordeal, Olli took a more folky route musically with his band Fairytale, but for Lautenfeyn he has once again plugged his electric guitar back in and combined the best of both his previous bands to produce this Medieval rock fusion.

This 7 track mini LP is an introduction to the band and their mystical world of swords and sorcery. The band hail from Hannover so all the lyrics are in German which only adds to the atmosphere. The title translates to ‘Damned and Forgotten’ and tells the story of Lautenfeyn’s world of struggle, loss and destiny.

‘Sors Libertatis’ provides a gentle opening and sets the scene musically with gentle acoustic strains leading into heavier drums and guitar. ‘Das Fahrende Volk’ is then driven on by a solid, metallic riff with vocals provided by Saskia Schrand and Angelique Roehse.

Olli then steps up to the mic to deliver a menacing vocal for ‘Vogelfrey’. This song has a great chorus which gallops along at pace with an excellent melody which will have you singing along.

Up next is album title track ‘Verdammt und Vergessen’. This is a bouncy, whimsical number that will have the crowd dancing along in a live setting and features some impressive acoustic guitar work from Olli. Things then take a more serious turn with the big ballad of the piece, ‘Stille Weis Lieder’, which allows Olli to really let loose with both his acoustic and electric guitars to great effect and is a real highlight of the album.

That menacing vocal delivery returns on ‘Kettenbrecher’, which is the heaviest song on the album, with the chorus underpinned with a flurry of double bass drumming. The album then closes with ‘Excalibur’, drawing from Arthurian legend. This finds Olli again taking the lead vocal, ably supported by Saskia and Angelique, and the track is a real powerhouse which round off the album perfectly.

This is a great return to the heavier side of music for Olli and is the perfect genre for him to display his talents as both singer and guitarist. However, one man does not make a band, and his fellow band mates are a very talented crew that really bring the music to life. Now, did someone mention a dragon…

****

Review by Dave Wilson

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