Mehrwertsteuer — Krone der Schöpfung Review
From the fiscal shadows of Germany, emerges Mehrwertsteuer, a lone prophet of Black Metal founded in 2008. On August 8th, 2025, he cast forth, “Krone der Schöpfung” —a debut full-length of ritual fury and economic lament, summoned through Cutting Edge Metal PR.
The First Three Sins, The Summary
The Fourth Sin, Overall Discussion
Opening Salvo: Börsensturz and the March of No Mercy
The moment the play button is activated, the album’s inaugural hymn, Börsensturz, immediately assaults the senses. A relentless marching rhythm underpins the sound. Quick-fire tremolos add an urgent, almost frantic energy. This opening sets an unyielding pace for the entire album. It signals that no respite will be offered.
Nine Hymns of Economic Apocalypse
This auditory onslaught continues through the remaining eight hymns. The album takes the listener on a thematic journey across nine tracks. It blends perfectly sharp economic satire with a visceral apocalyptic metal sound. This fusion creates a truly singular concept. Mehrwertsteuer weaponizes blackened melodic death metal. It serves as a tool to lampoon the soul-grinding machinery of modern economics
Conceptual Depth: Taxation, Collapse, and Class Struggle
The German band, aptly named “Mehrwertsteuer” (Value-Added Tax), has crafted a concept album. Its ferocity mirrors its subject: taxation, fiscal policy, and capitalist despair—blending biting sarcasm with despair and sharp social critique.
The lyrical content delves deeply into critical economic issues. Financial market collapses are a central theme, as seen in “Börsensturz.” The immense power wielded by the European Central Bank is explored in tracks like “EZB” and “Leidzins.” The sheer burden and fundamental purpose of taxation are examined in “19 Prozent,” “Steuerlast,” and “Der Fiskus.” The album also addresses the plight of the working class. This is powerfully conveyed in “Arbeitsmarktkampf.”
Key thematic threads run through the album. Warnings against unchecked greed and rampant egotism are prominent. The erosion of social solidarity is another core concern, encapsulated in “Verlust der Vernunft.” The track “Mittelstandsangst” specifically captures the growing fears of the once-prosperous middle class. They face the stark reality of economic decline.
Raw Aesthetic: Precision in Chaos
Mehrwertsteuer offers the listener a fruit of art merit—bruised, barbed, and bleeding with intent. It presents a deliberately abrasive aesthetic: a sound that’s tight, focused, and unflinchingly raw. There’s no gloss, no polish—just the immediacy of live execution. Overdubs are minimal, and the mix breathes with the heat of the room. This rawness suggests a studio setup that favoured energy over refinement, conjuring the restless spirits of early 2000s blackened death recordings.
Yet for all its feral edge, every note and nuance is captured with precision. Even through headphones, the recording transmits a modern, relevant mood—one that feels urgent and uncomfortably close. And still, it retains that serrated texture. This deliberate contrast—between clarity and chaos—creates a listening experience that is both compelling and confrontational.
Der Vorstamd’s Singular Vision and Guitar Craft
The entire tapestry of Mehrwertsteuer is the creation of a single individual. Der Vorstamd is responsible for every element. His devilmanship and composition are polished and meticulously tight. This applies to both the instrumentation and the overall musicality. The execution is flawless. His guitar work delivers a tone that is sharp and biting, with a mid-heavy density that permeates the mix. It evokes fiscal dread with uncanny precision—perfectly suited to the tremolo-picked hysteria and low-end chug that define the album’s dual lineage of black and death metal.
The impression of dual guitar work is evident, especially in the contrast between high leads and low rhythm sections on “Der Fiskus”
Specific hymns like “Arbeitsmarktkampf” and “Verlust der Vernunft” exemplify this musical prowess. They feature rapid tremolo runs, melodic interludes, and occasional dissonant flourishes, adding further complexity.
Bass lines of Burden: The Filthy Pulse Beneath
Der Vorstamd’s bass lines are grim and undeniably death-metal inspired—especially prominent in Steuerlast. There, the bass provides a filthy, underpinning current to the main riffing. The bass is not buried in the mix. It often drives transitions and reinforces the rhythmic backbone, giving weight to the album’s more atmospheric passages.
Drums of Revolt: Blast Beats and Groove Warfare
Mehrwertsteuer’s drumming is both meaty and aggressively executed. Blast beats dominate the rhythmic landscape. Barrages of rapid-fire drumming are interspersed with groove-laden transitions. This creates a powerful rhythmic architecture of revolt. A surprising amount of groove can be found in hymns such as Arbeitsmarktkampf. The kick drum has a forceful impact. It punches through the mix with authority.
The drum dynamics extend beyond mere relentless speed. There are notable tempo shifts and rhythmic breaks. These elements provide crucial structure and heighten the album’s tension.
Vocals as Weaponry: Growls, Snarls, and Rhythmic Venom
Der Vorstamd’s vocal delivery is a potent blend. It combines deep, guttural growls with higher, more venomous snarls. This style leans more towards death metal than traditional black metal. However, the sheer venom is ample, to satisfy fans of both styles. His vocal phrasing is rhythmically precise. It is often locked tightly to the riff structure. This enhances the album’s overall mechanical and oppressive feel.
Synths of Dread: Bureaucratic Horror in Minimalism
Finally, the album’s use of synths is noteworthy. Der Vorstamd does not employ synths to soften the sound. Instead, they are used to deepen the pervasive sense of unease. This is not the grandiosity of symphonic black metal. It is a more minimalist form of dread. The keyboard elements are sparse but incredibly effective, like a bureaucrat’s whisper before the hammer drops.
Tracks like “Der Fiskus” open with spectral keyboard lines that evoke a cold, institutional dread—think of flickering fluorescent lights in a tax office at midnight
Krone der Schöpfung: A Fiscal Exorcism in Blackened Death
Mehrwertsteuer is a formidable black/death metal act. Its debut, Krone der Schöpfung, isn’t merely an album. It’s a fiscal exorcism. Tracks serve as ledger entries. These chart economic despair. Riffs count suffering. Vocals audit the soul. The music avoids overt politics. It addresses working-class struggles.
Expect no inverted crosses. No satanism or extremism taints the sound. This is taxation turned sacrament.
Closing: As the Album Reaches Its Final Moments
As Krone der Schöpfung approaches its final hymns, the sonic architecture begins to settle—its fiscal dread fully unfurled, its apocalyptic vision complete. Before we unveil the final three sins, we extend our thanks to Cutting Edge Metal PR for granting us the honour of reviewing Mehrwertsteuer’s debut full-length.
Now, with the skyscraper trembling and the ruins whispering, we descend into the closing rites: Memorabilia, Artwork, and Disrelish.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish
Mehrwertsteuer
Der Vorstand — Everything