Any person who has at least a bit of knowledge of underground Black Metal will eventually come across a French band called Mütiilation. The band could have been considered rather obscure in the past but in the recent years they have obtained a quasi-legendary status due to all the controversy that surrounded the band and the so called “Les Legions Noires”. Also, the limited quantity of all their releases made them one of Black Metal collectors’ favorite bands.

Musicwise (the now one man band) Mütiilation has released some very good music but recently I feel the band has become quite derivative. The music doesn't feel as original as it used to be and it feels lacking of that extremely obscure, twisted and sick aura that was felt on previous albums like the godly Remains of a Ruined, Dead, Cursed Soul.

Rattenkönig feels like the natural evolution of their previous album, Majestas Leprosus and that’s exactly what I didn’t want. Majestas Leprosus wasn’t a bad album but it sure left a lot to be wished for and although this album shows signs of improvement, there’s still a lot to be done.

The songwriting in Rattenkönig feels more solid than in their previous effort, with less “filler” riffs and with stronger song structures, but one of my biggest complaints has to be the sound of the guitar in some sections, thing that makes some really promising riffing sound terrible; there are parts where the guitar seems straight out of your 8 bit NES, like the song, I, Satan’s Carrion, which has a great riff which is completely watered down due to the tone. Meyhna'ch's vocals are very similar to his in Majestas Leprosus but they’re lower and better blended into the mix thing that I found a good addition, but there are parts in the album where Meyhna'ch makes use of some electronic like vocals that I just don’t like. The bass is present although not as firmly as in the previous released and once again we have the presence of a drum machine.

Rattenkönig shows some nice improvements, and although the album has less highlights than Majestas Leprosus, it has a better overall quality, thing that I guess makes it a better album.

Solid song structures, some highlights here and there, and a great song (The Ecstatic Spiral to Hell) make of this album good Black Metal, fans of Mütiilation will undoubtedly like and will probably prefer over Majestas Leprosus. People who have never found something special in Mütiilation will not find anything here that will make them change their mind.