Dornenreich is one of the better bands emanating from the Austrian black metal scene, which has also produced groups such as Summoning and Abigor, the latter of whom is sometimes compared to this band. Until recently the core of the band has been two guys both with the last name Stock (though not related), though Thomas Stock recently left the band, leaving Jochen behind to carry on. Reviewed here are two albums, their third (2001's Her Von Welken Nachten) and fifth (Durch Den Traum, released in 2006). Of these, Welken is clearly the more traditional, as well as the more upbeat, more aligned with the classic black metal of bands like Abigor. On the other hand, Durch Den Traum is best described as a sort of laidback, relaxed post-black album, not so much in an ambient sense (though there is a bit of that), but rather that the songs sort of meander along, with both traditional black and acoustic guitars strumming repetitively, and vocals ranging from some old-style shrieks to more distant chants and whispers. It's clearly a bit different from the norm in black metal, yet it retains just enough of the older elements to fit as a logical progression from a band who increasingly is finding its own path.