Dutch Metal

Collision – The Final Kill Review

Collision – The Final Kill Review

“Normally we don’t review “mini-albums” here, but Collision’s The Final Kill thankfully slipped past the watchful eyes of the promo bin cadaver hounds – I suppose they were kept busy. The reason I decided to run headlong into this is because this is the Dutch band’s final release. I reviewed their oddly named Satanic Surgery a few years ago and didn’t give it a great score – or, honestly, even an okay one. Since we’re all stuck inside anyway, I figured why not shack up with The Final Kill, see the end of a movie that I started watching more than three-quarters through yet somehow found myself invested in.” Plagues make strange bedfellows.

Dool – Summerland Review

Dool – Summerland Review

“Poor Summerland. Dool’s latest album has been picked up and dropped in the promo bin more times than I’ve had hot meals, and it looks like it’s finally found a home with me. First El Cuervo toyed with it, but after remembering how bored he was with their first album, he tossed it aside with disdain. Who else but GardensTale was there, drooling like a starving puppy, ready to take his shot at it. But it was not to be. Then along came poor old Huckles , late to the party, with nothing but Dool and a dozen black metal albums to choose from. Well, the only black metal I like is the Venom album, so the choice was clear. Who says beggars can’t be choosers?” Dooldrums.

Ulveblod – Omnia Mors Aequat Review

Ulveblod – Omnia Mors Aequat Review

“I wanted a black metal/noise hybrid. I figured it was the trvest style out there: the ultimate form of pitch-black atmosphere that could conjure abstractness and bleakness to new heights. While there have been plenty of artists that have tried, like Enbilulugugal, Gnaw Their Tongues, and Abruptum, success has been limited, so I wished upon a star for noisy black metal.” Cut off your noise to spite your face.

Graceless – Where Vultures Know Your Name Review

Graceless – Where Vultures Know Your Name Review

“One of my very first reviews as a n00b saw me tackling 1914’s The Blind Leading the Blind, an album that effectively combined the rumbling death/doom of Asphyx and the grooving attack of Bolt Thrower, so when I saw that the latest release from Dutch band Graceless was touted as embodying that same combo, I thought I’d give it a whirl and hope that it would be the shot in the arm I desperately need.” Death inoculations.

Dodenbezweerder – Vrees De Toorn Van De Wezens Verscholen Achter Majestueuze Vleugels Review

Dodenbezweerder – Vrees De Toorn Van De Wezens Verscholen Achter Majestueuze Vleugels Review

“For those of you acquainted with the Dutch black metal scene, this is another project from Maurice “Mories” de Jong, whose sadistic tendrils puppeteer acts like Gnaw Their Tongues, De Magia Veterum, and Obscuring Veil, to name only a few. He and an anonymous member released three demos and an EP in 2019 under the moniker Dodenbezweerder, which attempts to fuse the sprawl and evocation of ambient black with the edge and claustrophobia of raw black.” Noise as a weapon.

Fluisteraars – Bloem Review

Fluisteraars – Bloem Review

“Atmospheric black metal inspired by nature. Not a totally new concept, nor the most exciting one in the world, but still one overflowing with potential. Getting lost in a sea of hazy riffs accompanied by evocative overlays has ever been a highlight of my metal experience. Unfortunately, the concept often works better in theory than in execution; the fine lines between “hazy riffs” and “are we sure that’s a guitar?” or “moving passages” and “is this still the same song?” are fine ones, and easily crossed. Fluisteraars hail from the Netherlands, and Bloem is their third full-length offering, one that approaches said lines with enough confidence to have me seriously hopeful for this genre I so want to enjoy.” Flower power.

Turia – Degen van Licht Review

Turia – Degen van Licht Review

“Hailing from the Netherlands, Turia describes Degen van Licht as “an ode to the ageless lure of the unyielding mountains, and an exploration of the sweltering warmth which encompasses these heights every summer.” That doesn’t sound much like the icy forest obsessed second wave, and neither does Degen van Licht” Hot mounds.

God Dethroned – Illuminati Review

God Dethroned – Illuminati Review

“The unimpeachable philosophy of famed slam poet Robert Conrad Flynn once posited that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” If we apply the paradigm to extreme metal, the veracity of the statement becomes rather apparent. All of our favorite genres of metal and, indeed, music are fundamentally stale. This isn’t a bitter take, it’s a fact. While we hungrily await the next morsel of genuine innovation, we sate ourselves with interpretations of reliable constants. Dutchmen God Dethroned have been plying our souls with searing melodic death metal for the best part of thirty years. Their oeuvre consists of scorching blackened passages and an adroit use of melody that never sacrifices suffering for seduction.” When consistency attacks.