Description
Hailing from the ever-ascendant Dutch black metal scene, DODENBEZWEERDER formed in 2019 and promptly let inspiration spill forth, with two rehearsals, an EP, and then a demo following in rapid succession. A duo of S and M, the band’s moniker translates to “necromancer” in English, and justifiably so: their black metal is truly sorcerous, and lingers like the stench of death itself.
Spartan yet shimmering, DODENBEZWEERDER’s full-length debut bears the weighty title of Vrees de toorn van de wezens verscholen achter majestueuze vleugels, and indeed is its ghostly gait a lot to absorb. Rubbed raw but never amateurishly bleeding into the red, the scabrous soundwalls that DODENBEZWEERDER build here retain a haunting, magisterial aspect, smothering the listener with density and spaciousness simultaneously. It’s these stark contrasts which the duo expertly weave together into the caustic fabric of Vrees de toorn van de wezens verscholen achter majestueuze vleugels that elevate them beyond the hordes of others currently playing “raw black metal” – not to mention their frequent moments of repose, pulling back the barrage of diseased decibels for something cleaner if not even more tense and terrorizing.
As one nightmare ends, its lingering aftereffects begin and curse consciousness anew: behold DODENBEZWEERDER’s Vrees de toorn van de wezens verscholen achter majestueuze vleugels!