Three quality releases all on Folter Records, which is why I picked up the first one, Folter has never let me down, one of the few labels where you don’t have to worry about listening first. Strijd was high quality black metal, high pitched shrieks, corpsepaint and swords, and all lyrics in Dutch. Verwoesting/Devastation was brutality; guttural growls, brutal drums, loud bass, fast and faster, furious death black metal all in English. Dodengang is their third and current release, and promised to be great no matter what style. I figured no matter what the new style would turn out to be it would be worth the listen.

Dodengang is again written in English, except for the Dutch title, and the vocals are harsh black style, not the ultra high squeals of the debut, and the pace has slowed to mid-fast. High pitched clear leads ramble around in each song, oblivious to the workings of the rhythm section. Drums are loud in the mix, and they sound good so this is not a problem. The vocals easily penetrate the maelstrom. Melodic, dark, and German thrash infused, the band has found some more magic. Favorite tracks include “Dodengang”, “Stalingrad” and “Merciless.”

I would say this band deserves more exposure, but true fans have known about them for years, we all just need to tell a few friends what they have been missing. Maybe next time Jan will incorporate the Dimmu thing; if anyone could pull it off he is the one.

[Visit the band's website]

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