NLBMe Music Reviews
Because I
have treated bands objectively in The Encyclopedia of
Dutch Black Metal, I withheld myself from expressing
personal opinions about them and their releases. However,
the Dutch scene has given birth to some very fine music
(and very bad also). That's why I have taken the liberty
to include reviews of releases on this online companion
to the book (some published earlier in Black Art
Magazine, by the way).
Remember:
reviews are opinions and they are mine alone. They have
nothing to do with the reviewed bands, their labels, the
fact that I might know these people, nor with the content
of the encyclopedia! If you don't like what's there,
purchase the music and FORM YOUR OWN OPINION!
How does
it work?
You can read all about that underneath the list of
reviews. Go there right now!
The reviewed albums
13 Candles
- Hymns of Winter
Aardtmann Op Vuurtopberg - De berg van
verdoemenis
Aderlating - The Nectar of
Perversity Springs from the Well of Repression
Adonai Sathanas - Split: Yaotzin / Adonai
Sathanas / Nord
Alruin - Beraadslaging
der naargeestigheid
Ancient Rites - Rubicon
Apator - Guilty of
Down-Syndrome
Apocrypha - The Summit of
Creation
Asgrauw - Promo 2012
Astathica - Shaped to the
Image of the Flames
Bestial Summoning - Rehearsal
17-10-1991
Black Command - Demo 2013
Black September - Promo Tape
Blood Tyrant - Duvonde skerfe
Boecx - Beraadslaging
der naargeestigheid
Botulistum - Split:
Botulistum / Göll
Brandhaard - Wolveshead
Charagnanna - The Ancient
Scrolls Re-Written
Cirith Gorgor - Bi den dode hant
Coldeemstorft - Invasie
Conspiracy - Reincarnated
Corpusculum - Saducismus
triumphatus
Crucifixation - The Grind of
Christian Bones
Deinonychus - Promo '93
Deinonychus - Deinonychus
Delinquentes Infernae - Crime Orgy
Delinquentes Infernae - Ontkerstening
Demalion - The Draining
of a Thousand Souls
Dodenkrocht - Malebolge Opens
Dodenkrocht - Misery Chords
Dog In Pain - A Tribute to
Max P. Beaver 1975-1997
Domini Inferi - In nomine domini Inferi
Domini Inferi - Devil Cult
Dood - Luciferian
Manifest
Draco Donnovan - Heidens zwart metaal
Dystopia - Decay
Eeuwig - Beraadslaging
der naargeestigheid
Endemonized - Crushing the
Herd Mentality
Eternal Frost - Christial Holocaust
Extreme Nazi Terror - Seven Minutes
of Zyklon B
Fenris - ...En
doodenakkers tot den horizon
Fluisterwoud - Langs galg en
rad
Folkstorm - Valavond
Frostbite - Polar Storms
Funeral Grave - Het verleden
Funeral Winds - Promo 2001
Funeral Winds - Promo 2002
Göll - Split:
Botulistum / Göll
Grafzerk - Lyken lust
Grey Aura - Candlesmoke
Grey Aura - Waerachtighe beschryvinghe van
drie seylagien, ter werelt noyt soo vreemt ghehoort
Groovy Taus - Groovy Taus
Hamergilde - Der Stolz des
Nordlands
Hamergilde - Wodans Krieger
Hamergilde - Weerwolf
Heersch - Unholy
Congregation of Demonical Reign
Hellfire Nemesis - A Manifest of Divine Holocaust
Hellhaunt - Hatecraft
Hell Icon - Dies irae
Hell Icon - Opus diaboli
Hell Icon - Pestis laudes
praedicare
Hell Icon - Maledictum
Ibex Angel Order - I
IO - In Reverie
Israthoum - Monument of
Brimstone
Israthoum - Promo 2010
Legion Of Wolves - Split: Legion Of Wolves /
Wolfshof
Luciferian Insectus - Godless
Lugubre - Promo 2001
Malignant - Totaler Krieg
Marquis - Argentinian and
Dutch Violation
Martyr - To Confirm When
Destruction Comes
Misanthropia - Rise of Necropolis
Morbid Wrath - Angelrape
Mordaehoth - De ontheiliging van Asten
Mortifer - Lost under an
Eternal Frozen Sky
Mortifer - A Sacrificial
Nocturn & Astral Wanderings
Mortifer - A Nocturnal
Hunt for Celestial Blood
Nachtmerrie - Unholy Congregation of
Demonical Reign
Necrofeast - Necrofeast
Necrofeast - Soulwinds
Nevelrijk - Heidens bloed
Nord - Dood
Nord - Vaarwel
Nord - Als een ziel
Nord - Split: Yaotzin
/ Adonai Sathanas / Nord
Northhymn - The Northern
Battle
Nu Is Alles Anders - Het eeuwige leven
Occult - Rehearsal Tape
19-06-1992
Occult - Live Demo
Omnihierophantom - Beyond Eternity
Perditor - Perdition
Perditor - In signo suo
Prickrott - Total Fucking
Meltdown
Quaet Gespuys - Grauwe
geschriften
Raptor - Antichristian
Terror Propaganda
Raptor - Necromantic
Rites
Raptor - Anger and Wrath
Sammath - Triumph in
Hatred
Sammath - Godless
Arrogance
Stink - Die vuyle
dompen ende afgryselijcke rottigheden
Styxian Industries - Renormalized
Existence
Styxian Industries - Salvation
through Deterioration
Styxian Industries - Manifestation
Exaltation Revelation
Tarnkappe - Winterwaker
Tartaros - Darkened
Destiny
Terdor - The Combat
Action of 5 October 1944
Terdor - No Peace for
Our Time!
Terdor - Levi
Terdor - Levi II
The Parents Of Oude Pekela - As Satan Spawns
from the Grave of a Thousand Infants
Toorn - Dutch and
Canadian Annihilation
Urfaust - Drei Rituale
jenseits des Kosmos
Urfaust - Einsiedler
Vril - Once and Again
Thule
Warden - Duvonde skerfe
Weltschmerz - Dutch and
Canadian Annihilation
Wilds Forlorn - The Great Loss
Wolfsduister - Het duistere
pad II
Wolfsduister - Het duistere
pad III
Wolfshof - Split: Legion
Of Wolves / Wolfshof
Yaotzin - Heaven Burning
Bleeding
Yaotzin - Split: Yaotzin
/ Adonai Sathanas / Nord
Yaotzin - Chaosbringer
How does it work?
My reviews start off with a visual aid: the dial and
buttons of a stereo amplifier:
1. The top of the amplifier informs you about the
status of the music. It can tell you that I am still
looking for the music (below, the first header). When I
have formed a personal opinion about a release, it looks
like the second header. When there's a written review it
looks like the third header. There is also one that tells
you I still haven't found the time to rate it.
2. The power button is switched on, when I have formed
an opinion about the release. The 'on'-status of the
button does nog guarantee the presence of a written
review.
3. The source indication tells you the format was of the
release I reviewed. An mp3-rip of a release can differ
from the official cd, if the bitrate is low. Since I
don't own everything, it's not always the original
product I listened to, nor is it a guarantee I own the
item I have reviewed at all.
4. The enjoyment dial is my rating from the
absolute bottom (AVOID), walking through ratings1 to 9,
and finishing with a mandatory release (CLASSIC). Because
enjoyment is a primal internal process that cannot be
fully measured, it tells you nothing about the music
itself, just about how I experience the release.
5. The production switch tries to narrow down
characteristics of production quality, without going for
a real rating. Black metal knows a lot of bad productions
that pull off classic albums, so it had to be different.
'Absent', 'raw' and 'poor' might sound the same, but
'absent' means we're most likely talking about a
rehearsal or live registration. 'Raw' is a deliberate bad
production, sometimes working for the music. 'Poor' is a
bad production that works against the music. 'Deviant'
just sounds different. 'Traditional' is not top quality,
but is more-or-less the standard for non-commercial black
metal. 'High quality' is something bands choose that
aspire a big breakthrough. Let's just say, it's meant to
be easy on the average set of metal ears (and heavy on
their bank account)...
6. The performance switch works the same, working its
way up from 'inadequate' to 'unimpressive' (better but
hardly inspiring to listen further), 'simplified' (which
is the most basic form of black metal), 'traditional'
(the standard for most bands), and 'commercial' (which
could easily be the bottom button, but sometimes still
works for bands).
7. The impression switch goes from 'formulaic'
(predictable, copy-cat) to 'annoying' (often a result of
low ratings in production and impression, or just
annoying in the most literal sense of the word),
'forgettable' (leaving no memory trace of what has just
transpired, which by some is seen as worse than
annoying), 'generic' (okay, but it sounds very familiar),
'good', to 'unique'. Be aware, unique can also tell you
the release is weird as fuck (but not annoying)!
8. The additional genre information bars: this might
be a black metal website, but there are plenty of other
and strange fish in the pond. This gives an indication
what musical label(s) you might attach to the release,
often on top of black metal, but sometimes as a sole
genre.
If you want your material reviewed on www.nlbme.nl, just send an original demo,
single, album, etc. with an explicit request for a
review! This page will be updated, of course. Just keep
in mind: if it's shit, I will write that it's shit... And
logically, only Dutch bands will end up here!
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