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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!