Style: prog black metal, post-black metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: White Ward, Thy Catafalque, Enslaved, Mare Cognitum
Country: Netherlands
Release date: 26 April 2024
The Dutch get a bad rap on our blog (see here and here). With several Dutch authors and former authors including our venerated founder, Smiaç [Editor’s note: you see the authority I have here???], there’s a bit of a home-team disadvantage going on it seems. Dystopia want to rewrite that narrative and usher in a new age of Dutch progressive metal on The Progressive Subway with their age-old blend of post- and progressive black metal on fourth album De Verboden Diepte I: Veldslag op de Rand van de Wereld. Can they right the ship for a nation?
“Dood van de Wachters” sure makes a strong case as an opening track with a flurry of blast beats, maelstromic post-black riffs and Dennis Onsia’s passionate vocal performance, gruffly shouting and snarling his soul through the mic. The highlight of the album, though, occurs only a minute and change into the track with a crystal trumpet note from multi-instrumentalist Thomas Cochrane which is accompanied by an anticipatory drum pattern from Cees de Wit reminiscent of Stortregn. The section is startling yet serenely thrumming with energy. The rest of the track consists of unreal lead guitar melodies, part Wills Dissolve and part Mare Cognitum, weaving deceivingly intricate leads in huge tapestries. Similarly, other tracks use guitar parts to crescendo, scorch with fire, noodle, and cause headbanging. All four members of Dystopia have excellent synergy, and they seem to feed off each other’s energy for an electric performance.
For each uniquely Dystopia brass section (there’s a trombone on here in addition to the sublime trumpet) and triumphant melodic riff, I do have to suffer through what I find to be slightly remedial post-black metal. The whole thing is technically wonderful—not to mention produced supremely well: there’s bass!—but frequently I’m waiting for a lead guitar part between more engaging sections to take the place of the pretty standard riffing lacking in melodic or rhythmic interest. Fortunately, I’m never waiting long because Dystopia are masters at transitioning between ideas quickly without feeling like they’re losing track of where the songs are going. For example, “Eerste Enkelen, Toen Honderden, Toe Duizenden” starts with a stank-face heavy riff, transitions between weirdo-French-black-metal-sounding harshes and Jon Aldara-esque (Iotunn) cleans, and then we get a trumpet nicely integrated into the metal. Onsia’s vocals are a huge asset for the band, and the lyrics, which Sam tells me detail some badass things about war and stuff, complete Dystopia’s aesthetic. These guys have a vision and execute it with professionalism.
As in all cases ever, a prim runtime helps De Verboden Diepte I: Veldslag op de Rand van de Wereld remain entertaining throughout its duration except for a hiccup at the end of “Giftige Woorden” where they play around with synths a little too long. Their rapidly evolving song structures also stave off any homogony, and the drumming especially is wildly active, shifting between blasts, fills, and lighter sections with ease. I would quibble that the album is frontloaded, but that’s really just because “Dood van de Wachters” is such a strong opener. I do wish the fuller orchestrated brass section of around 4:00 of “De Val” was utilized more frequently throughout the album because the timbres work really well with the brand of post-black, and slightly more frequent use would help mitigate any possible allegations of being a gimmick. Overall, though, De Verboden Diepte I never overstays its welcome; if anything, I’d want more of certain elements that are too awesome to relegate to only briefer sections—all of which are highlights.
This might be the single highest-rated Dutch album on our blog here, and I think Dystopia are harbingers of a bright new future for the country—particularly if they and Grey Aura can inspire more weird black metal for me to snatch up and review. Sam be damned, great music can come from his homeland [Editor’s note: NOOOOOOO].
Recommended tracks: Dood van de Wachters, Giftige Woorden
You may also like: Grey Aura, Ophiuchi, Crow Black Sky
Final verdict: 7.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Immortal Frost Productions – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
Dystopia is:
– Thomas Cochrane (Guitars, Trumpet, Trombone, Vocals (backing), Bass)
– Dennis Onsia (Vocals (lead), Guitars)
– Cees de Wit (Drums)
– Rick Jongman (Guitars, Vocals (backing))
0 Comments