Ah more sweet suffering and this time it is from Belgium and a band who are not the easiest to sum up. Basically, on the strength of third album Stilte they like starting things off slowly, drawing the listener in and raising the tempo gradually into a seething mass a long way from its calm origins. It’s a bit like a cat playing with a mouse in some regards, cruel and unnecessary though that is, it is certainly all about the suffering, so in many ways it’s an apt name for a band mixing doom and blackness like this one. Past releases including a split with Marche Funèbre have seen the group entitling things in English but this time around it is Flemish used to spread their miserable ‘Silence’ Let’s enter their chamber of tortures and see just what they have in store to inflict us with?
Strangulation could be the first method as ‘Geen helden meer’ translates to No More Heroes (apologies a cheap pun) and it like the following three numbers is of an epic 10 minute or so duration which sees notes wrung out and melody that is if anything quite Gothic seeping out. It certainly entrances as it shimmers away and a gorgeous somewhat proggy refrain gradually enters the fray before the vocals and boost in tempo via the drums crunch in. Whatever language ex Paragon Impure vocalist PJ is adopting the anguish, pain and indeed suffering behind them is more than obvious. This is hefty and billows out the speakers with a huge sense of drama, the melody twisting and turning hypnotically around the distempered roars and growls leaving you practically suffocating and breathing finally as it all comes to conclusion. The calm again before the next storm sees guitar work with a bit of a Nephilim feel to it as ‘De eenzame veroveraar’ The Lonely Conqueror takes form. Out story teller is quick to enter stage left and one can imagine him on his throne wringing hands over a kingdom strewn with dead bodies. He may have conquered but at what cost? Doom and gloom is however quite gorgeous via the involving instrumental passages and the players have you in their grip. I’m sure lyrics would help but this is one you can easily make your own Shakespearean tragedy up to go along with it. At around the half-way mark some blasts and heaving energy is fired up and the blackness spreads carrying you off on its thunderous ride just about hanging on by your coattails. Impressive stuff.
Flipping the side, ‘Woestenij der rust’ ‘Wasteland Of Tranquillity’ flirts between styles and has some complex guitar work and moments of groove through the riffing structures. A battering is given with some cracking drums and the vocals are as strident and expressive as ever. Some lyrics are at hand here and speak for themselves on translating “Rest is not granted to me I look around in amazement nothing around me But so much to see Blinded by the sun I see my loss.” Pain and bitterness is our despot’s lot and as he roars and groans away you can’t help but feel a bit sorry for him. The title track is far from ‘Silence” but settles back a little on the doomy instrumental flow, vocals joining in to bring things slowly to an enthralling conclusion; or so you would have thought. However, there is a shorter instrumental number of post metal and classic sounding guitar in the form of ‘Weerloos in het ijle’ ‘Defenceless In The Thin Air.’ It catches very much off guard as stylistically very different. Perhaps the band thought we needed some real calmness at the end of things, maybe it is saying “to be continued?” For now though, our tale is at an end and captivating and skilfully rendered it has been. We have definitely suffered along to the band’s art along with them.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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