From Tilburg in the Netherlands, Witte Wieven bring us their first album after almost 10 years of existence. The shadowy dark sounds point us to a deeper underworld on this black post metal work.

So as you’d expect this work is highly atmospheric. Moving from passage to passage, a guitar ring is hidden in the musical equivalent of enveloping black clouds. Appropriately the opening piece is entitled “Ontsponnen uit de Diepte” (Sprung from the Depths). Witte Wieven cleverly blend quieter passages with outbursts of heavy violence and screams, and so keep it interesting. Quiet vocal repetition creates a nightmarish atmosphere as the drum patters steadily and the guitar plays a desultory, grey tun. So is “Koorddanser” (Tightrope Walker). At half way the clouds thicken, and the whole track becomes dense and desperate. Shadowy sounds are a hallmark of this band, and “Drogbeeld” (Delusion) starts with shimmering and sinister menace. I felt as if I was waiting for it to break into life but as I was waiting, there’s a sad sounding ring accompanied by a haunting voice. The ferocity level predictably steps up. A hovering sound comprising the drums and low key guitar send us into another deep and sinister spiral. “Drogbeeld” takes us in a number of directions. It’s all very grey.

I suppose “Het Mistige Zicht” (The Misty View) fits into this world of obscurity. It’s another wrist-slashingly depressing piece. Some may call it beautiful or melancholic, and it’s certainly got bags of atmosphere but all I can feel is despair and emptiness at this view. The haunting moan has an air of Novembre but there’s no colour whatsoever in this world. There’s no ray of hope. At least that’s the way I see it. By now it’s almost become a dirge so I was rather glad of the explosion on “Kringen” (Circles). It returns quickly to heavy hardship. It’s like having the weight of the world on your shoulders. “Met Beide Benen in het Niets” (With Both Feet in Nothing) is an intriguing track title. There’s an awful lot of nothing being portrayed, atmospherically speaking, on this album. In this case, there is build up in traditional post metal style culminating in frantic instrumentals and blood-curdling, haunting screams. We then set off down a cold and melancholic path with heavy sounds and distant ghostly vocals coming in to reinforce the despair and hopelessness that runs through this atmospheric work.

Musically “Dwaalicht” is fine. Seriously dark and gloomy in its heavy post metal way, whilst I appreciated its grey nuancing, I confess that I also found it hard going rather than inspiring. But then it was never intended for a commercial audience.

(7/10 Andrew Doherty)

https://www.facebook.com/wittewievenofficial

https://babylondoomcultrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dwaallicht