Herfstdood – Lijdensweg
Herfstdood – Lijdensweg
SneeuwStorm Produkties
Release Date: 10/02/24
Running Time: 37:22
Review by Oli Gonzalez
7/10
My quest to scour the globe for the finest black metal talent has led me to The Netherlands, home of Herfstdood, the brain child and solo project for the one who simply refers to oneself as ‘A’. A is a veteran of the scene in and around the region, having made in multiple black metal bands for over quarter of a century. Shrouded in mystery is the project, as there’s no social media (at least that I’m aware of) for the band. Now we’re on the eve of the group’s latest album Lijdensweg. Originally recorded in 2021, this is actually the second recording and what A believes to be a much better overall product. A product sound centred in the atmospheric and blackened gaze style of the black metal genre. Let’s get into it…
As much as I hate to begin on a negative, ‘Alles Wat Uit Onze Handen Is’ is a fairly poor start to the album. I wasn’t really seeing any of those aforementioned elements, and just thought the song was poorly produced and the vocals were crazy overpowering. However, ‘Onheilstijding’ was a lot more encouraging and much better! I was immediately drawn to the guitar tone which was frankly just straight up gorgeous! The vocals of A sat much better in the mix too, thus better production. I’d compare the sound to that of other blackend gaze bands, such as Sylvaine.
‘Lijdensweg’ takes on a more traditional black metal vibe, and a slightly more dissonant and melancholy undertone, but still with some phenomenal guitar work taking centre stage. ‘Woudtocht’ continues with the melancholy with what is truly moody and serotonin draining experience. I mean this in all the best way of course! We move into a more ambient vibe in ‘Verdronken in het Noodlot’, reminiscent of Aggaloch. This went down very well with me. While I found myself banging along to some of those groovier passages in ‘Eindigheid’, demonstrating some versatility in compositional approach.
At this stage, I was curious to hear what Herfstdood would sound like if they were an instrumental band or just did one or two tracks without vocals. The album’s final track ‘Vergaan door Bittere Dagen’ is in large part an instrumental. It makes me wonder if they should try one in the future, one where his superior guitar talent can be shone in the brightest of lights. After all, it is guitar masterclass here. Sadly though, this feels more like a demo of guitar talent rather than a full composition and complete album. The production suffers and it seems as though the rhythm section is neglected at times. Nonetheless, this was still an enjoyable listen and I know I’ll make my way back to.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Alles Wat Uit Onze Handen Is
02. Onheilstijding
03. Lijdensweg
04. Woudtocht
05. Verdronken in het Noodlot
06. Eindigheid
07. Vergaan door Bittere Dagen
LINE-UP:
A – Everything
LINKS:
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