Category: Reviews

Release date: 02-06-2023

Man As Plague have been around for a while, with their debut album “Aftermath” hitting the scene back in 2015. Now, the band is set to unleash their third album, a release we’ve been waiting for. While the pandemic may have put a halt to most live performances, it also gave the band more than enough time to refine and craft new tracks. They’re preparing to unleash their music with full force later this week at their own mini-festival, aptly named Plague Fest vol. 1, with hopes of many more volumes to come. We were lucky enough to be able to hear the full album before the release.

Release date: 03-03-2023

It took me some time to review this album. I had valid reasons for the delay, but the primary cause was my mixed feelings about it. Neverus made a strong entrance into the Dutch Metal Scene. When I heard the track Banish and Burn, I was sold already and couldn’t wait for the album. Mournful March even topped that for me. And I have to say, when I heard the first tunes from ‘On this Mountain Peak’ I loved the idea that the orchestral version of Banish and Burn was the opener of their album. And then it … kinda stopped for me. While there are impressive tracks on the album, I’m uncertain about the album as a whole. Let’s dive into Neverus and what they have to offer, and come to a final conclusion. 

Last Saturday, the 6th of May, it was time to party in a small town near Arnhem called Westervoort. For the 6th time, Metalfest No Sleep was being held at Zalencentrum Wieleman. We were lucky enough to be a part of the party. With perfect festival weather for most of the day, I’m sure everyone was looking forward to having a good time. In this review, we’ll talk a bit about how Metalfest No Sleep got started. We’ll also give an overview of the Dutch bands that played at the festival.

Release date: 20-04-2023

Headless Hunter is a 5-piece thrash-metal band from Eindhoven. They are guaranteed to fuck up the stage live, with a ton of energy and a great live set. For that reason, the band was picked to compete and get to the semifinals for the Dutch Wacken Metal Battle this year. The band has been working on this debut album the past two years. With two album release shows upcoming, we’re looking forward to a lot of moshing to these new tracks. However, there are a lot of thrash metal bands, even in the Netherlands, so we are curious to see how Headless Hunter sets itself apart. What makes them unique? And more importantly, do we like this album? 

Release date: 01-02-2023

Kletus. However similar the name might sound to Primus, they are nothing like it. I heard some similarities when hearing the first tones of their latest album, To Distrust. That went out the window quickly though. Kletus is extreme, brutal, loud, and structured chaos. Deathcore at its core, Kletus brings a shit-ton of noise to the stage. Let’s dive into this album and see what we like. 

Release date: 24 maart 2023

Hypnosomnia, the first full-length of Dutch Trash/Death metal band Black Rabbit, has been 9 years in the making. The band started out in 2014 in Apeldoorn with Jelle and Hidde, and a few line-up changes later we have this conceptual DIY work of art called Hypnosomnia. True, they released an EP in 2020, but this is the first full-length the band released and we can’t wait to dissect and devour it. 

Releasedate: 20 september 2022

Jahat might be a relatively new band (well, they’ve been around for a while by now), however, its’ members have been in various other well-known bands. Their experience in music shows in the professional sound and well-structured songwriting. Their debut album Defecation Syncope got released in September last year, but since we didn’t get around to it then, we’ve reviewed it now. Let’s dive into the songs and see what we think!

releasedate: february 27th 2023

Von Mollestein is a heavy force to reckon with in the Netherlands. They describe themselves as ‘Aggrotech meets black metal’. Dark, black, harsh, with the necessary industrial vibes. And not only their music is dark. Von Mollestein has a dark horror themed stage presence that translates live as well as it does in their weird, deliberately low key crazy, youtube video’s. They’ve created an image and they’re sticking with it quiet well. And whether you like it or not, Von Mollestein will trample over you no matter what. 

releasedate: 23 februari 2023

Heidevolk, Dutch pagan/folk legends since they first released their music, are back. And back with a vengeance! It has been 5 years since the release of their latest album Vuur van Verzet, and a lot has happened in those years. Not only the worldwide pandemic but also internally. In 2020, former vocalist Lars decided to leave the band, which led the band on the search for a new vocalist. That place has been filled by Daniel Wansink. Heidevolk has had a couple of changes in their line-up in the past so far, but let’s hope the current line-up will stay for a while, as this latest album sounds epic.