For those looking for a decidedly different take on black metal, Duister Maanlicht is back with their ninth album, this time combining some punk/hardcore/metal influences with their more traditional stripped down black metal. I feel a bit ashamed to say this, but I wasn’t keenly aware of the Dutch black metal scene, one that Duister Maanlicht has been making noise in for the last 22 years or so. Over the years since 2000 the band has gained a decent bit of notoriety in the Netherlands, especially have been labeled at one point as a “Christian” black metal band, much to the ire of other black metal bands. The band itself has released 9 albums over the course of their existence with American label Vision of God Records most recently releasing their last two efforts Naar de Hel me Hen! and Influisterignen van de Duivel. This most recent album, Influisterignen… is focused on the concept of evil, the responses to it, and what happens when we as humans put ourselves at the center of existence. Dark themes for sure from this band that some say now describes themselves as “anti-pagan”.
Having never heard Duister Maanlicht before, I just fired up this album and immediately was greeted with the traditional sounds of stripped down black metal…droning guitars, blast beats, and gravelly, guttural vocals, but then the song adopted a bit of a melodic punk vibe and left me wondering what was going on. I will say the rough production suits the punk sections better on this album at least to my ears and makes the listening a bit easier, because let’s face it, black metal can be a bit tough to take in large doses and I’m a fan.
“Ketterjacht” makes for a good single or at least video clip for the album as it even starts out with the melodic punk rock feel that veers toward Motorhead or Discharge. The droning black metal guitars do come in but from time to time but there is no escaping the odd blend of styles in this song. Vocals again all in Dutch are simply rough and grating.
“Platvloers en Plompverloren” begins with a lot of guitar noise that reminds me of some demo quality punk rock I had on cassette tape back in the 1980s before settling back into traditional black metal. In some ways, I do with the production was a bit better on the album even if it was left purposefully rough as I’d love to be able to hear the drums a bit better.
Many of the songs on the album adopt a structure similar to the first track where raw black metal dominates but the monotony that can happen with other bands is broken up by sections of melodic punk/metal while other songs like “Volsverlakkerij” similar to “Ketterjacht” reverses that formula and lets the punk/metal drive the song, all of which keeps the listener guessing.
The epically long “De Alruin” closes out the album and starts out with just an ominous bass note played slowly much like the intro to the classic anthem “No More” by Black Flag. Then the guitars come in playing a mid-tempo riff equally as ominous before the song picks up with blast beats and droning guitars, settling into black metal until about the halfway mark where there is just bass and clean guitars playing quietly alongside keyboards for a bit. This pleasant interlude, which is reminiscent of hardcore from the late 80s, doesn’t last long as distorted guitars come in over the top and it eventually falls back to the black metal until abruptly switching back to the bass and clean guitars to close out the album
Duister Maanlicht have managed to create an album that has left me wondering if it falls into black metal with punk/metal influences or is it a punk/metal album that has some serious black metal influences. Personally, for me, I would have liked to see the punk influences become more pronounced as there are some great parts. While certainly not for everyone, Influisteringen van de Duivel is an album to experience as it challenges your preconceived ideas about black metal and punk.
Rating: 7/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
- Verweerd en Zwartgeblakerd
- Ketterjacht
- Platvloers en Plompverloren
- Bedriegers, Kwakzalvers, die Verdoemde Hekserij!
- Ontaard, Zedeloos en Goddeloos
- Volksverlakkerij
- Het Oog van de Storm
- De Alruin
Band Members
Heidendoder – All instruments, vocals
Release Date: October 22, 2021
Record Label: Christian Metal Underground Records
Weblinks: Facebook / Bandcamp
Lyric Video for ‘Ketterjacht’