Dutch black metal project Duister Maanlicht is back with Woud van de Kwade Geest,  their 10^th album, bringing a more stripped down interpretation of the genre than on their previous album Influisterignen van de Duivel.

Duister Maanlicht has been a part of the Dutch black metal scene for more than 20 years and releasing now 10 albums.  Along the way the band has picked up some notoriety in the scene due to being labeled as a “Christian” band who have been recently described as “anti-pagan”.  As one would expect, subject matter tends to be somewhat dark and often focused on the concept of evil in some respect.

While the previous album, Influisterignen van de Duivel,  featured influences and elements that included punk and hardcore, the first track on Woud van de Kwade Geest, “ Grauw is het Pad door de Koude” stays traditional stripped down black metal from start to finish complete with blast beats, droning guitar, and the deep, growled and near shriek-like vocals. “Kraaien van de Kluizenaar” does shift things up a bit at the 1:30 mark throwing in a near groove riff before rejoining the droning guitar and blast beats that nearly finish out the song before the groove returns briefly.  This formula repeats itself on the rest of the tracks on the album, which does make them a challenge to differentiate.  That being said, the title track which closes out the album, does abruptly shift into an acoustic section, before abruptly shifting again into a slower, more plodding like section to close out the last 1:30 of the song.

Production is minimal on the album and overall the songs have that cold feel to them that can induce a sense of dread, perfect for stripped down black metal, but a bit distant from the likes of Antestor and others who bring in more complex arrangements and symphonic elements.

For those looking for something different in the tracks on the album, you will run into challenges as the songs tend to sound the same and are arranged similarly. On the previous album, Influisteringen van de Duivel, there was much more variety in the songs and the added elements were abundant to the point where I was debating how to properly classify it in terms of dominant style.  Some of those elements are here on Woud van de Kwade Geest,  but the album stays much closer to a traditional version of stripped-down black metal.

Rating: 6.5/10

Written by John Jackson

Tracklist

1. Grauw is het Pad door de Koude
2. Kraaien van de Kluizenaar
3. Heidense Zwartkunst
4. Stilte in de Desolate Duisternis
5. Handlangers van het Kwaad
6. Woud van de Kwade Geest

Band Members
Heidendoder – All instruments, vocals

Release Date: March 4, 2023

Record Label: Independent

Weblinks: Facebook / Bandcamp

Video for ‘Grauw is het Pad van de Koude’