Façade

Asgrauw release an album regularly every two years, this is their fifth full-length studio work. Black metal from this Dutch project is interesting for its prioritizing: they seem to be doing some things in a not-so-common manner, but that's what gives them originality. To begin with, two members are responsible for the vocal part, which sounds throughout each song tirelessly (yes, there is a lot of vocals on "Façade"), – Kaos and Vaal. Both voices are quite traditional for black metal, but if Vaal is in charge of a rather middle-of-the-road line, then Kaos is unusually aggressive with his shrieking and rasping vocals, perhaps he surpasses Aldrahn in his best days.

So, Kaos' vocals take all the listener's attention, Asgrauw's music would be perceived fundamentally differently without this "flavor". This is clear from the very first song "Versplinterd hout", built on a melodic and rather simple lead line: because of the harsh vocals the song is perceived as having hidden aggressive meanings that it does not have. Like the whole album.

In its certain parts you can recognize a classic atmospheric black metal manner (pay attention to "Hernemen"), and in some places Asgrauw's music is teetering on the edge of melodic black metal ("Offerande"). When the keyboards come in, an analogy with, for example, Obtained Enslavement ("Zielloos") suggests itself. Although, it must be admitted, this instrument is dosed very moderately, it occupies a modest place in the mix. On top of it all sometimes you can catch some semblance of pagan metal ("Geketend"). That's the kind of music hiding under the vocals.

To be honest, the guitar parts on "Façade" don't make a strong impression in terms of their melodic component. In the penultimate song "As van de doden" we hear almost the only tremolo picking lick/solo on the album. It cannot be called intricate, it just echoes the main tremolo picking lead line. Well, it should be clear: Asgrauw do not need licks or solos. They are fine without them. Their goal is to create an epic atmosphere rather than hook the listener with some piercing melody. That's why guitars give first place to vocals without protest, so we have a provocative mixture of guitar epicness and vocal aggression. This is quite an interesting amalgam.

The progression of riffs and their connecting together seem no less provocative: starting from the first song, sometimes you have to fight with the feeling that the riffs are simply put together without any arrangement idea. Guys got tired of playing the riff and started playing another one – something like that. These sharp jumps from riff to riff can be considered another "schtick" of Asgrauw, by the way. And the provocativeness of such transitions is enhanced by nothing more than a drum part – very often the changes of riffs are not accompanied by fills or breaks, as it is commonly accepted.

In the first half of the album, you involuntarily wonder that the drummer set himself the goal of playing without breaks. Well, you can be sure that Batr knows how to play them: Asgrauw is a project of the same guys who make Meslamtaea (with the exception of Vaal), where they experiment as much as possible, while here they pay tribute to traditions (both folklore and black metal). In Meslamtaea, the drummer does real miracles, but here he just keeps the rhythm well and often changes his patterns at speed. Of course, this also requires skill, but artificially created frames for his abilities are still surprising.

However, when the turn comes to "Tussen willen en kunnen", it can be heard that breaks are still present – but they do not emphasize/accent the music itself but the drum line only, so it seems to live its own independent life. We also hear quite long intense breaks in "Hernemen", and even quite often, but... jumping from one riff to another is still quite painful here! The same can be said about "As van de doden" and "Levenswaan". Well, it is strange, you have to get used to such approach. Yes, this record requires more than one listen, but it's worth it.

Summary. You can find a rather strange interpretation of old school black metal on "Façade". The elements of this canvas are connected in a way that should not be connected at all. But, you know, it works.

The Metal Observer