Satansplaag

Haatstrijd, or "Hatebattle" is one of the best things I have discovered thus far in the black metal area, this EP, Satansplaag, or "Satan's plague" is the first album I have heard of them, and thus the first one I am going to review.

The first thing that I notice, and what makes this band so special, are the vocals. The vocals sound a little like death metal vocals, but they can compete easily with the vocals you hear a lot in black metal. These vocals are still very good to listen at, and surprisingly enough, it doesn't sound less like black metal to me. In fact, the vocals add to the whole atmosphere of black metal. The lyrics take us to dark places, with lots of shadows and lots of death. The guitars make it sound a little medieval, which is quite an accomplishment, seeing as they don't use instruments apart from guitars, bass, drums and vocals.

The only downside that I can discover in this album, is probably the length. It is just way too short. When I heard the first 30 seconds, I already wanted it to go on for a long time, which it didn't. That's why I just can't give it a full 100%, because apart from it being perfect musically, it must also be at least good in length. But because this is far from the most important thing that music has to offer to me, I am still willing to give it 97%, and to recommend this to everybody who has the luck to come across it.