Wijsgeer & Narreman

At nineteen minutes in length, "Wijsgeer & Narreman" does a great job of demonstrating the sound and style of this new atmospheric act. Though the two guys involved have both been around the Dutch black metal scene for a while, Laster (Dutch for 'Libel') only came together earlier this year. Channelling the sounds such likeminded bands as Burzum, Drudkh, and even Austere, Laster delivers a solid dose of black metal that sounds much larger than nineteen minutes would normally permit.

Stylewise, Laster has planted themselves firmly within atmospheric black metal- 'depressive' black metal, some might call it. There is no sense of darkness or dread in the music. Laster instead craft a tableau of melancholy and introspection. In this sense, this two-piece are doing something that will feel instantly familiar with fans of the style. There are the ebb-and-flow songwriting dynamics, the tortured vocals, and spacious chord progressions that I readily associate with the 'depressive' sound. While originality may not factor into what Laster does, the beauty lies in their skill and execution. Although initial listens finish with the impression that "Wijsgeer & Narreman" is fairly generic and safe with their approach to atmospheric black metal, there is more to it than first meets the ear. As they say, the devil is in the details. Laster's production here is a perfect balance of lo-fi haziness and intelligibility; it's never grinding on the ears, but there's enough fog in the recording to obscure the fine print. Whether it's another layer of guitar, or a touch of reverb that may not have been noticed the first time around, it really gives "Wijsgeer & Narreman" the feeling of replay value that few black metal demos tend to have.

Sadly- in spite of a gorgeous execution and solid sense of composition- Laster's greatest weakness lies in their derivative sound. There's a great deal of beauty in how it all comes together, yet when listening to this, I feel as if I'm window shopping through the catalogues of a few different black metal bands. Burzum and Drudkh are the two big ones; the central riff in "In levenskolken, in dadenstorm" feels practically swiped from Drudkh's "Blood In Our Wells". As a result, I can't say that Laster have made a huge impression with this demo. I'd suspect that this band will find their own identity in the future, however. As it stands, Laster has some great ingredients to work with, and fans of the brooding atmosphere that this style commits so well will be pleased with what this Dutch duo have accomplished.