ALBUM REVIEW: Aan de wormen overgeleverd – Bezwering

Born out of the demise of the excellent Dutch black metal outfit WEDERGANGER, BEZWERING looks to build upon the impressive legacy of that this band left behind. With three of the former band’s past line up within its ranks, and with their excellent Voortekenen demo raising expectations significantly, BEZWERING were quickly able to turn heads, with their first full length, Aan de wormen overgeleverd, probably being one of the strongest debuts by a black metal act in recent memory.

Vredeloos, with its vast guitar sound and hypnotic drumming, eases the listener into the album with an epic slow-burning piece of music. Gradually gathering momentum and morphing to a mid-paced, vicious sounding black metal assault, with shrill vocals and great, groove-laden hooks making for a great start to the record. Nagezeten is more driven and punk inspired. It’s a varied track that is dripping with atmosphere, with some more visceral moments making this song all the more memorable. Rouwstoet makes use of expansive drums and a monolithic guitar sound in order to create a gargantuan, grandiose slab of black metal that begins to incorporate the booming, clean vocals feature prominently, to great effect.

Uitgeteerd has tremolo picked leads and cacophonous moments that make this immediately engrossing, with the song shifting to a frenetic amalgamation of discordant guitars, percussive blasts and haunting vocals that hang over the rest of the music like a thick fog, giving everything a murky feel. Aan gene zijde is a track where the vocals really carry the music, with the acidic hiss providing a great counterpoint to the soaring, bombastic cleans. The music, in particular the thick and powerful guitar flourishes, also sound magnificent. Terror terroris strips back BEZWERING‘s sound to a more primal affair, with bestial vocals complementing the tumultuous approach of the music extremely well.

Geen bloemen op mijn graf with its galloping pace and melody driven leads, is more epic than previous outings, giving the sound a hint of heavy metal and noticeably softer, utilising cleaner guitar tones, providing a great change of pace that works well. Het tweede gezicht, perhaps the song that deviates the most from the album’s style, punctuates a vortex of belligerent, dizzying musicality with eerie ambience. In spite of it’s length, it proves to be one of Aan de wormen overgeleverd‘s more engrossing tracks. Waanzinskolk makes use of a solid groove to give it a much catchier feel, without sacrificing any of the chaotic elements that make this album great. Hazy leads add a disjointed side to this songs sound that works incredibly well, with robust rhythms acting as a great base for the rest of the music.

Aan de wormen overgeleverd is beautifully demented and chaotic from start to finish. Everything about this album is near perfect, from the varied approach of the music to the equally diverse vocal range on display here. BEZWERING have produced an amazing record with Aan de wormen overgeleverd.

Rating: 9/10

Aan de wormen overgeleverd is out now via Ván Records.

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