ALBUM REVIEW: Façade – Asgrauw
The latest offering to drip from the repugnant vault of Death Prayer Records is the fifth effort by Dutch black metal maniacs ASGRAUW. Titled Façade, the album follows on from 2020’s Isvjal, with the band purportedly spending the entire pandemic dedicated to writing the best follow-up possible. Those are very definitely fighting words, but how will the final output hold up?
ASGRAUW are evidently keen to kick things off, as Versplinterd Hout doesn’t bother with anything as fluffy as an intro piece, instead tearing immediately loose and cutting through the listener like an icy gust. The music on display here is on excellent form, offering a progressive but far from self-indulgent take on an already well-trodden formula, with Vaal’s unique vocals drawing the listener in and tight musicianship and highly original flair to hook them. If you need a particular example of this, listen closely to the drum work.
Moving swiftly onward, Geketend shows off the clear punk influence present in ASGRAUW‘s sound, with some of the riffs and particularly moments of the dual vocal performance sounding like some of the snottiest, dirtiest and most vitriolic BATHORY worship that exists, yet they are firmly crammed between moments of truly cosmic black metal. As we move into Zielloos, it becomes clear that this crusty element is not just a blip. It starts aggressively and, if taken out of context, could almost sound like a half decent hardcore record. Of course though, it is thoroughly peppered with battering esotericism throughout.
It should be noted at this point that two of the members of ASGRAUW also play in MESLAMTAEA, black metal’s flugelhorn-toting weirdos. Needless to say, Façade runs rings around the recent Weemoedsklanken, showcasing a more focused, coherent and intriguing effort all-around. This becomes particularly apparent towards Façade’s back half. Starting with Offerande, which presents sheer black metal misery, all blastbeats, tremolo and nihilism until the midriff, which sounds like a particularly aggressive dutch Oi! band. You can almost see the spit flying. Once again though, possibly the best aspect of this track is the drumming. Batr has well and truly stolen the show so far, proving that when it comes to this particular subgenre, your drummer really can make or break your whole band. Tussen Willen En Kunnen, the album’s second single, is an exercise in pure, screeching vitriol. Savage riffs, thunderous rhythms and vocals that sound like they’re coming from someone who is genuinely trying to kill and eat you. Tremendous stuff.
Hernemen is a possible contender for Façade’s best track. It is largely straightforward compared to its predecessors, but still offers a fresh take on a tried-and-true formula. Here we find a collection of icy tremolo riffs rimed like frost around blastbeats that at the correct volume could easily shake loose the fillings from your teeth. The speed is cranked up even further on As Van De Doden, which makes for a vicious hyperspeed bombardment that even manages to avoid becoming grating. The track is clearly very well thought through and isn’t just blasts for the sake of blasts, instead radiating melody and atmosphere from its nuclear core.
Coiling up like an improperly handled viper for its final assault on the eardrums we find Levenswaan. Like all great closers, This is something of a melding together of all the elements that have made the past 32 minutes so very enjoyable. Here we find interesting vocals, sharp guitar lines, smouldering heaps of melody and most importantly, phenomenal drum work. It then leaves just as abruptly as it came, presumably leaving the listener with mouth agape, wondering what has just happened to them.
Overall, Façade is ASGRAUW on top form. It’s an album that pushes the boundaries, being progressive without being self-indulgent. It’s easily recognisable as black metal, playing with all the familiar conventions but piling different influences and non-traditional elements in. It’s what the shared members likely tried to do with MESLAMTAEA, but a more restrained version, demonstrating the old adage the less can very definitely be more. In short, it’s very, very good.
Rating: 9/10
Façade is set for release on October 7th via Death Prayer Records.
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