ALBUM REVIEW: Van De Mare Bereen – Nachtmaer
Our subject of dissection on today’s menu is The Mare. Originating from German and Slavic folklore where a malicious entity rides on the chest of its victims while they sleep, covering them in a blanket of nightmares, they’re often associated with horses and have been known to shape-shift into these magnificent creatures of nature. Countless recollections have stated that when The Mare would attack its victims – human or animal – it would leave knots and strange tangles in their hair.
This folklore sparked the idea behind NACHTMAER‘s Van De Mare Bereen (Ridden by the Mære). A project from KLUDDE‘s Wim Callebaut with the intention of “telling different stories involving this European mythological creature and related topics such as dreams, sleep paralysis and the succubus/incubus” through “four epic songs of traditional and atmospheric Black Metal, with a sound deeply rooted in the second wave of Black Metal.” The second wave of black metal was known for taking the blueprint set by bands such as CELTIC FROST, BATHORY and MERCYFUL FATE and amplifying the dark lyrical themes often associated with Satanism and creating these ominous atmospheric tones alongside crushing blast beats, agonising screams and panic swept tremolo riffs, birthing iconic bands like MAYHEM, DARKTHRONE and EMPEROR. Keeping this in mind, do NACHTMAER achieve what they set out to create with this stunning album? The answer, of course, is yes.
We open with Marevlechten which tells the story of a Mare who haunts a horse stable; it terrorises the stable where the horses are found by their farmer the following morning, restless and in knots. Sonically, this song starts off with a rather alluring ambient soundscape that builds this anticipation that you’re waiting to finally cut through and when it does you’re met with this screech of horror – dread even – alongside this repetitive china cymbal that bursts through the noise creating a sense of urgency. The most captivating moment of this track however is the song gradually pacing from this impending doom trance-like state into this disorderly chaos, the drums almost translating into these gallops with the background ambience of the synths illuminating this sense of sunrise approaching through a stained glass window of a church – the nightmare reaching its end.
However, as one nightmare ends another begins with Mijn Vlucht Door De Nacht where its victim is turned into a horse and must embark on a horrific journey in their sleep induced state. This track wastes no time in kicking straight into a fast-paced nature which contrasts that of the previous track. It hits tones of looming danger and this melancholic drone of pain and sorrow with this underlying feeling of hope. Only two tracks in and Callebaut has proven to be force to be reckoned with in his ability to create imagery through music but also to capture emotions perfectly that you don’t mind not understanding the lyrics or context because you feel it. Acharantis’ (SOUL DISSOLUTION, L’HIVER EN DEUIL) menacing laughter and cry of agony as the song closes leave a strong impression, encapsulating the true nature of The Mare and the helpless victim waking up from this horrific experience.
I Am The Nightmare is written from both The Mare and the victim’s perspective, coming across like a Jekyll and Hyde scenario where both their thoughts get lost and transcend into madness. It has an unsettling presence from the first strike of one guitar chord to the next, and there’s a slow, chaotic build until everything gets lost in this sphere of sound, this continuous synth almost sounding like a choir and screams of insanity simultaneously with the brutal lows displayed by Ronarg (ANTZAAT, ARS VENEFICIUM).
The true star of this album is its closer De Drievoudschart. Instead of being built on a mythological story, it was inspired by a real life event experienced by Ugluk (DISSOLVE PATTERNS, ex KLUDDE) – a single night where he lay paralyzed in bed, hearing scratches on his closet with no determined cause for what – or who – did it. Perhaps what brings out the authenticity of this track is the personal experience, the visceral anguish in his voice from start to finish. At times Ugluk has an old school thrash rasp to his voice; his lows arise straight from the pits of hell and his highs are full of despair. The synth outro however adds this nostalgic feeling of watching an 80s horror movie where the evil entity stalking its main character has finally been defeated, the sun rises in the distance as you step outside and hear the birds chirping. It’s otherworldly but there hangs this looming presence: are they dead? Are they not? Is there a jump scare? Is there not? Guess we’ll have to wait for the sequel to answer that.
In conclusion, this album tells a cohesive storyline from beginning to end in such a captivating way. The production value of this record is very raw; the guitars are entrancing where there are slower riffs and striking when they’re fast-paced, full of tremolo picking which is very common throughout black metal, and the vocals are rough in the mix which adds to this feeling of uncertainty. This is further provided by the distorted, muddy drum mix accompanied by the continuous bash of cymbals poking through that may sound poor in quality but really do bring that old school feel of this album. The only critique to make is that the only vocalist who truly shines on this record is Ugluk and whilst Cerulean (KLUDDE, TOORN), Acharantis and Ronarg provide some great screams, they all felt very similar – to the point that it is hard to decipher these as three different vocalists featured on each track. However, this album is a perfect fit in the collection for those of you who want that nostalgic old school sound, something that fills the need for honest, raw emotions captured through sound.
Rating: 8/10
Van De Mare Bereen is out now via Thenra Collectivum.
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