Album Review: Weemoedsklanken by Meslamtaea (Babylon Doom Cult Records)

Dutch unorthodox black metal project, Meslamtaea, will release their new album titled Weemoedsklanken on the 25th of February via Babylon Doom Cult Records.

In 1998, multi-instrumentalist Floris (Asgrauw, Schavot, Sagenland, Annwfyn) brought forth Meslamtaea. After being the sole member for almost two decades, he decided to expand Meslamtaea with the addition of vocalist Ward (Asgrauw). From this duo sprung the second full-length ‘Niets & Niemendal’ (2019) and a newfound direction: not totally abandoning the Norwegian school of second wave of black metal, but rather progressing naturally and taking cue of bands such as Ulver and Fleurety. This was further emphasized on their third full-length ‘Geketend In De Schaduw Van Het Leven’ (2020), a daring and bleak concept album that fully embraced the unorthodox approach. From odd time signatures to implementing a-typical instruments like a saxophone and a vocoder. That same year the line-up was augmented with Izzy (Detour Doom Ensemble, L’Amara) on flugel, which can be heard throughout Weemoedsklanken.

With guest spots from Otto Kokke (Dead Neanderthals on saxophone), Kevin Kentie (Ibex Angel Order on vocals) and Fraukje van Burg (Doodswens on spoken words) and mesmerising cover art from Maya Kurkuhli (Blackdeath), Weemoedsklanken has a lot of promise.

Weemoedsklanken, which is Dutch for sounds of melancholy, deals with the struggle of time and impermanence, berst described by the creative master behind the group, Floris:

“Again…. yet again I awake in the dead of night, drenched in sweat. Woken by an atrocious autumn storm, pounding on the windows, begging for attention. Gloom…. The changing of the seasons seems to have become a fast repeating ritual. Irreversible. With dazzling speed we’re heading for the inevitable black beacon that marks the end of life. While my hair is gradually turning grey, the colour of the world I’m immersed in. The heart transforms into the shape of cracked ground. The growing realization that there’s no grasp… No grasp on time, that’s been cruel of the ever increasing menacing world. Mother Earth’s antics indicate she’s fed up with it all. And so am I. Meanwhile, time passes by, like the parched leaves blowing against the window. The night is black and I try to fall asleep again. Tomorrow is another day…”

Wemoedsklanken comes with 8 tracks and a healthy 42 minute run time and gets under way with Weemoed. I’m really excited to see what Meslamtaea are all about and that excitement just grows with the gentle, brooding intro music. The melody is dark, mysterious and beautiful and lulls you in with it’s siren like quality. A deep tones guitar joins in, keeping with the morose feel and has you truly hypnotised before a scream of electric guitars shakes you from slumber. While the overall tone of the song – the deep and sensual sounds remains, the added layer of electric guitars screams menacingly at you. Being completely instrumental, it feels a bit like an extended intro to the next song but even so, what an intro that is.

Rad des tijds follows and feels like the same song carrying on from where the electric guitars hit as it literally explodes into life with a ferocious onslaught of ripping vocals and riffing. The vocals have power and passion and sit in the traditional black metal camp so far. The same could be said for the riff which is traditional in feel and impactful. As the song continues, Meslamtaea expand into more progressive territory with a bit of shouted/spoken word and some interesting guitar lines/. A sudden drop into melody works well and breaks the song up as well as giving more attention to the return of the heaviness which comes in a flurry of drums and guitars with screaming vocals over the top.

Grauwe muren carries on the assault with a vicious sounding track that is drenched in emotion. The riff is magical, really elevating the track and working in perfect harmony with the vocals. Lead guitar lines pepper the track adding layer upon layer of top quality music that gets you thinking and headbanging at the same time. Yep, I am multitasking. A morose melodic  intermission leads into a spoken word section before absolutely destroying us with a feverish verse of punchy vocals and explosive riffing. This is seriously impressive music.

Schone lei ensures there is no drop off in quality with a more atmospheric intro containing a steady drum beat, spoken word and an intricate guitar line. That drops into a powerful riff that surely will excite anyone who hears it. Meslamtaea have a lot of tricks up their sleeve and it is really interesting to see and hear how they have managed to incorporate so many progressive elements into songs yet still make them feel traditional, at least at times. Shone lei is a feast of powerful drums and riffs with gaze like lead guitar lines driving the song forwards and a nicely imbedded, fully ferocious vocals stream. I could, and will be, headbanging along to this one for many days to come.

Moegestreden hits instantly with a dark melody that really brings the melancholic feel. When that gets joined by the saxophone it creates a powerful sound that really makes you wonder why brass instruments aren’t used more often in metal. This song though – wow. Talk about having many strings to your bow. It’s difficult to describe, blending so much together but making it work. Punchy, fury verses with guttural roars and blasting drums sit on a bed of morose guitars . It drops into a cleaner section before a guitar slide brings back the fury. A melodic break to really push the sax back to the foreground has real impact. This is brilliant.

Nevelsluiers has a lot to live up to but based on the quality on Weemoedsklanken so far, I have no doubt it will manage it and it does. It’s a bit of a mix of everything heard so far, hitting hard with speed riffs and drums with vocals taking on a nice mix of tones utilising different vocalists. It’s important little switch ups like that which prevent any monotony getting anywhere near this album. Nothing stays the same, it keeps you guessing yet somehow manages to sound safe and familiar. Verstoten follows and has a different intro with off beat rhythms, screamed vocals and a twisting guitar. The track switches into a dark, spoken word style with loads of layered atmospheric backing creating a song that feels very dangerous. It is definitely more progressive, almost quirky, than a lot of what came before on Meslamtaea but in an exciting way.

It is difficult to catch a beat and get your head moving for most of the song as a wall of intensity pushes against you utilising many different instruments and backing vocals. Constant changes in tempo, a return of the brass section and an ending that suddenly erupts into intensity makes this a creative, exciting but not always easy to follow song. I love how it makes me really have to pay attention and leaves me wistful and ponderous. And so we sadly hit the final track, Uiteengevallen. Starting off with a jazz club feel with a gentle melody and that gorgeous saxophone, I feel like putting on my smoking jacket and pulling out a cigar. I am glad I didn’t though as out of nowhere the song transforms into a writing beast with ripping vocals and blistering drum speed.

The guitars switch between the familiar now morose melodic sounds and blistering black metal riffs. Plenty of atmospheric layers get added, not least from the sax while the vocals keep a mix of tones going, occasionally dropping in some gentler backing vocals to add even more depth to the deepest of musical styles. Amazing and I am truly disappointed that Meslamtaea had to end things but at least I have the joy of knowing I can get straight back into it.

Weemoedsklanken is a remarkable album that oozes creativity, excitement and intensity. A supremely talented musician and an excellent cast of guest spots have made this album one that absolutely has to be heard. Packing this much feeling into a song is hard but maintaining that across a whole album is commendable. From the first notes, until the very last, I felt exhilarated and introspective simultaneously. It is black metal, occasionally in the gaze camp, respectful to traditional, Avant Garde in style with a plethora of progressive and technical elements thrown in for good measure. Meslamtaea is an immense album that deserves huge praise.

Do yourself a favour and make sure you check this immense album out. If you can, why not preorder it on LP from Babylon Doom Records by following the link. It is limited to 200 copies so be quick. Or,m from the same label, grab a copy on CD/Digipak if that is your thing from this link though again it is a limited run of only 100 copies. What are you waiting for?

Meslamtaea Links

Facebook – Instagram – Spotify