I have been accused by many people close to me that I am too invested in routine, and anything that gets in the way of that tends to knock me off my comfort. This is a reason why there’s a chance I’m living with undiagnosed ADHD. Anyway, those accusations are correct, as I do tend to freak out if things go away from rigid plans, and I’d be better off taking some chances now and then.

Dutch black metal force Fluisteraars are taking the exact opposite approach with their new album “Gegrepen door de Geest der Zielsontluiking,” a quick follow-up from last year’s awesome “Bloem,” but it’s a completely different beast. The band—vocalist/lyricist B. Mollema and multi-instrumentalist M. Koops—embraced the idea of self-transcendence and animalistic urge, spilling their energies into three swelling tracks that they pulled back on the experimentation and tinkering and instead decided to see through in their rawest form. The band created one song per day, did no overdubs, added no synth, and followed these in their most skeletal form, which turned out to be a brilliant idea. This is an overwhelming record, one that just soars with maximum power.

“Het overvleugelen der meute” opens with a drum roll that reminds me of the theme song for the old World Class Championship Wrestling show, which can only be a good thing. The drumming is great throughout this track, and the playing gushes into the atmosphere, changing in the air, taking on new forms as it goes. The power surges as the howls register, the playing feels like it fires into a cavern, and the noise quivers, rumbling out and bleeding into “Brand woedt in mijn graf” that is frenetic and fluid, mashing out of the gates and ripping into wild howls and swelling melodies. The ambiance is a rush and makes your mind race as tornadic playing and gashing shrieks team up and spit bolts. The music is infused with another gasp of air, feedback simmers, and the noise angles, cooling your flesh and ringing out into the solar system.

“Verscheuring in de schemering” is the 20:15-long closer that starts moody and cold before the guitars charge, and the melody breaks through. The riffs penetrate the earth, and the track begins to rip harder, with the energy surging through your skeletal structure. Cold calm washes over and creates heartfelt playing and vibrant emotion, with the music boiling and the drums blasting bone and teeth. Noises carve as the melodies lather, with the energy making your heart blast. Growls rip as storms swirl, the music fires up heavily, and a gigantic burst of noise picks you up off your feet, leaving you bent in half but ultimately enthralled.

Fluisteraars jumping in with full force, taking things organically, and refusing to overcomplicate things turned out to be for the best as “Gegrepen door de Geest der Zielsontluiking” is a new age for this band, one that hints at an even more daring future. This album opens itself from listen one and swallows you into their world, helping you connect with the same animalistic power that fueled this record. This collection is proof that sometimes throwing the formulas into the trash and following your bristling spirit truly is the way to go, and this unhinged, exciting record provides all the proof anyone really needs.  

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Fluisteraars/

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://store.eisenton.com/

Or here (Europe): https://store.eisenton.de/en/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.eisenton.de/