Love and intimacy don’t come up a whole lot with the records we write about here and with the bulk of heavy music releases that arrive each year. The earlier days of heavy metal would entertain these topics more regularly, but as this form of music has gotten darker and more dangerous, these themes have gone by the wayside.

Dutch power Vuur & Zijde (translates to “fire and silk”) brings that long-forgotten theme back into our consciousness on their great debut “Boezem” (translates to “bosom”), a nine-track, 46-minute full-length. Conditional and unconditional love, intimacy, and the bonds of motherhood are major parts of this record, which is something you won’t find in many other places. The band—vocalist Famke Canrinus, guitarist/synth player Nicky Heijmen, guitarist Carmen Raats, bassist Sylwin Cornielje, drummer Richard Japenga—bring experience from other metallic units including Terzij de Horde, Silver Knife, Witte Wieven, Grey Aura, and others, though they have evened out their more black metal strains and colored them with various shades of grey. There is a deep post-punk vibe interwoven into these songs, and they could just as easily find favor among metalheads as they could a goth audience or someone into Cocteau Twins. Canrinus’ vocals are sung in Dutch and Frisian, a language still spoken in a few Dutch and German areas.

“Onbemind” is gothy and hazy, Canrinus’ singing chilling flesh, eventually exploding and gushing with new energy. The drums blast as a gazey wonder spreads, the singing adding grey hues, punching and melting into a hum. “Zusterzon” brings darkness amid bending basslines, the singing luring you into a trap. Cloud coverage increases as Canrinus’ vocals numb, the moodiness lurking consistently, the tempo staying active and pumping blood until every element settles into ash. “Ús” is dreary as the singing chills, guitars dripping and creating a mist, gliding through the shadows. The playing hypnotizes, Canrinus’ words coursing through veins, and then the sounds corrode, the pressure thickening before dissolving. “Onbemind” brings a vibrant pace, the playing charring as the guitars thicken, the singing sweeping through dimensions. A catchy, driving pace gets the waters flowing with greater force, the playing overtaking with colors before splitting into static.

“Kuier” opens amid nighttime keys, a cold wave going through you as speaking sends strange sensations, the fog thickening as rain lands harder, compromising your vision. Weirdness eats away at your psyche, red and orange hues brushing the horizon. “II” has guitars playing tricks, the singing glazing, and the smearing melodies reminding of the glory days of the 4AD label. Synth zaps as the bass recoils, Canrinus’ singing again carrying the emotion, encircling into a frosty landing spot. “Nest” punches harder, a more metallic approach increasing the thorniness. Strong vocals prod as the guitars get mightier, the playing haunting as the echoes ring out, the backbone solidifying, a stirring tempo taking over as the final strains bleed away. “Adem” has a strong post-punk vibe, the bass chugging as the guitars get more devious. An icy strangeness works through your cells, the tempo getting your adrenaline going, the guitars merging with an oncoming storm. Closer “Naakt” brings a guitar haze and belting singing, the playing basking in a fog as the pace buzzes. The heat increases as the vocals dig their claws into muscle, the bass doubles down, and spirited woah calls create sparks, slowly dissolving into dreams.

Vuur & Zijde not only branch further than any metallic boundaries, they also refuse to back down from genre cliches by embracing the themes of love with enthusiastic darkness. “Boezem” certainly plays well in heavier music spaces, but there’s so much more going on here, a rushing world where nurturing and intimacy are embraced, celebrated, and put on full display. This is an exciting, shadowy record and band that, even if the language barrier prevents you from understanding the words, the emotion and themes easily get past all of that and give you a new understanding of what’s possible in heavy music.

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

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://us.spkr.media/us/Artists/Vuur-Zijde/

Or here (Europe): https://en.prophecy.de/en/Artists/Vuur-Zijde/

For more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/