Kludde are a Belgian sludge/post-black metal band and this is their third album.
After the enjoyable In de Kwelm from back in 2019, Kludde are back with 39 minutes of new material on De Horla. On their latest album Kludde have expanded on their sludge metal influences and have incorporated a more atmospheric approach to their blackened style.
De Horla is an album of mood and dark presence, but also soul-searing hostility. The songs are multifaceted and broadly textured, seeing Kludde branch out from their second wave black metal influences quite considerably in places. The sludge, progressive, doom, and post-metal styles are all now much more of a part of Kludde’s rich sound, making for an unexpectedly diverse and absorbing listen.
The songs on De Horla still have a virulent black metal core, but this has been enhanced with the greater breadth of influences mentioned above. These new tools – hinted at in the past – have arrived fully formed and startlingly effective. Amidst the blackened aggression lie entire stretches of music that owe little to black metal at all, and yet everything here fits together seamlessly and holistically. The songs are constructed with flowing atmospheric depth in mind, and De Horla is very well-realised.
As mood-rich as this album is, this is atmosphere with bite, and the band’s aggressive edge is never too far away. Kludde’s murderous intensity is as well-developed as their more nuanced aspects, making for a well-rounded work that soars to the heavens as well as causing carnage in the gutter.
De Horla is a well-considered and well-crafted concept album that clearly has had a lot of time, passion, and energy poured into it. The results are impressive. Kludde’s latest release is a frightening beast of gnarled teeth and unexpected diversity.
Don’t miss out on this.
Wonderbox Metal 