Witte Wieven are a black metal band from the Netherlands and this is their debut album.
Featuring a member of Freja, Dwaallicht contains 41 minutes of atmospheric black metal with post-rock, shoegaze, and doom elements. The new material lasts 32 minutes, and consists of the first five tracks. The remaining track is a live version of an older song, for some reason.
The music is well-crafted and blends the harsh and the beautiful to create an absorbing collection of tracks. Witte Wieven structure the music so that it flows well, taking a textured approach to well-rounded songwriting. The music has a strong presence, benefiting from both atmosphere and emotion to deliver music that transports the listener to the band’s mist-shrouded world.
Witte Wieven’s atmospheric black metal is very enjoyable, and uses its post-rock influences well. The songs explore a range of sounds, ideas, and feelings as they unfold, never being afraid to drop the distortion to lay bare the bones of their emotive framework. Dwaallicht can certainly be aggressive and fiery, but it’s predominantly disposed to the building and sustaining of mood and atmosphere over anything else. Of course, the harsher aspects of the music have their part to play in this too, frequently acting as counterpoints to the doomy lighter sections, or as a release after an emotive build up.
These songs are very engaging and structured in such a way that they easily hold the listener’s attention with their well-thought-out layout and atmospheric dynamics. Whether it is sparse ethereal atmospherics with haunting clean singing, or menacing heaviness with piercing blackened screams, the band’s output is never less than high quality. Dwaallicht offers an absorbing journey for the listener to lose themselves in, and it’s a journey very worth taking.
Witte Wieven have produced one of the most captivating atmospheric black metal releases that I’ve come across in a while. If this is a style that you’re a fan of, then Dwaallict is an essential listen.
Wonderbox Metal 