Laster are a, (sort of), black metal band from the Netherlands and this is their fourth album.
It’s been a while since I’ve caught up with Laster. 2017’s Ons Vrije Fatum, to be precise, (with 2014’s De Verste Verte Is Hier and their 2016 split with Wederganger before that). Since then they’ve had another album, (and an EP), that I haven’t heard, but that apparently saw an increase in the avant-garde and experimental aspects of their sound. So what does Andermans Mijne present us with?
Something quite different, is the initial answer; this is not the same Laster I knew previously. Although I really enjoyed the expressive atmospheric black metal that the band used to play, this new album showcases an evolution that’s a far more individual affair, and stands out from the blackened crowds quite significantly.
Andermans Mijne is a 44-minute riot of colour and sound. This is an album of idiosyncratic avant-garde material, one that still shares common ground with its black metal foundations, yet has also broken free of them in many, many respects. In 2023 Laster share more in common with the atypical innovators of the scene, rather than your generic hordes. Theirs is a feast of avant-garde, progressive postblack metal, and is likely to find favour with fans of acts such as Arcturus, White Ward, Sigh, Blut Aus Nord, Furia, Ulver, Imperial Triumphant, etc.
The songs are atypical hymns to lesser known cosmic entities. Andermans Mijne is clearly designed to get you moving, and it succeeds remarkably easy. It’s surprisingly festooned with hooks too; some are obvious and bold, whereas others are more subtle and reveal themselves fully over time. Either way, this is an infectious collection of songs, despite, (actually, because of), their individual nature.
An acquired taste for sure, but a delicious one. Andermans Mijne was not the record I thought I would get from Laster, but it’s one that I apparently sorely needed.
Very highly recommended for fans of the labyrinthine, twisted, multifaceted dance music.
Wonderbox Metal 
3 thoughts on “Laster – Andermans Mijne (Review)”