Country: Netherlands
Genre: Black metal
Full Length: De Verboden Diepte II: De Weg van de Meeste Weerstand
Format: Digital, digipack CD, vinyl (see Bandcamp link for more information)
Label: Immortal Frost Productions
Release date: March 27, 2026
Dystopia maintains the raw, cold essence of bands like Darkthrone, Aura Noir, Gorgoroth, and Urgehal, while introducing luminous, serene windscapes to autumnal landscapes where summer wanes, skies turn grey, days shorten, and melancholy and introspection set in as the distant approach of winter is announced. Their fifth full length album “De Verboden Diepte II: De Weg van de Meeste Weerstand” breathes life and vitality into those cold, dark places, indicating those landscapes are not dead but at rest. Life persists in seemingly lifeless or forgotten landscapes; you just have to know where to search for it.
This is the second in a series of concept albums by the band, the title translated as "Forbidden Depths." Starting with “De Verboden Diepte I: Veldslag op de Rand van de Wereld” (released in 2024), they embarked on a progressively slower, deeper journey designed to immerse you in unearthly domains somewhat like the ethereal plains in Dante Alighieri’s "The Divine Comedy." Unlike Dante’s travels through Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradisio, Dystopia consolidates damnation, purgatory and paradise into a single fluctuating domain, varying them in nature to evoke different impressions throughout the experience.
On “De Verboden Diepte I,” Dystyopia skimmed the surface of the underworld, uncovering what they’ve found deep beneath the cold ground of earth. Refined and linear, it revealed several moments of alchemical force, hinting at hidden vibrations emerging to the surface. The emphasis on horns and post-black metal themes has increased in the two epic-length songs written for “De Verboden Diepte II,” breathing much more energy and animation into the unpolished, unripened, impure attributes of second wave black metal.
The album opens with a brief section that’s both abrasive and atmospheric, hinting at riffs to come later, evoking a sensation of digging through an impenetrable barrier between our world and the realms the band creates. The sounds seem to increase as you get closer, building toward what’s next. Once the barrier is breached, they provide ample space for us to experience intense ferocity, meditative reflection, and poignant contemplation.
The fourteen-minute track “Confrontatie” shifts from pure tremolo-picked fury, enhanced by subtle background guitar and horn harmonies, to a breakdown where the guitar harmonies come to the forefront. Another breakdown follows, featuring a sliding, post-black metal-inspired riff that feels like a hurried downward pull, abruptly giving way to descending, contemplative melodies that are in some ways brighter and slightly more optimistic than the preceding sections. This suddenly ends with the guitars ringing out across several seconds, leaving room for mournful horns accompanied by drums and atmospheric guitars.
In black metal, guitars usually dominate, with horns and keyboards providing ambient texture. Here, however, the horns take center stage to draw you in while the guitars and drums recede into the distance. All these mood shifts unfold within the first five or six minutes. Complementing the nihilism, a mournful tone emerges through intricate horns that linger until we return to the initial complexity established at the start of the track.
The track’s unpredictable pattern, repeating certain motifs one moment and shifting direction the next, with guitar solos as expressive as the horns, rewards attentive listening as it continually keeps you guessing where the band will take things next. "De Ultieme Roeping" is a nineteen-minute track that maintains a generally straightforward approach, with fewer radical breaks and a more spacious horn section. Still, it features more frequent time changes in unexpected places.
In the slower sections, the horns are pushed further into the background, offering subtle counterpoint to the dominant blast beats and tremolo picking. The breakdowns incorporate similar picking patterns, with notes far removed from those in the blast sections, emphasizing themes of self-reflection. The extended duration allows for greater operatic planning and emotional depth, resulting in a more expressive and heartfelt composition rather than a focus on mysterious atmosphere.
One key section in the middle of "De Ultieme Roeping" incorporates atmospheric guitars, which creates a unique contrast to the rest of the composition. The horns initially recede into the background but eventually regain prominence. The dual rasping and bellowing vocals in this section further emphasize the unpredictable nature of the album. You may notice I haven't discussed the bass guitars much; when looking up the band’s lineup I saw no bassist to speak of. A stronger, more active bassline could have helped bridge gaps that needed filling, creating even smoother transitions between the different song sections. –Dave Wolff
Lineup:
Cees de Wit: Drums
Dennis Onsia: Lead vocals, guitars
Rick Jongman: Guitars, backing vocals
Thomas Cochrane: Guitars, trumpet, trombone, backing vocals
Track list:
1. Confrontatie
2. De ultieme roeping
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