In true Fluisteraars style, this new three-track LP from the Dutch purveyors of atmospheric post-black metal, released on the mighty Eisenwald, is nothing short of a masterpiece. Packed with all the twists, turns and mystique their material always promises. It proves once again how masterfully this band crafts a sound that’s instantly recognisable as their own.

FLUISTERAARS

If you were at Fortress Festival 2026, you’ll have heard the closing track played live, and from that moment I’ve been itching to get my hands on this record. As one of my favourite bands, the promise of 14 plus minute tracks full of creepy leads, strange textures and razor sharp extreme music is right up my street. I truly believe they’re one of the more unique bands in the scene. The track Condities der Afstraffing has also been streaming for just over a month now, giving fans an early taste of what was coming.

GRONDELOOS DONKERE BOSSEN

The album opens with swirling, fleeting textures before an echo drenched snare pushes to the front. A rolling tremolo riff circles around these ghostly sounds, and chants poke through the mix just before Bob Mollema’s growl makes its sudden entrance, they pull this off so expertly. It’s exactly how they keep longer material interesting: so many separate elements fighting for the same space, yet the result feels almost uplifting as it drifts along. The grooving nature of the track is typical of their catalogue, but there’s a restraint here too, a tension that holds things back before it all explodes into the mid section.

One thing I’ve always admired about Fluisteraars is their use of electronics, clearly evident on their last record, Manifestaties van de Ontworteling, which was a full ambient album. As an opener, this track is genuinely refreshing, and it sets the tone for the rest of the record perfectly, leaving you in something of a daze.

CONDITIES DER AFSTRAFFING

The track that’s been on preview for a while starts aggressively, guitars weaving through muddy noise over driving drums, with small electronic flourishes and glimpses of melody breaking through here and there. The way this band composes music is genuinely unique, their passages return and evolve rather than settling into the generic formula of black metal, or music in general.

One thing this band does so well is shift from one state to another instantly, transporting the track to an entirely new place. Halfway through, there’s a real lift to the song, the two moods, dark and euphoric, interwoven expertly. Going from something so heavy to something so soaring in a single turn is genuinely thrilling.

ZWARTE ZOMERMAAN

A drum roll leads into an eerie, almost playful riff that anchors this track, it just churns. I remember this being played at Fortress Festival and instantly recognising the lead, which says a lot on its own. Again the vocals cry out over a dense wall of shifting textures. The track does drop into a moment of calm, a chance for the album to regroup, and the way the band handles that transition is absolutely mesmerising.

In true Fluisteraars style, the track returns with another riff creeping in, wrapped in those same fleeting textures, before spiralling into the finale. The riff gets swallowed up in this fought for space towards the end as the track bubbles over, before six or so minutes see it phase out into an ambient close.

It’s hard to compare this to anyone else’s work, yet it’s instantly recognisable as theirs. Despite having only three tracks, the record runs just over 41 minutes. This might be their best work yet and it sits comfortably among the best of their catalogue. I love their long, drawn out tracks the most, and this album delivers that in spades.

Fluisteraars: Bandcamp

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