Ande/De Schemering van Werelden/Naturmacht Productions/2025 Full Length Review

 Belgium's  solo  project  Ande  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  atmospheric  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2025  album  "De  Schemering  van  Werelden'  which  will b e  released  on  January  31st  by  Naturmacht  Productions.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  recording  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  vocals  are  mostyl  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  A  lot  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  second  wave  era  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.  Spoken  words  are  also  added  on  some  of  the  songs  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  and  clear  chants  onto  the  recording,  the  album  also  closes  with  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in the  artists  native  tongue  and  cover  Nature  and  Darkness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ande  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Van  de  eeuwen"  and  "Turende  schimmen".  8  out  of  10.

  https://ande-be.bandcamp.com/album/de-schemering-van-werelden

  

Ande/Vehemence/Naturmacht Productions/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Belgium's  solo  project  Ande  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  second  wave  influenced  style  of  atmospheric  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2022  album  "Vehemence"  which  will  be  released  on  March  25th  by  Naturmacht  Productions.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  and  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  yet  atmospheric  style  and  clean  playing  van  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  also  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  the  songs  also  add in  a  good  mixture  of  both  old  school  and  modern  influences  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  couple  of  instrumentals  can  also  be  heard.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  hardship,  despair,  beauty  and  gaining  knowledge.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Ande  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Cherence"  and  "Cycles".  8 out  of  10.

Video link      

     

Ande/Bos/Naturmacht Productions/2021 CD Review

 

  Belgium's  Ande  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  an  atmospheric  style  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Bos"  which  was  released  by  Naturmacht  Productions.

  Dark  yet  heavy  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  yet  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.  Most  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  All  of  the  drum  beats  are  also  programmed  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  some  clean  playing.

  When  synths  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  songs  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  post  metal  elements.

  At  times  the  songs  also  capture  the  raw  aggression  of  the  second  wave  era  but  keeps  it  modern  at  same  time  as  well  as  the  album  closing  with  an  ambient  style  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  the  songwriters  native  tongue  and  cover  the  power  and  beauty  of  nature,  everyday  life  in  small  towns,  reminiscence  and  loss  themes.   

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ande  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "De  Messentrekker"  "Ransuilen"  and  "Achter  De  Domen".  8  out  of  10.

https://youtu.be/SvbScDrrBlE

Ande/Vossenkuil/2020 CD Review

  Ande  is  a  solo  project  from  Belgium  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  raw  and  atmospheric  form  of  post  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self released  2020  album  "Vossenkuil"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  A  synth  orientated  intro  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams.

  Some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Atmospheric  elements  are  also  mixed  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  at  times  along  with  the  synths  also  making  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  one  track  also  introducing  spoken  word  parts  onto  the  recording.  The  riffs  also  bring  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  clean  playing  and  clear  singing  onto  the  recording.

 You  can  also  hear  some  influences  of  folk  and  post  black  metal  as  the  album  progresses  as  well  as  a  later  song  being  a  cover  of  Lugrubrum's  "Mjin  Koninkrijk  Van  Groen"  and  the  recording  also  closes  with  an  instrumental.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  the  songwriters  native  tongue  and  covers  nature  and  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ande  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  atmospheric  post  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Nachtwandeling"  "De  Hutten"  and  "Sneeuw  Op  Het  Meer".  8  out  of  10.

https://ande-be.bandcamp.com/
https://andeband.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Ande-1656865081244578/

  

Ande/Het Gebeente/2017 Full Length Review

  Ande  are  a  solo  project  from  Belgium  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  an  atmospheric  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  album  "Het  Gebeente"  which  will  be  released  in  2017.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Throughout  the  tracks  you  can  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  done  in  more  of  a  modern,  melodic  and  atmospheric  style  of  the  genre  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  some  tracks  also  mix  in  second  wave  black  metal  influences  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  guitars  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction and  synths  along  with  ambient  elements  are  added  onto  the  last  track  and  the  song  is  also  all  instrumental.

  Ande  creates  a  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  atmospheric  style  of  black  metal  from  his  previous  release  while  also  mixing  it  in  with  the  rawness  of  the  second  wave  which  also  makes  the  songs  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  the  musicians  native  tongue  and  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ande  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  raw  and  atmospheric  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Argwaan"  and  "Leeg".  8  out  of  10.

https://andeband.wordpress.com/

Ande Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Ande was created in early 2015, I felt the need to make black metal and had some ideas. It's also a way to learn how to record and mix stuff, I've always been interested in that. Actually it's been in my mind to do a solo black metal project since about 2001, but I've just now gotten round to it.



2.Recently you have put out your first release on bandcamp, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
In my opinion the best way to describe the music is atmospheric black metal. It's harsh at times, yet also melancholic and consciously repetitive. The recordings are pretty basic, 2 to 3 layers of guitar, bass, drum and vocals. And I've recorded some short ambient tracks to separate the metal songs.



3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?
All the lyrics are written in Dutch, me being from Belgium / Flanders. On this first release I worked on one song at a time. So when writing lyrics I just wrote about something that was happening in my life at that time. They're pretty personal and somewhat dark, so I've decided not to publish them.



4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ande'?
When I started the project, I actually had another name in mind. But a few months ago I found out someone else had adopted that name by then, so I had to start thinking and looking around again. 'Ande' is an old Dutch word that's not used anymore. It's a word to describe strong feelings like anger, remorse, passion, ... and I think it fits the concept rather well.



5.With this musical project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer working solo?
At the moment I'm quite comfortable doing it by myself. I'm learning a lot, and I still have ideas to work on. It's also easy when you don't have to plan rehearsals and other things. You just work when there's inspiration. I do have to admit that I sometimes miss other people's ideas. For instance another person can play a variation of your riff in a way that you wouldn't think of, and actually sounds better. So I don't rule out inviting other people to join me somewhere in the future. The initial concept I had in mind was for me to create and release songs, then ask some friends to help me rewrite things to bring them live a few times. Afterwards I would release those live versions. Kind of like a black metal collective.



6.The release has only been out for a few days but are you hoping to get some label interest once your music is more well known?
I have already contacted some small labels, and there does seem to be some interest. Maybe not for this release, but for the next one. However nothing is definite at the moment. The backup of a label does make promo and distribution easier. It's also a compliment if someone is interested in releasing my music. On the other hand I'm also still thinking of doing a limited release of 'Licht' on CD by myself.



7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
I contacted some zines and blogs, and people that react are quite positive about it. I also saw someone added Ande to the Metal Archives, and already found a fan video of the track 'Beelden' on YouTube. My friends are giving positive feedback too. So it's going rather well, but it still needs some more time and promo for more people get to know Ande and get more feedback.



8.Are you also involved with any other musical projects?
Yes, I played bass in a garage rock'n'roll band for about 13 years. I had a great time with that band, doing gigs and meeting a lot of cool people. At the end of 2014 we put the band to rest, so that's when I got time to work on Ande. Apart from that I'm also active in a death/grind project with some friends.



9.Where would you like to see yourself head into as a musician in the future?
At the moment I'm looking at making more songs, and doing a next release, probably somewhere in 2016. Preferably I would like to have live drums in the future, so I'm thinking about learning to play the drums. And possible doing some live shows should there be an interest for it.



10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I listen to a lot of music and different styles, and I'm always looking out for new stuff, so it's probably a mixture of all kinds of things. However this first release 'Licht' does have a few concrete influences. Like Burzum in the simple arpeggio riffs. Furthermore the way one riff of the song 'Paniek' is played, is inspired by a riff of the track 'Herval' by Lugubrum. And a variation of a riff in 'Beelden' is inspired by Urfaust. The slow breaks are inspired by music of Altar of Plagues and Year Of No Light.
At the moment I'm totally into the following records:

    Terzij de Horde – Self: kind of a mix between post-black and the recent albums of Enthroned
    Wovenhand – Refractory Obdurate: with David Eugene Edwards from 16 Horsepower. It's the first Wovenhand album I've checked out, and I quite like it.
    the first album of Chelsea Light Moving with Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth
    Russian Circles – Memorial: great instrumental post metal band, I especially like the drum patterns
    Vanum – Realm of Sacrifice: members from Ash Borer and Fell Voices, it really sounds like a good mix between those two bands
    Lugubrum – Herval: their latest release, I have a lot of respect for this band, it seems they keep re-inventing themselves.




11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Nothing too spectacular really, mainly having some beers with friends, attending gigs and festivals, watching cool movies and the occasional vacation to Scandinavia with my girlfriend. My favourite up to now is visiting Oslo in Norway. Very interesting city. We also visited the cellar of Euronymous' Helvete shop there, with the 'Black Metal' sign written on the wall. It's a strange feeling you get when you're walking around down there. Ok, of course it's just a cellar, but that place did have a huge impact on black metal in general.



12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I wanna thank you for your genuine interest in Ande, and wish you good luck with your zine! People that want to check out the music can download the first release 'Licht' for free on bandcamp: http://ande-be.bandcamp.com/

Ande/Licht/2015 Demo Review

  Ande  are  a  solo  project  from  Belgium  that  plays  an  atmospheric  and  misanthropic  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2015  demo "Licht".

  A  very  dark  ambient  sound  starts  off  the  demo  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  a  heavier  direction  along  with  some  grim  black  metal  screams  which  also  leads  up  to  more  of  an  atmospheric  musical  direction  and  the  music  also  gets  very  melodic  at  time sand  there  are  brief  intros  before  every  track.

  When  synths are  utilized  they  add  in  more  of  an  organic  style  of  ambient  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and when  the  music  speeds  up  blast  beats  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  more  raw  style  of  black  metal  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Ande  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  atmospheric  while  also  having  more  of  a  raw  and  misanthropic  take  on  the  genre  and  also  mixes  in  ambient  intro's,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  his  native  tongue  and  cover  hateful  and  misanthropic  themes.

  In  my  opinion Ande  are  a  very  great  sounding  atmospheric  and  misanthropic black metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out this  demo.  RECOMMENDED TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Paniek"  and  "Den".  8  out  of 10.

https://ande-be.bandcamp.com/album/licht