Zwartplaag - Haatstorm
Heidens Heart
Black Metal

Release year: 2010
Reviewed by Tony
If anyone is wondering why the information is incomplete, the assholes that are the American gov't siezed Metal Archives where I get my album information. Holland is more known for its space cakes and cleanly hookers than its Black Metal, but there are signs of life in the scene. What little Dutch Metal there is shows a propensity for emulation, there are in fact diverse bands out there. Dutch Black Metal outfit Zwartplaag bring forth a straightforward second wave approach with little niches here and there that create an alternate atmosphere. This differentiates them from the label “ Darkthrone clone.”

Zwartplaag is Dutch for “Black Plague” using their dirge-laden production and buzz saw style to evoke an atmosphere of pestilence. The album in question is Haatstorm. Haatstorm is their only full length in only a few years of existence. It was released in 2010. I stumbled upon the first full track of the album, Forgotten Tower of the Moon while finding related videos on the sidebar on Youtube.

Zwartplaag must know that all they are truly doing is taking second wave Norwegian worship and putting slight twists on it. This makes for something fun but nothing that reinvents the wheel. This is a more recent release that has an old school feel. The guitar is as buzzy as it gets. It is in fact audible, with each note discernible despite the rough feel. Once the second track, Countess of Blood rolls around, the band truly asserts their intentions. The song begins with blasts and the traditional BM vocals. After a lengthy run of blast beats, the pace slows to a mid-grade beat and layered vocals take place. Instead of the same tone layered like Hansi Kursch in a Power Metal sense, but a growl and a rasp are laid across each other to create a real sinister feel.

A lot of the middle parts of songs have groovy parts with simple rock beats that add a headbanging vibe to each track. Sometimes the buzzy tremolo riffs don’t change adding a new twist to each riff. These are amongst the best parts of the album. None of these musicians are groundbreakers. The finest parts of the album are the groove elements and the diversity between the riffs and the drum beats which alternate around the same styles of guitar elements. To me the production is entertaining as ever, with a good drum sound despite its warmth and the type of buzzsaw guitars that got me into Black Metal in the first place.

This is not a half-assed review, but there really is not much more to write about Haatstorm. It is a fun album, but nothing new or extraordinary. Some might say it is a Darkthrone clone while others will find it simply destructive and highly entertaining.

It turns out that Metal Archives' being shut down was a sick April Fools joke. I hate April 1st.

Killing Songs :
Forgotten Tower of the Moon, Countess of Blood, Haatstorm
Tony quoted 73 / 100
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