Review by Dominik on December 2, 2025.

The Dutch continue to surprise me. After praising Walg and especially Shagor, I promised myself that this review would be free of cheap jokes at the expense of our dear neighbors. Probably. Maybe. No guarantees. I'm not saying that I'll succeed but believe me my intention was noble (fingers crossed….). Still, I can't answer the question: how does such a small country roughly the size of a flattened shoebox manage to churn out consistently strong black metal? Maybe living below sea level creates a special intimacy with doom. Maybe the geography itself encourages despair. And don't forget the canals, those endless, echoing canals, which must be the perfect shrieking chambers, since sound carries extremely well at 5am, when the sun refuses to rise. Furthermore, black metal thrives in darkness. The Netherlands provides darkness, drizzle and a 0% chance of sunlight when you need to record vocals, what makes it the ideal recording climate. So the mystery begins to solve itself. Having thus constructed this scientific masterpiece of self-explanation, I can move on to Hellevaerder's latest offering, "Fakkeldragers" ("Torchbearers"), which is another slab of Dutch grim black beauty.

The band blends a wide range of influences into an album that oscillates between eras. Sometimes the vocals and certain melodic guitar lines nod to early Emperor. More generally, the guitars weave a modern, aggressive net of melody-driven riffs. The production matches this duality: it is cleaner than the second wave, and dirtier than anything meant for daylight consumption. It hits a sweet spot. Unless, of course, your ideal black metal aesthetic is a hybrid of chalk dragged across a schoolboard and a band performing underwater… inside a washing machine… during the spin cycle…... In that case, nothing here will please you.

The first two tracks make a strong impression. "Een Bepantserde Kroon" ("An Armored Crown") immediately showcases Hellevaerder's interpretation of black metal. Their vision is driven by excellent guitar work and songs which unfold in little chapters. You won't find the same themes and motives from start to finish. Ideas appear, moods and riffs shift and recede with clear purpose. In the more reflective passages the bass struggles to the surface, not as a dominant voice, but as a subtle reminder of how much weight it adds when it is allowed to breathe. The transitions between sections feel effortless, as if the band never once doubts where the song needs to go. The vocals strike a good balance, too. They are aggressive without being overbearing, stepping back when the riffs do the talking.

"Krijgers Van Het Niets" ("Warriors of Nothingness") surpasses even its neighbor. Its slower, slightly Emperor-esque opening guitar melody, followed by a heavy central riff is immediately gripping. The drummer moves between midtempo and blast sections with absolute precision, tightly synced to the spinning guitar work. Mid-song, a short appearance of female vocals adds a foreboding, imploring, almost ceremonial tension. Like the opener, the track is built in chapters, but here the band circles back to earlier motifs, creating a satisfying sense of return rather than repetition.

What follows is a variation of what the first two songs set in motion. Every track brings small surprises, be it an unexpected shift in dynamics or tonality, a transition from rasped to cleaner vocals that may sound imploring, accusatory, or simply desperate enough to make you wonder whether the band recorded during a national power outage. "Fakkeldragers" is an enjoyable listen, easy to follow yet detailed enough to punish inattentive ears. It's not background music, and the nuances are the reason it rises above the average black metal Schlachtfest.

The album closes just as strongly as it begins. "Waar Wij Vlammen Trotseren" ("Where We Defy the Flames") is the shortest and most immediately digestible track, structurally simpler and less intricate, but no less compelling. "In De Ban Der Lusten" ("Under the Spell of Desires") once again highlights Hellevaerder's excellent guitar work, which ranges from melancholic undercurrents to chaotic passages reminiscent of later Emperor, to driving melodic lines in the faster parts. The bonus track, "Akelig Gefluister" ("Ominous Whispering"), is exactly what a bonus track should be: not weaker, not tacked on, not a leftover, but a final highlight that ties the album together. An album which addresses your nostalgic cravings but is still modern enough to appeal to listeners who did not grow up during the second wave of black metal. That Hellevaerder conjures this atmosphere without relying on synths is worth a final nod of appreciation.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10, because Hellevaerder delivers a record that honors the past without embalming it and embraces modernity without sterilizing it. It manages to sound both familiar and fresh, all while confirming that the Dutch continue their baffling, suspiciously competent streak in black metal. If this is what living below sea level does to a band, we may need to revisit our entire understanding of geography.