Fluisteraars – Dromers
At times the words spill upon the page with ease, especially when listening to far-above average quality music that grabs one by the flabby cheeks and forces you to listen up. Often though, fifteen to twenty tabs of my Chrome browser are open as I try in vain to find something, anything, inspiring to discuss. In this manner I came upon Dutch black metal trio Fluisteraars debut Dromers and nearly dismissed it upon the press write-up; many newer bands list Drudkh and Agalloch among their influences, and I was in no mood for a watered-down version of those two greats of transcendent black metal. But as I was nearing frustration already, I decided to give this Netherlands export a try, and was met with a subtle surprise.
Fluisteraars do indeed worship mid-period Agalloch and Autumn Aurora-era Drudkh, the former’s melodic strumming ebbing in and out over slow- to mid-paced tempos, the latter’s layered, intricate chordings filling empty spaces with cosmic darkness and sparkling tri-tones. But Fluisteraars pull you in with their particular attack; rarely fast, often slow but always deliberate, a slogging forward without pageantry of any kind. No cellos, no grandiose synths, no deer bones, no high concepts with roots in literature, just guitar, bass, drums and vocal, and yet the music still carries an emotional heft as a solid example of contemplative black metal, due in no small part to the pure 4/4 beats thrown in throughout that give the tracks presence and an understated strength.
Dromers soaks into you almost without you realizing it’s happening. Fluisteraars hypnotic, wandering self steels in your listening device quietly, without knocking, and takes a seat on your playlist for the duration. One could reasonably attribute this to the unadorned, yet still ambitious arrangements the three members sew together. Whatever the case may be, don’t pass them up solely on their emulation of their-much-better-known gods. A young band often reflects their masters. What matters is enough of their own black blood strain can be seen seeping out of this nod to the scene’s elder statesmen to justify a look. -Jim
Eisenwald
Worm Gear 
No cello? What kind of world is this? Sounds like my kinda music, but I’m skeptical 😉
Haha, I think you’ll like it, Heather. Of course you’ll have to let me know what you think after you check out the bandcamp link. Dromers is a stripped-down, but well-written homage that gives a glimpse into the band’s own growing capabilities. Since I know you already dig the dudes from Portland make sure you check out the Drudkh Autumn Aura album I mentioned. I absolutely love that record \m/ http://youtu.be/nWqhN5I_5wM