Attention all metal fans - stick around for a bit because today we have a very different kind of band for you here on this episode of The Great Metal Debate pod cast.
I’m Xander, and today we’re gonna take a look at some newcomers in the scene. Hailing all the way from the Netherlands, we have yet again another black metal duo called Walg. Despite only being around for two years - and releasing their self-titled debut last year - the brothers Yorick and Robert K. have already kicked out a sophomore record, simply titled II. II was released on 02-22-22.
I’m a fan of this new modern wave of black metal. Bands such as Groza, Grima, Garia, Eos, and Bauska are a big part of this movement, and it looks as though we have a new addition to the family. A special shout-out to the Youtuber known as Black Metal Promotions for introducing me to this wonderful music.
Forgive me if I butcher any of the following song titles because all of them, including the lyrics, are in German. But I’ll do my very best to pronounce the names of these songs, so just bear with me.
As cliché as it sounds, this band doesn’t shy away from an intro or outro track, but we are rewarded with a killer first song called “Misgeboorte.” I think that I must immediately point out is the symphonic style that they use to complement the blast beats. In the next song, “Devolutie,” we get a taste of the operatic singing as backing vocals. As for the main vocalist, we hear him constantly deliver them is a raspy tone. This is evident in the next song “Help ons niet.” I can only describe them as being ‘ugly’ in the best possible way.
We hear the combination of the two brothers’ vocals united together to perfection in my personal favorite song “Verlossing.” There is a music video for this song, and it is the first single put out for the album. The greatest thing about this song is the use of bagpipes; just when you think that bagpipes can only be good in folk metal subgenres, Walg proves you wrong.
“Zondvloed” comes in as a stong support for the previous track, but there is still more where that came from. “Ik haat” is probably the song with the fastest tempo, and is very upbeat as a whole. “Wie niet weg is” my second favorite track on the album because of the way the main guitar riff sounds. The next song title, “Kakkerlakken,” is another one definitely worth turning the volume up on. ‘What’s kakkerlakkne, homie.’ Sorry, I couldn’t resist that silly joke. In all seriousness, I like how the music slows down a little so that you can hear the dreadfulness in the vocals.
Lastly we have a song called “Terug naar de aarde,” which begins with the sound of an old crank and mechanical gears turning, followed by a mournful-esque choir singing. It’s all build-up to a classic-sounding black metal guitar riff. The song exceeds six minutes, but it’s a fantastic way to end the record. Aside from the outro track, of course.
All in all, I’m going to have to give this album a solid 8.5 out of 10. I feel like these brothers have a lot more up their sleeves, and I can’t wait to see what else they have to put out for future releases. I feel like the best is yet to come.
In the meantime, make sure you go support these guys. Walg are an unsigned, independent band, and both their albums (including this one) are available now. You can buy their music and merch on their Bandcamp page.