Band:	Laster
Album:	Het Wassen Oog
Style:	Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	April 2019

Disc I
01. Vacuüm ≠ Behoud
02. Schone Schijn
03. Zomersneeuw
04. Ondersteboven
05. Haat & bonhomie
06. Blind Staren
07. Weerworm
08. Zinsbetovering

Disc II [Deluxe Bonus]
01. De Klinkers Los
02. Betonnen Ballonnen


The Dutch black metal scene has developed a fine reputation for the overall quirkiness and experimental inclinations of many of its bands as of late. Look no farther than Laster for as good a demonstration of this trend as any.

Laster have taken to labeling themselves as "obscure dance music," a descriptor that may seem rather silly at first for black metal, but that actually begins to make quite a bit of sense the more you listen to their material. On Het Wassen Oog, the third album out of this peculiar trio, the game isn't shaken up too hard from their previous efforts. A midtempo, rather catchy take on black metal dominates, with an emphasis on bounce and a very pronounced bass delivery to the point that it probably wouldn't be too far off to say that Laster are taking a lesson or two from the legendary Ved Buens Ende with their songwriting. The vocal dimension of the music, a duty shared by all three members of the band, is pleasantly diverse, alternating between black metal's traditional shrieks as well as both standalone and harmonized cleans.

What really makes Het Wassen Oog such an enjoyable listen is the fact that it straddles the line between orthodoxy and creativity so well. Realistically speaking, Laster aren't going too far off base from black metal with their compositions here, and the bulk of the album is still grounded in that bouncy, midpaced black metal sound that one could likely compare to several other bands. The selling point comes in the fact that Laster really know when to drop their more unique elements into the songwriting in a way that comes off as impressive but not completely overbearing, such as that little decrescendo that transitions into more of a drum and bass only approach on "Vacuum Behoud," or the funky final minutes of "Haat & Bonhomie," which certainly justify Laster referring to their jamz as "obscure dance music."

In a Dutch black metal community that has been receiving attention for becoming increasingly unusual in recent years, Laster stand as one of its most formidable members. Het Wassen Oog only continues to demonstrate that these musicians have a particular talent for making their brand of black metal highly distinct and memorable while also still keeping it recognizable by not wandering too far from the general confines of the genre. Catchy, well written, and just all around fun, Het Wassen Oog is easily one of the most intriguing albums to be released thus far in 2019, and I suspect it'll be topping many year end lists for fans of the more left field side of black metal.

Go get your obscure dance on.