It is not a sticker on the cover, but a warning with the forward listening link: ‘Please note: this is NOT a metal release, but rather a slow dark ambient and drone sounds release! We understand this is a hard listen for many, out of the box of the band’s usual musical field, and a niche that often takes much of what we mostly don’t have today – time.’
Flisters, an important player in the Dutch black metal scene, is finally coming to OOR, with a drone record. But that’s not strange either. The idiosyncratic band always aimed for atmosphere (titles from previous releases, still full of atmospheric and primitive black metal, are for example Dreamers and Flower), so this excursion fits perfectly into their careers. The themes are still fairly standard ecological: buzzing drones are brightened up by birdsong (The Cradle Of Storms), owls (Spiritual Alienation) or cut through by an icy wind (Der Kunst). Into the dystopian tone inflections Heavy with decline are pleasantly ominous and have an oriental atmosphere The Open Fire As Altar was found nice. But if your time is indeed valuable, this may not be the best introduction to Whisperers’ work.
