Artist: Doodswens
Country: The Netherlands
Label: Svart Records
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2026
I’d go so far as to say that, given all the touring and the mild hype surrounding Doodswens, I was, if anything, surprised that the band took five years to come up with the follow-up to ‘Lichtvrees’, which was released back in 2021. On the other hand, the extensive touring and line-up changes, which saw the entire core of the band replaced with only Inge remaining, must surely have been the reason why the release of this second Doodswens album took a while to materialise. Fans of the band can breathe a sigh of relief, though: this self-titled album follows on from its predecessor and hasn’t suffered at all from all the turmoil.
That is to say, on the surface, nothing seems to have changed from the original recipe. The live tape released in the meantime also seemed to support that view, but now that I’ve given ‘Doodswens’ a few listens, I have to conclude that this album is a little less exciting. I don’t know exactly how the roles were divided when Inge and Fraukje, who has since left, were still in the band together and wrote and recorded their debut album, but it seems that some of that sparkle has now been lost. Part of this can be attributed to Inge’s less piercing vocal tone compared to Fraukje’s. Inge seems to have drawn her inspiration mainly from the Third Wave Black Metal bands such as Watain, whereas Fraukje’s blood-curdling screams seemed to come more from within herself. As the vocals make up a large part of Doodswens’ sonic spectrum, Fraukje’s departure has meant the loss of a bit of soul and genuine emotion. Whilst I certainly do not wish to do Inge any injustice, it now feels mainly forced and contrived. As a result, Doodswens has essentially degenerated into nothing more than a run-of-the-mill Black Metal band, whereas it initially managed to bring something genuinely new and distinctive to the table.
Musically speaking, it also sounds somewhat lacklustre, repetitive and at times even uninspired. I am not aware of the extent to which the new band members have contributed to this new album, but it is clear that Doodswens is driving the concept of “Black Metal” further and further apart in terms of its musical aspect on the one hand and its aesthetics on the other. Although Inge is keen on incense and “rituals”, the music conveys less and less of the genre’s primal aesthetic; and, above all, evokes less and less of that feeling. The fact that the band is particularly popular amongst the Roadburn crowd, and that guitarist Peter “Rebel” Myatezhnik, with his other bands, is signed to labels such as Vendetta Records and Argento Records, which, like Svart Records, are part of the left-wing/hippie movement within Black Metal, does mean that Doodswens is slowly losing all its magic. Let me be clear that I’m not interested in the political leanings of bands and musicians, but there is an undeniable correlation between those who position themselves on the left (and often have a Punk or Hardcore background) and safe, uninspiring Black Metal. Black Metal thrives best with a bit of grit and rough edges; unfortunately, that is no longer the case here.
