Artist: Aerdryk
Country: Belgium
Label: Amor Fati Productions
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2026
When the Aerdryk debut was released in 2022, it was presented with quite some flair. Not only did it form catalog number AFP199 of the renowned Amor Fati Productions, it was released alongside befriended Flanders band Oerheks that claimed AFP2000. For Oerheks that was a start of a fruitful period of releases, tallying up to five demos. But things around Aerdryk fell silent. Since main man C.V.B. has plenty of other bands to keep him occupied, I did not necessarily see a new Aerdryk full-length coming. Clearly I was wrong, as on March 21st ‘Onzuiver’ will see the light.
I was quite struck by the atmospheric Black Metal of the debut `Met de Drietand op Mijn Huid’. With a fast-paced and raw-sounding guitar approach, the layer of gloomy keyboards dictated the atmosphere and gave the album an incredibly catchy nature. I was impressed in the way that the keyboard were the anchor of the music, draped upon the raw and almost impenetrable guitar wall. This is one thing that’s different on ‘Onzuiver’, where the guitars are a little bit less raw, but most of all, they are more emphasized in the mix. Consequently, it’s the keyboards that have taken a more subdued role. This is one of the main reasons that for me the opening track of the new album, ‘Modder en Bloed’, makes much less of an impact than the mesmerizing ‘Mijn Boetedoening’ off the debut. I missed that haunting atmosphere, and it took me a while to start to appreciate ‘Onzuiver’. Perhaps not in the least because C.V.B. has kept the best of the tracks for the second half of the record.
Certainly, the second full track ‘Een Wereld om te Bederven’ has more to latch onto than the opener, despite being a markedly shorter track. Here the more guitar-driven focus works with hooky melodies creates a darker whole than the previous song, a quality that transcends into ‘De Laatste Wens’. But for me it takes until the fifth track of the album, ‘Liever Levend Verbranden’, for the album to really open up. A faster track where the keyboards are more prominent, it reminds me much more of why Aerdryk made such a strong impression with the debut. Dark, and melancholic, with fast pace and mesmerizing keys the song swells in dynamics, where in particular the vocals feel more varied than before. The same can be said for ‘Een Bestaan van Lijden’, a song with a catchy guitar riff that really starts to unfold towards the second half of the track with enchanting keys and layered vocals. In the almost droning ‘Kruispunt’ we’re treated to some clean ethereal vocals that give it a unique atmosphere, and the melodic progression in the song is striking. The opening moments of closing track ‘In het Graf en Diep’ remind me somewhat of Mgła, with layers of guitars and haunting keys appearing as the song progresses to give the album a rather cataclysmic finale.
Most of the quality that made the first Aerdryk album a rather stunning affair is still very much present on the sophomore record. With its mostly fast pace, excellent frivolous bass and catchiness in the riffs and melodies, ‘Onzuiver’ is no doubt another strong atmospheric Black Metal record for the band. But I don’t think that ‘Onzuiver’ quite reaches the level of captivation of `Met de Drietand op Mijn Huid’. I simply prefer the gritty wall of guitars with haunting keyboards of the debut.
