In the Owl interview I recently published, I mentioned that there are more than just a handful of real gems to be unearthed in the deeper, mouldy and shadowy layers of the Dutch Black Metal scene. Duindwaler, also a one-man project, is just such an unpolished diamond of which you will only see its splendour shine when you make the effort to put your shovel deep into the ground. Need some guidance? Spiritual father and all-round gifted artist Daan Bleumink takes ample time here to drag you into the depths…
Hi Daan, as an eager follower of my homeland’s Black Metal scene, I have of course come across the name of Duindwaler on a regular basis, but your project had not made it to our pages before. It’s about time for that to change. So: welcome to The Whispering Darkness.
Thanks for the interest and the warm welcome. I’m also pleasantly surprised to have received your request for this interview. Duindwaler is still very obscure and in the coming months I am trying to change that. So let’s hope this will not be the last time we speak!
First of all, let’s get back to the origins. Despite having over a decade of experience in various bands, you apparently felt the urge to start a solo project (as well). It seems that you started in the middle of the Covid-pandemic, did that have anything to do with it or was there some other trigger?
The main focus for myself is Hellevaerder, only the pandemic put a halt to that. We were busy writing our first full-length ‘In de nevel van afgunst’ but we kept hitting hurdles. Being fed up with that entire situation I wanted to create something new, in the spirit of one of my greatest influences, Hate Forest. I wanted to keep creating without outside limits, I wanted total control. That’s how Duindwaler was born.
Being in a band is a lot of work. You want to create something together and make memories together along the way. But being in a band also means you cannot make all the decisions, as everyone is equally important. Sometimes you just want to make a bunch of noise without the opinions of others. I need an outlet for my emotions and energy, the pandemic brought that to a halt. It was an itch that needed scratching.
I remember that when I first listened to Duindwaler, which means as much as a “Wanderer of Dunes”, the music surprised me greatly. With the name, I somehow had imagined a very different image and sound. Instead of dreamy and atmospheric, Duindwaler sounds very pale and dreary. I imagine this project is a certain emotional outlet for you. Can you tell us something about that?
When I was 14 years old I started playing guitar, wanting to play along to the music of my biggest influences. At the time being Immortal (mainly the older stuff like ‘Pure Holocaust’). The only focus I had at that age was playing every single minute I had till my fingers were bleeding.
That taste in music changed when I grew a liking to playing the drums as well. There is something in a blastbeat that just pulls me to it, a perfect outlet for a lot of energy. During that time (when I was around 18-20 years old) I started listening to more extreme music (Belphegor, 1349 and Hate Forest). That was also what I was incorporating into Hellevaerder. I wanted the intensity of 1349 and the heaviness of Belphegor but with my own style added into that mix.
That left the Hate Forest itch unscratched, and when there was the pandemic downtime I saw that as a great moment to start scratching. I wanted to make dissonant riffs, with underlying melodies that just kept pushing the music forward. The rawness of the sound is just there because it is the sound I like the most. I think it suits the steamroller that is Duindwaler.
The upcoming music from Duindwaler will be different. The philosophy of the music remains the same, only more mature. More a natural feeling but more evil at the same time. I keep learning every single day and remain hunting for the ‘perfect’ sound. Even though I do not believe that exists.
A song like the titletrack of the EP, ‘Landloper’ (‘Tramp’), for instance, has a very uncomfortable-sounding contrarian riff that keeps coming back and is getting deeper and deeper under your skin. That piercing and contrarian nature of the song, is that something you identify yourself with?
Everyone has an inner struggle, putting that emotion into riffs makes them alive. I could tell what my thought process was at that time but by doing that I am removing the space for others to fill in the gap their own way.
The meaning of the track is what you think it is. To you it sounds piercing and contrarian in nature, so here is your answer.
Although unnecessary, as an observer or reviewer I always find it useful to draw some musical parallels. However, I find Duindwaler quite difficult to compare. I think the French Black Metal scene of the late 90’s (Les Légions Noires) comes closest. For me, the mechanical feel (drums), the cold and raw sound and those more profound emotional melodies are the basis in that. Can you relate to that a bit?
‘Landloper’ was created with a drumcomputer. As all studios were closed during the pandemic, I did not have a way to record the drums myself. I wanted to create and not be limited by what was happening. After being finished with all recordings (everything else I did at home) I did not think it was holding the music back, it fitted right in.
I am not familiar with the collective you’ve named, but I will surely check it out! The only thing I can compare Duindwaler to myself is Hate Forest. Duindwaler is vastly different, but I created it from scratch with my only influence being Hate Forest. The rest of the sound was made from experimenting with all different settings till I made something I was happy with.
In upcoming releases the sound will change a lot. Drums are real, a new guitar sound (no worries, still a buzzsaw), vocals even more aggressive and a better mix! It will only sound more cold and evil. As I do everything myself (mixing and mastering included) every release will come closer to what I have in mind.
In the interview I did with Miranda for Hellevaerder, one of your other bands, she says that you are mainly responsible for the lyrics and music for that band. Is there any difference in approach between Hellevaerder and Duindwaler, or any of your other active bands/projects?
With Hellevaerder we have our own style of music, it cannot compare to Duindwaler in all ways. I am limited in what works for us and what not. It is all about the story we want to tell and how to tell it. A single track of Duindwaler would work for Hellevaerder, to build tension and steamroll through the audience, but an entire album would need to have ups and downs in the music, to really tell a story.
As to your question: Duindwaler is all about continuously dragging you along, walking together to the infinite vastness. Uncompromised, violent and vile. Hellevaerder is about doing the same, but with more variety and storytelling in between (the story, the flow of the music, it needs to make sense).
Quite early on in 2021, you released your first EP (‘Landloper’) with Duindwaler, which was quite shortly after you planted the first seed for this project. Did you have that much inspiration or did you already have a lot of musical ideas lying around that you couldn’t incorporate into the music for your other bands?
When I decided to make a release it went really fast. I think I finished the writing process within a week and the recordings were done shortly thereafter. It was all new material, no old riffs were used at all. I was filled with inspiration so it was really like a moment captured on tape.
That is the way I want to keep working on Duindwaler. I have too many bands/projects at this time to spend hours on ‘building’ a track. That sounds like work to me instead of letting my creativity doing its work.
I recently finished recording my first full-length for Duindwaler, that came completely unexpected even to me. I just had that itch again and started writing. That same evening I completed the first track. And recently I’ve got my own drum recording studio (been wanting that for 16 years, finally got one!), so the morning after that I went to record the drums for that track and recorded everything else the same day. After that I was still not satisfied so I wrote another track, and recorded that the next day.
That went along for 6 days, and now the album is complete! It all comes and goes. I have moments when I do not touch my guitar for the biggest part of a year and suddenly I want to make music, and a few days later an album is finished.
Despite also being largely responsible for the creative part for Hellevaerder, what is the main difference for you in making music in a band, as a collective that is, or completely on your own?
The biggest difference is that I can work alone, as I do not need to consult the rest of the band. I can play every instrument needed, learn new things along the way. It is a great way to improve myself in songwriting and communicating with the band. As I can communicate on the same line with every other member and think like they will think in their role, in my opinion it really brings us to a next level as band.
Having a very good group of musicians and friends around me also contributes to the progress I make with Duindwaler. I can learn a lot from others and the way they approach making music, view songs from a different perspective and how they play parts I wrote. I always say they can change anything they want to the music, as long as it fits the energy we are trying to bring over. And letting go of what I think our music should be is challenging for me, but very rewarding. As more often than not they make something I would never have thought of before, thus expanding my horizon.
Finding band members who not only make you a better musician, but also a better person. When working solo you miss all that. You will work more streamlined but will miss outside input and ideas.
In a few weeks, a split LP that you share with three other Dutch Black Metal bands will be released. How do you look back on the creative process of this LP and the collaboration with the others?
We were asked by our friend Alex (Zwaertgevegt) if we were interested in a 4-way full length split with our friends from Asgrauw and Schavot. We did not need to think a single second for that, so that is what started this journey.
The moment we all came in contact with each other it went really smoothly. I could really notice I was talking with people who all knew exactly what they were doing. Ideas were flowing freely and we all had one common goal: make this a killer of a record! We decided on a deadline and started making progress towards it. Within a month and a half of starting the idea we were all finished and ready to send it for pressing.
Personally it was very stressful, I needed not only to prepare everything for Hellevaerder; multiple recording days while working in shifts (each member separately), book a studio for drums (and learning the new tracks on drums!), make time for mixing & mastering and getting everyone together for a photo session. I was happy I could do everything myself for Duindwaler once I got the tracks from Floris.
I grew 10 years older in that single month.
With Hellevaerder we were slowly starting the process of writing new material after a good time following the release of the full length. We had 3 songs ready to rehearse and record when we saw fit. Two of those songs will be heard on the split vinyl, so keep your ears open!
For Duindwaler I had two complete tracks ready, but in an unrefined state. Used older plugins, different microphones etc. And due to the short deadline we gave ourselves as a collective (due to long vinyl manufacturing times), I did not have time to learn the tracks on drums (as I never drummed those before, and are a bit more extreme than Hellevaerders tracks).
I asked my good friend Floris (Schavot, Asgrauw) if he would be up to the challenge and help me out. And to my surprise he said yes!!!!
Two weeks after asking he recorded both tracks for me and I was filled with inspiration, finally hearing Duindwaler with real drums was something I only dreamt of. So the release of Duindwaler on the split will not technically be a solo project, but it is a solo project with one of Netherlands greatest musicians on drums as an extra!
Looking at it in hindsight it was a lot of fun, albeit so much work in such a short time. The reward far outweighs the effort and I cannot wait to share the stage with our friends again and keep making memories together.
The upcoming split LP features two new Duindwaler songs. How do these compare to the music you presented on ‘Landloper’? In other words, what can we expect from this, both musically and conceptually?
It shows the progress I have made in the last few years. The music sounds more natural than it has ever before, you can feel the energy flowing through it. It remains a poison for the mind, filled with anguish and despair. Only with more refined means to reach that goal.
The concept is what follows the one from our split. We tell the tales of the areas we are hailing from. We talk about ancient folklore and tales from the past that have been lost. I was born in Heemskerk, an area filled with history dating back to the 13th century. Where there are people, there are tales. And some of them are worth telling. Remembering those tales is reliving the lives of those people, we make them immortal.
Somewhat following on from the previous question, how do you view the Dutch Black Metal scene? In my perception, our country offers more and more bands in an ever-widening musical Black Metal landscape. Is this recognizable to you and do you feel part of this?
The Dutch scene is more alive than ever before. What also contributes to that is at what ease people can record music now and spread it through the internet. In such a small country we host many styles of black metal, most of them made by truly great people.
With Hellevaerder I played a gig with Faceless Entity, Morvigor and Shagor a while back and was blown away by the quality they can deliver. The scene keeps getting better and better each year, we are really making our own ‘wave’ in history.
But to the question if I feel part of it, no. I am not making this music to be part of something. I am my own entity. And don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with other bands and getting to know the people who make that happen. But I do not consider myself part of a scene, I just follow my own path and do what I like. And meeting people with a common interest is always a good time!
‘Landloper’ was released early 2021, which is obviously a while ago. Now, thankfully, the aforementioned split LP will be released with two new songs, but what else can we expect from Duindwaler in the coming period?
As mentioned before I am done with the first full length. As to give the split the focus it deserves I’ve decided to halt the release till next year. On this full length I have truly done everything; drums, bass, guitars, vocals, mixing and mastering. I think this will be the biggest chapter to Duindwaler so far.
Expect more info on the release soon! As there are some very exciting announcements to be made!
Alright Daan, thank you for your time and insights. I would like, in good tradition, to give you the opportunity to conclude this interview with a few final words…
Thank you for taking interest in the music I make, and wanting to talk about other work besides Hellevaerder. I also would like everyone that reads this to check out everything the ‘Zwotte Kring’ collective has made, if you want the best of NLBM, this is it!
