Walg – IV [Things You Might Have Missed 2024]

I tend to be wary of bands that release a new record year after year. Usually, this means the output is rushed and under-edited. But Walg is intent on bucking that trend, and their third record managed to worm its way onto my list last year. A duo from the northern Netherlands, Walg (meaning ‘disgust’) started off during the pandemic when multi-instrumentalist Robert Koning and vocalist Yorick Keijzer reconnected after playing together in metalcore band None Shall Pass. Instead of figuring out a sound first and recording music after, their philosophy seems more akin to ‘fuck it, we ball.’ But instead of the expected messy overblown demo, they started pumping out high-quality melodic black metal, and as IV demonstrates, this is not even their final form.

Now, admittedly, the duo’s production schedule is helped by two factors. One, as a studio project, they currently don’t need to waste time touring. Once they release an album, they can go right on to writing the next (V is already on its way!). But in addition, Walg isn’t reinventing the wheel here. This is straight-up melodic black metal, centered entirely on high-octane frosty riffs, drums that weave from blasting to galloping to more blasting, and impassioned, throat-ripping gargles. But what riffs! What blasts! What gargles! The guitars don’t stick to repeating the same measure four times; they build and evolve singular phrases into multi-part melodies. …and Oceans’ “Cosmic World Mother” was my song of the year in 2020, and here “Foltering” sounds like its more grounded second cousin with just as addictive a main riff. Keijzer puts everything in his vocal performance and his phrasing frequently includes desperate inflections reminiscent of DSBM styles, but he pulls off ICS Vortex style cleans just as powerful.

IV by Walg

Though the frills are few, they help accent the individual tracks and make each composition stand out on its own. “Vuurdoop” sounds that much more epic thanks to a touch of symphonics, reminiscent of Dimmu Borgir’s older and more aggressive tracks. Folk touches like the hurdy-gurdy (or facsimile thereof) on “Speel Met Mij” and “Geen Einde in Zicht” add a welcome peat-bog earthiness. But the easiest to overlook is how much emotional pull the album carries. The riffs balance righteous fury with a sadness and longing, matched effortlessly by Keijzer’s raw performance. His clean vocals are used sparingly, but they really elevate the bridges of “Radeloos” and “Speel Met Mij.” The standout track, “Als een Korrel Zand,” sets the mood with acoustic guitars before matching the melody with trilling tremolos that hit the heartstrings hard.

Where other bands work on the road to recognition for many years, occasionally releasing a meticulously composed album, Walg is speedrunning their way to the top of the Dutch black metal scene. It’s almost frightening how easily the duo shits out killer track after killer track, not just technically proficient but containing variety and engaging songwriting and an emotional backbone. IV absolutely destroys; let’s see in a couple months whether V can top it!

Tracks to Check Out: ”Radeloos,” “Als een Korrel Zand,” “Foltering”

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