Review by Michael on October 29, 2024.

Dutch atmospheric black metal legends Asgrauw are back with their sixth regular studio album called Oorsprong (which means “origin” in English). What might sound pretty cryptic because “origin” might have many meanings is quite simple because the Dutch mystery fans go back way long into the history of mankind (or like Blood Incantation might say the “Hidden History Of The Human Race”). Got it? No? Okay, let me help you a little bit more. The guys around Vaal read a lot of interesting books like “The Epic Of Gilgamesh”, “The Chariot Of The Gods” by Erich van Däniken, and lots more that search for the origin of the human race somewhere in outer space. Well, I personally liked this topic ever since I was a young teenager and so this doesn't sound too strange to me. But I also know that there are a lot of people who think that this is complete bullshit (and believe that the Earth is flat and global warming is a lie instead). So it's up to you which thought might be the nicer one.

Musically the Dutch follow their Scandinavian idols from the 90s straight away. Oorsprong has become a really nice mixture of all the old gods (here we are on the same topic as in the lyrics again) like old Emperor, Mayhem, Gehenna, or Borknagar. Let's focus on some of the songs in more detail. 'Apada' starts with some mysterious sounds like an astronaut is stepping into his spaceship and it's getting ready for lift-off or sort of this and then the ride begins. Harsh, fast guitar riffs and a super thunderous drum beats you into your seat and Vaals´ vocals are screamed out relentlessly at a pace like the ruby in our garden has when it's pissed off because the damn neighbors' cat is stalking around. But soon there are some atmospheric keyboards, too, and this song isn't only harsh but also very pleasant. 'Eridu' (which was probably the oldest Sumerian city) starts with a slow and atmospheric Mayhem-riff (pretty similar to “Freezing Moon”) but develops into a hateful piece of music when the pace becomes faster. Again you can hear a lot of keyboard layers so you can feel some mystery around, too. 'Weeral' is more mid-tempo with a lot of epic melodies and catchy riffs. I would state that this one is the easiest song on the album because of the certain easiness it has and because there aren't too many super fast parts. Only here and there are some speed outbursts to find but of course, it also isn't a ballad.

But to get an overall view of the songs I would really recommend you to check the album by yourself. It has turned out a highly diverse album with many surprises to find. If you compare Oorsprong to its direct predecessor Façade from 2022 (which I may rated 0.6 points too high in retrospect), you will hear that the production has become much warmer and not that sterile. You can hear the instruments much better and it doesn't sound that tinny (which I actually didn't notice back then).

To sum up, once again the guys have done a great job with their music but also lyric-wise it turns out to be an interesting thing. Check the album and support the band, they're worth it!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10