Ande—meaning grief, passion, and rage—emotions deeply embedded in Black Metal. And these emotions are no strangers to this one-man project from Bilzen, Belgium, led by Jim Christiaans. With De Schermingen van Werelden, he presents his fifth full-length album in Ande’s ten-year existence. Once again, the album has been released on silver discs by the Finnish Naturmacht Productions, ready to spread across the world.
Before this, Ande was an unknown project to me—one among many. Atmospheric Black Metal with Dutch/Flemish lyrics, thematically revolving around twilight: the moment of stillness in a chaotic modern society. A time of day when one can find peace and reflect without external distractions. And Jim does a solid job conveying this through his music.
After a fairly standard Dungeon Synth-style intro titled Teer, the album kicks off with Van de Eeuwen, an uptempo track that immediately showcases the crisp production. Musically, it leans heavily into the classic Black Metal sound of the ’90s—which is, of course, never a bad thing. The journey into twilight continues with De Schemeringen, a more doom-laden track supported by keyboards. This is also where we first hear Jim’s clean vocals, adding welcome variation before the album charges forward again.
With De Zonderlingen, Ande takes a different path, exploring more ritualistic Neofolk-inspired sounds, with a calm vocal performance carrying the track. But fear not—the fury returns with De Wraak van het Bos, where Ande’s true nature resurfaces. I’d even dare to call this one of the album’s highlights.
Closing track Vervallen Gedaantes is, like the opener, another Dungeon Synth/Ambient instrumental. In hindsight, I would’ve preferred another full-force Black Metal track instead of this six-minute outro, but of course, artistic choices are personal.
With De Schermingen van Werelden, Ande delivers a solid and diverse album that never overstays its welcome. The outro might not fully land with me, but beyond that, it’s a well-crafted release without too many surprises.
80/100
Ande:
Instagram
Facebook
Bandcamp
Naturmacht Productions:
Bandcamp
Website