This week, Vàn Records presented the debut album by Vollmondprozession from Bern, Switzerland, accompanied by an almost 41-minute video. In the clip, we see a large table covered in red fruit, set high in the Swiss mountains. Two people are seated at the table, though only one is fully visible – wrapped entirely in bandages.
That Vàn Records isn’t afraid to stray from the beaten path is something we’ve known for quite a while. The label doesn’t shy away from experimentation and does so in its own distinctive way. Think of a band like Urfaust, always coloring outside the lines, or the sick, hallucinatory universe of Kwade Droes – definitely not for the faint of heart. With Vollmondprozession, the label seems to have found a worthy successor to these sadly defunct bands. Musically, it’s a completely different beast, though here and there I can hear echoes of both. But just like those predecessors, Vollmondprozession certainly doesn’t avoid experimentation – quite the opposite.
The duo – whose identities, as it should be, remain unknown – already released a demo back in 2023. Not long after, they were picked up by Vàn Records, and now they’ve unleashed Lazarus. Not your everyday black metal record: no pitch-black cover with a goat’s head, no corpsepainted band photo, and musically it all sounds refreshingly different.
Are they doing something that’s never been seen or heard before? Absolutely not. But the way it’s all mixed and presented is what makes it genuinely interesting. Just as black is a color in my book, out-of-tune is a note. I don’t mind a bit of dissonance – something rebellious that makes the tiny hairs on your neck stand up for a second.
So does the woman in this duo miss the mark vocally from time to time? On purpose? No idea – but it works. With their raw, filthy brand of black metal laced with punk influences, they have no trouble holding my attention. Add to that the almost hallucinatory, echoing vocals – recorded in the deep crevices of the Swiss Alps – and they’ve got me hooked.
Once again, Vàn Records’ gut instinct proves spot on: Vollmondprozession is undoubtedly a bullseye. Not tailored for every pair of ears, but that’s all part of the charm.
90/100
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