The Dutch black-doom metal band Soulburn will be releasing their fourth album “Noa’s D’ark” on Nov. 13 through Century Media Records. It is the long-awaited follow-up to their 2016 album “Earthless Pagan Spirit” and is available for pre-order now.
On Sept. 18, the band released the lyric video for one of the singles from the album, “From Archean Into Oblivion,” on YouTube. After beginning with a loud and heavy guitar riff, the song transitions into a slow tempo punctuated by thudding drums—a hard rhythm that will be a familiar head-banging comfort for metal fans. It continues with distorted guitar sounds that are typically found in the black metal genre and intertwines with the haunting bass of doom metal.
Twan van Geel’s voice break through the instrumentals, and many of the lyrics end with an echo that feels like you’re being pushed into oblivion. This includes liners such such as “prolonging forth into one final march” and “lose your final breath into the sun.” Around the two-minute mark, the lyrics take on a completely ethereal tone, like a ghostly whisper reverberating in an empty-domed cathedral. This allows for a break in the instrumental pacing and establishes the dark and nihilistic atmosphere.
Although the slow and thick vocals create a chilling and desperate environment, Geel’s voice fluctuates in strength throughout the five-minute track. At times the vocals and instruments don’t come together as crisply or cleanly as I would’ve liked, but hopefully this inconsistency won’t be a distraction in the other tracks. On the album, Twan van Geel has said it’s “a symbiosis of the biblical tale and the mayhem of the currents inherent in each present; a mirror of realities.” Hopefully, this intricate storytelling continues through the rest of the album.
Soulburn emerged after the demise of the Dutch band Asyphx in 1996, when founding members Eric Daniels and Bob Bagchus sought another outlet for their music. Soulburn’s lineup now includes Eric Daniels, Twan van Geel, Remco Kreft and Marc Verhaar. Fans of Dismember, Barathrum and In the Woods… will find a comparable sound with Soulburn’s “Noa’s D’ark” later this year.
The tracklist for the album follows:
- The Morgue of Hope
- Noah’s Dark
- Tempter ov the White Light
- Anarchrist
- Shrines of Apathy
- Assailed By Cosmic Lightning
- Triumphant One
- Anointed – Blessed – And Born For Burning
- The Godless I
- From Archaeon Into Oblivion
