Botulistum: an infamous band in the dark underground world for their abhorrent “Peat Metal” style, driving the murky blend of Black and Death Metal to insane proportions. Although normally short songwriters, ‘Probleemlijken’ displays one long continuous track; a journey of nauseating dark ambience and a masterpiece of ritualistic atmosphere, disturbed by brief bursts of raw Peat Metal.
The EP seems to serve as a continuation of the ambient terror heard on parts of their 2023 debut album. Here, the focus is almost entirely on the dreadful and unsettling noise, collecting in waves of evil and leading up to the chaos that seems to dissipate as soon as it had started. It succeeds in having the same cult feel of those old, obscure (perhaps improvisational) Black Metal demos; ones that utilize space and sporadic instrumentation to convey a dungeon-like horror soundscape. A great way to gatekeep sissy tourists who don’t understand true dark meditation… not for the false, not for the weak.
Besides being completely unhinged and disgusting, one of the appeals of ‘Probleemlijken’ is the imagery. Nothing sounds artificial here. There is no rhyme or reason, it’s not like something that was so meticulously put together, but rather something that is just purely free and evil. It’s captivating for your imagination to try to envision the forces behind the hellish rumbles, ghastly wails, and demonic chimes (although you won’t be able to, with your tiny crushed brain!!!). There’s an enveloping mysterious element to it, it’s scary and it’s pure dark. You’re not supposed to like it, but something about it won’t let go of you.
An EP that perfectly encapsulates a sound I’ve wanted to conjure myself for some time, I’m thankful Botulistum are masters of their craft and are still outputting poser-crushing releases such as this. My only complaint is that it isn’t longer, but hopefully future releases come soon and are even worse!
