Laster - Andermans Mijne
"An experimental metal band that has been morphing its riddled body since 2012"
The Dutch power trio Laster have never stayed in one place for long. Their newest release, Andermans Mijne, has them stepping even further from their atmospheric roots into a strange fusion of post-black metal, art rock, and Dutch jazz.
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Since their first full-length LP in 2014, which carried with it a decidedly blackgaze sound, Laster has gradually shifted towards a more avant-garde approach laced with post-punk, goth, and art rock. While there was a clear direction being taken little-by-little, their first three releases never step too far from each other, allowing a cohesive sound to emerge across them. This is furthered along by the similar artwork they share, originally created by N. (Nicky), the vocalist and guitarist. The subsequent two are created by Dutch photographer Daan Paans, playing off the same style and denoting each entry’s place in their discography by the number of people on the cover.
This latest album - likewise created by Daan Paans - steps a different direction stylistically with a photograph of a modern art exhibit, of which the subject is a hollowed-out mannequin torso. It’s hard to say if this change is to signal a departure from the sound demonstrated prior, but it does seem to imply so. This album brings with it an air more appropriate for jazz clubs and high art exhibits, leaving behind the powerful expressive tones characteristic of shoegaze-inspired black metal.
While much of the post-black metal scene has pushed further into atmosphere and ambience, Laster has instead chosen to follow down the path of Polish contemporaries like Mord’a’Stigmata or Furia towards something catchy and artful. Thankfully, they do not do so at the expense of the black metal elements, as Mord’a’Stigmata did with their release Like Ants and Snakes (still a great album.)
The most notable shift present is the very heavy swing towards jazziness and clean vocals. They draw heavily on sounds present in the vibrant community of Dutch jazz, the oldest jazz scene outside of the United States, and blend that with vocal stylings from the new wave revival. N’s vocals wouldn’t sound out of place on a track from The Killers.
The way Laster blends jazzy riffing and approachable vocals with post-black metal’s atmosphere is, in my experience, unparalleled. Much of the album will have you introspectively scaling absolutely mountainous walls of sound, only to suddenly descend into spastic drum rhythms under a bass line so groovy that one might actually be prompted to start moving along with it.
Laster even suggests a desire to make danceable music with their own description of themselves:
Obscure dance music from the innards of Utrecht, the Netherlands.
I’ll admit to eliciting an eye-roll upon reading that, but to give them credit, they really have found a way to make black metal danceable.
Such an odd musical endeavor could go terribly. Blending sounds that are often antithetical can just as likely result in an incoherent mess more characteristic of the progressive metal scene. Thankfully, every member of Laster - a power trio - is quite adept with their instrument. There isn’t a moment on the album where each isn’t pulling their weight in an impressive display of both technical musicianship and balanced teamwork.
Furthermore, in a manner decidedly more “black metal” than “jazz metal”, their goofy presentation of mischievous imps adorned in the all-black staple attire of jazz musicians helps cut the self-serious pretension seen heavily in the post- and prog-metal scenes. They aren’t afraid to make fun of themselves while they deliver on music that would only ever preclude them from ridicule. They know they’re breaking the rules, and it’s almost as if they’re daring the snootier members of the black metal scene to challenge them on their place here.
Be damned what the trve would think. Whether it be their more “acceptable” prior albums, or the way they’ve pushed the genre into a new space on Andermans Mijne, the black metal scene is lucky to harbor the creative power delivered upon by Laster.