Band:	Laster
Album:	Andermans Mijne
Style:	Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	October 13, 2023
A review by:	RaduP

01. Andermans Mijne
02. Kunstlicht
03. Poëtische Waarheid
04. Wachtmuziek
05. Achterstevoren
06. Vorm Alleen
07. Stegen Spiegel
08. Onzichtbare Muur
09. Afgelopen Tijd
10. Doodgeboren

Given enough time, any avant-garde black metal band morphs into just avant-garde metal.

Aspera Hiems Symfonia to La Masquerade Infernale, HEart Of The Ages to Omnio, Nattens Madrigal to Themes, 666 International to Supervillain Outcast, Augur Nox to Mut, Under Ein Blodraud Maane to Vilosophe, The Linear Scaffold to Neonism, Microcosmos to Tűnő Idő Tárlat. What do all of these have in common? Well not all of them follow the exact same pattern, so my case isn't a be all end all of avant-garde black metal, but what ties all of these together is that a black metal band with a penchant for experimentation within black metal would eventually feel the need to try that same kind of experimentation outside of it. Some, like Ulver, left black metal altogether, some still retained elements but those would never feel as dominant. Now it's Laster's turn.

Laster have so far created a trilogy of black metal album that felt very intrinsically tied, both in their sound and in their very similar artwork, and even if there was a noticeable evolution in sound, it still relied on a very particular take on atmospheric black metal. That particularity was both in the non-metal elements of the sound, from post-punk to shoegaze, and in the way these were structured inside the songs, created what I can only describe as "bouncy black metal". The blackgaze side dealt with a very dreamlike atmosphere that turned into what the band called "obscure dance music" with the help of the atonal post-punky grooves and the way all of it rhythmically and soundscape-wise interacted with the black metal core. Some parts of that are still valid for Andermans Mijne.

You can already tell by the cover art that the entire stylistic direction had a fundamental change. Its presence in the music is most obvious by the (almost) complete lack of harsh vocals, and while Laster have slowly been introducing more and more clean vocals, they were never this omnipresent over the music. The operatic tone is the one that's most used vocal-wise, which is something that's already part of the avant-garde metal canon, but they're not exclusive, and they're pretty entertaining and not always in a necessarily ridiculous way. There's a sense that there's a bit of tongue-in-cheekness to the entire thing, like the band really wanted to go in on this "obscure dance music" concept while still grounding the music in the avant-garde metal canon, but in a way that doesn't eschew fun.

The instrumental side is still very much on the bouncy side, but the way the ebb and flow of the songs takes the avant-garde directions into something that's not always quite metal. Metal, even black metal, still retains quite some ground, hence why you will find some blasting, heavy riffing, and even one or two harsher vocal moments. But the off-kilter songwriting complete with the atonality and the weird time signatures feel closer to something akin to avant-prog or whatever Kayo Dot are doing, just with the added bouncy grooves of Laster's DNA. The result is less atmospheric in the same way that atmospheric black metal is atmospheric, but the mood aspect remains, one that's way more direct and somehow manages to be both macabre and joyous.

This trajectory is one we've noticed before in avant-garde black metal, and for a lot of those bands their best material came after the change. We can't really predict whether that's in store for Laster, but it feels nice not to be able to predict what Laster will do next.