Verloren are a short-lived band part of the talented Goatowarex roster. After 5 years of existance they released their only full length titled In Zalvend Onmin. In Zalvend Onmin starts with a highlight after the intro called Doelloos Dwalen; rather catchy song with an almost rock 'n roll feel to it, a bit groovy even and riff-fucking-tastic. A contrast with the lyrical themes and vocals. Lyrically Verloren tap from the same pool as many contemporary colleagues. Subjects as misanthropy, solitude, etc. are all over the place, but instead of being an uninspired Burzum or Bethlehem rip-off, they opt for a slightly different approach. Doelloos Dwalen is a perfect example of this. Verminking starts with a cleanly played guitar riff, after which the devestating vocals and distortion kick in. The vocals are not that special, but are nonetheless perfect for this album. They aren't the ridiculous high shrieks that seem to be a common approach nowadays, but instead are a more traditional black metal scream filled with emotion and despair. With Verminking the album drops paste significantly and will hypnotize the listener into a state of complete apathy, until about 5 minutes in the song, when some fast-paced tremelo's make an introduction and the music again goes up a few notches and treads into mid-paced territory. This constant change in paste provides for a nice variety and constantly highlights different emotions. Vloek Der Negatiefheid starts in a similar fashion as the previous song, again clean guitar lines with in the background the excruciating screams. Paste again slow for about a minute or two, until a mid-paced part presents itself again backed up by the trancelike riffs that will keep repeating itself in your head, long after this album is over. They are pretty simple, but highly effective. Vloek Der Negatiefheid is a perfect example of this, at about 4 minutes into the song, a riff comes crawling up that's easily one of the best to be heard on In Zalvend Onmin and perfectly portrays all the negativity present in this song. It's a shame Verloren never continued what they had started. They are obviously a talented bunch and were a musical highlight of 2006. Like so many talented bands, Verloren quit the underground scene with just one album, but by now it's common knowledge that usually those albums (and bands) end up reaching a legendary status. Future will decide wether Verloren will continue this trend or not. Verloren are recommended to those individuals who enjoy mid-paced / slow riff-based black metal with highly effective screaming in the background and a general gloomy and despondent mood.
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