Random pickups are still my favorite. Of course I get stoked when the new CYBERPLASM 12" slides through the mail slot and I know my brain is about to melt, but what about dropping a few dollars because something looked interesting? Because something felt right in your hands? That was my experience with VAAL, mysterious Dutch black metal misanthrope who has been responsible for scores of releases under different monikers since the mid-teens. Since this isn't "my" realm, 2019's Ondood Rehearsal was my first exposure and....consider me exposed. Seven cold and impassioned blasts that led me down a dark hole to find OLD TOWER, STAAR, THE WAMPYRIC SPECTER and other associated manifestations, in addition to a swarm of recordings under the shadow of VAAL. There's a reason I keep the genre at arm's length...these vortices have strong pulls, and one curious soul might never leave their orbit.
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