Ved Buens Ende
Written in Waters
Candlelight / Misanthropy
Dark, angry, melodic, moody, frightening, startlingly unique… the ways to describe Ved Buens Ende could go on forever, without ever properly doing the band justice. Written in Waters was originally released in 1995, and is getting a much deserved re-release from Candlelight Records so that the legions of metal’s current young fans can see how black metal should be done.
I guess the black metal tag for these guys is deceiving, as the majority of the music on Written in Waters is slow, plodding and sans keyboards; in others words, this is black metal without the pretension. Ved Buens Ende is more like a mathematical black metal band, with an audible and chunky bass guitar. The songs are very bleak in sound and mood, and they reek of evil. The drums are very full, with plenty of low and mid range, and they punch when both slowly puttering and when giving us a very crisp blast beat. The lead vocalist kind of sounds like Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, in that his voice is very deep and theatrical. It matches the darkness of the music perfectly.
In short, this album shows that black metal isn’t supposed to be about the corpse paint, spikes and mean faces. It’s supposed to be about terror, fear and intimidation, and Written in Waters really does sound like the soundtrack to all of our worst fears come to life. Stellar production, amazing musicianship and phenomenal song writing make for a simply stunning album of metal, one which today’s legions of black metal bands should take note of, and try to improve on. This is completely worth your money, and is a true classic of our generation.
Candlelight Records: http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/
