Today, Babylon Doom Cult Records announces July 8th as the international release date for Alburnum‘s striking debut album, Buitenlucht, on CD and cassette tape formats. The vinyl version should follow by the end of the year.
Started as a solo project by multi-instrumentalist D.B., Alburnum evolved into a two-piece featuring R.v.R. (Faceless Entity et. al.) in the months leading up to the recording of Buitenlucht. Mixed and mastered by W. Damiaen (Laster et. al.) at Catacomben Studios, Tilburg, the four songs that make up their debut album establish Alburnum as a promising new act to keep track of in the Dutch underground.
On their first full-length offering, Alburnum showcase their own brand of folk-influenced black metal with sweeping melodic riffs, propulsive drums, and alternating harsh and clean vocals – a stylistic approach that emphasizes melancholy over aggression, and which may be reminiscent of folk/black titans like Drudkh and Windir as well as fellow Dutch acts like Fluisteraars and Iskandr.
Lyrically, Alburnum does not delve into themes of paganism and folklore that are common to the genre. Instead, Buitenlucht took form as a personal meditation on depression, grief, and tribulation, conceptualized during countless solitary walks in nature – a story of which this is but the first chapter. It should be noted that Alburnum does not glorify depression but simply acknowledges it: the underlying current being that there is light, no matter how far away, and that winter will, eventually, turn to spring.
Following their debut release, audiences can expect more material from Alburnum to emerge in the coming years. The seeds have been sown and are only just starting to sprout.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Euwig Licht” here:
Preorder info for the CD version can be found HERE, while preorder info for the tape version can be found HERE. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Alburnum’s Buitenlucht
1. Ik Kan Niet Zien [7:19]
2. Eeuwig Licht [7:13]
3. Buitenlucht [6:13]
4. Fluisterend Water [8:40]
www.babylondoomcultrecords.com