The CD version of this album comes with an exclusive bonus track and a lavishly illustrated booklet with lyrics.
Front and back cover painted by Wesley Dewanckel.
8.5 / 10 The Metal Observer
82 / 100 Addergebroed
80 / 100 Zware Metalen
8 / 10 Metal Division Magazine
8 / 10 Folk-Metal.nl
The anticipated sixth album from Theudho is here! Continuing in the tradition set by "De roep van het woud", which was a huge progression in terms of songwriting.
True pagan black metal seems to be long out of fashion but it was a big part of what Heidens Hart was built upon. Theudho is Belgium's longest running pagan black metal band alongside Ancient Rites and keeps doing what they do best: blackened pagan metal with top notch songwriting. The tracks are very diverse but always with a focus on strong melodies, with plenty of aggressive, melancholic as well as monumentally epic and bombastic sounds. The sound is completed with well written guitar solos (a rare thing these days!) and atmospheric acoustic guitars. Theudho is easily among the best the country has to offer in the genre.
The fantastic art on front and back are custom paintings by Wesley Dewanckel, entirely made on request and per the vision of the band.
"Voorbij de nevelen des tijds" is the sixth album by the Belgian (Flemish) band Theudho. Actually, it is not very similar to previous releases. It is customary to compare Theudho's music with Ancient Rites and Bathory: well, you can still catch the influence of these bands by a long stretch of the imagination, but rather, only at the level of vibes, so to speak. When Jurgen started Theudho twenty years ago, he was content with the status of one man project, then he recruited a full line-up, but on the previous and current albums he stands again in lone conspicuity. So the musical vector change cannot be attributed to new members or something like that.
"Voorbij de nevelen des tijds" offers exactly what we want, i. e. black metal, while the atmosphere typical of pagan metal is hard to capture here. The album's rhythmicality and epicness should not mislead the listener, although, truly speaking, all conditions are created for this: "Met vuur en staal" is the only full-fledged blast-beat attack on the whole album. We hear here the traditional tremolo picked black metal riffs, a bit in the spirit of the Norwegian school. By and large, "Met vuur en staal" is a strange event for Theudho, if only this unexpected piece serves as the last statement/solid argument – it closes the album (if you do not take into account the bonus "Noodlot") in the best possible way.
Talking about the triumph of the epic atmosphere, it is all the more evident that the previous album "De roep van het woud" was rich in fast paced sections starting from the first song. In addition, there was another, more significant circumstance: the production itself including the mastering done by Dan Swanö emphasized the album's riffing, which was even experimental in places – many of the riffs should be called more enigmatic than handsome. Due to the whole sound of the album, and especially due to the crisp drum sound (it must be said, numerous breaks and rolls were frankly annoying), some fragments seemed almost industrial insertions, in addition many moves created an impression of some kind of nervousness.
There is nothing like this on "Voorbij de nevelen des tijds", the album is very even overall. The continuation with regard to the predecessor is manifested mostly by the use of riffs unusual for pagan metal and their combination. Of course, well-known patterns are still recognizable on the album, for example, in some episodes you can hear riffs in the spirit of Norwegian Storm, for example, the groove-laden riff of "Tomben van eeuwig ijs" does resemble "Noregsgard", but in general, such riffs are lost against the background of the rest.
As a result, by the way, the album is not as strong with piercing tremolo-picked riffs, it is not the most common technique here, although some passages are really beautiful ("Getooid met de krans des doods", "Schimmen onder een maanloze hemel", "Tomben van eeuwig ijs"). If Jurgen used tremolo picked dissonant rhythm and lead sequences on the model of modern black metal bands, the unusualness of his music would be more obvious. But his riffs just balance on the verge of dissonance, without entering the territory of modern black metal, which is best felt in "De zwaardgod". Well, now the evenness of the music is violated, oddly enough, only by solo guitar parts. From the very first song, the solo in a heavy metal manner contrasts sharply with the epic atmosphere of the album, with its may be said pomposity. Such solos could also be heard on "De roep van het woud", but they fit quite harmoniously into that material. While on "Voorbij de nevelen des tijds" the contrast is almost painful, especially in "Sicamber".
Nevertheless, it is thanks to Jurgen's specific riffing that the influence of classic bands turned out to be at the level of fluids as said before. For example, if that is the case, viking-era Bathory can be heard in the very first "Getooid met de krans des doods", but Theudho's epic groove is not at all as measured as Quorthon's, it is diluted with unexpected melodic jumping.
The influence of the classics turned out to be hidden partly owing to the production. Some roughness and abrasivity acquired by the guitar sound (interestingly, at the beginning of "Ruiters van het Rijnland" it reminds of old-school Swedish death metal) removed from the music a kind of pagan metal delicacy. The "blackened" component significantly increased its influence in the band's characteristic style, and this coup was carried out by (we find it a little amusing) Heathen veterans: the material for "Voorbij de nevelen des tijds" was recorded and mixed by Jurgen himself, while the mastering was done by Arjan Peeks (Heidens Hart, Cultus, etc.)
Another change in Theudho's music is the increased doomness, even fatality. This somber mood has been used before ("Op de heilige ring gezworen" on the previous album), but now it has become much more tangible from the very beginning: some kind of foredoom is heard in the short repetitive lick of "Getooid met de krans des doods". Sometimes it is even appropriate to draw an analogy to the early Shining (Norwegian) attitude, while "Sicamber" is perceived almost as a doom metal piece. Occasionally tragicalness is interrupted by some desperate attacks ("Schimmen onder een maanloze hemel"), but this only emphasizes the fatality. In addition, the sound of Theudho appeared grotesque, which is not typical of pagan metal bands at all.
Because of all this, a mid-paced groove rhythm is most often perceived as... how should it be worded... well, as a crawling penetrant sensation, and not as an impulse to any kind of action ("Ruiters van het Rijnland", "De zwaardgod", "Schimmen onder een maanloze hemel", bonus "Noodlot"). The only one "Hoog in de dode woudreus" can boast of the original pagan spirit, it is somehow vivacious and overflowing with optimism against the background of the rest.
The comparison of Theudho's new work with the third album "Cult of Wuotan" is also very revealing. This opus was re-released by Heidens Hart alongside with the "Voorbij de nevelen des tijds" release, for doing this, the material was remixed by Jurgen, of course, and the master of the new version was made by Arjan again. And although under such conditions, the albums can be said to have come closer to each other in terms of production (in the new version of "Cult of Wuotan" the guitar sound became more severe, while the drums were somewhat thrown into the background in the mix, which undoubtedly benefited the sound), there is an abyss between them as before. "Cult of Wuotan" is imbued with Ancient Rites influence, while "Voorbij de nevelen des tijds" is nowhere close to such attitude.
Most likely, Ancient Rites fans can still recognize the influence of these Flemish legends, but if you are familiar with their work only so far, then by all appearances you will have to be content with "Geheiligd door voortekenen" – this short acoustic interlude, a kind of simulation of a medieval lute piece, refers us to the outro "Last Rites / Echoes of Melancholy" from "The Diabolic Serenades". The analogy may not be very accurate, but it is very revealing.
Summary. Perhaps there will be fewer "Heathens" among Theudho's fans after "Voorbij de nevelen des tijds", but there should be more black metallers. If you paid no attention to Theudho before, it is time to right yourself and to get to know this band. You can still ignore the previous albums, but don't miss "Voorbij de nevelen des tijds", at least listen to it. It is an unusually interesting work, we can even turn the blind eye to heavy metal solos
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