The latest EP from Belgium group Āter is entitled Vullighied and contains 5 tracks of glorious old-school melodic black metal with goose-bump inducing riffs. Vullighied was written in a thousand-year-old dialect to create a truly unique experience and challenge for the listener. The artwork was created by Bram Bruyneel and Anthony Blomme.

 

Lead vocalist Wesley explains track by track
The tracks on Vullighied were written in an almost 1000 year old dialect of Flanders. Translating them would be very hard without losing the beauty of the words, so I have decided to just give meaning to them by describing the content in short form.

 

D’Oere – is a song a about a whore, who does not want to be a whore, but has to be so her children can be fed and she can have a life. She allows herself to be “raped” by countless men every night until festering wounds are caused by the abuse and they never go away, this woman is in constant pain but has to endure it. She cries every day, the whole day, because she can’t take it anymore but has to do it to meet “end’s meet”…. the men who do it to her either don’t care or aren’t aware such a situation might exist within prostitution so they just take their pleasure from it. It is a tale of a woman, willingly taking abuse to survive in this world because no other chances are within her reach. There is way more reality in this story than one might imagine.

 

Strontroaper van Abjele – is a song about a hard-working individual cleaning shit off the streets while the elite makes fun of him, all the while he is actually doing the most noble of jobs… keeping your shoes clean and making sure his offspring does not need to suffer any hunger.

 

Voorvaderen – is about the war between France and Belgium and how this cold war still continues today in the French speaking part of Belgium vs the Flemish speaking part. I’m from Flanders myself and often feel the conflict… it’s a song about how hatred can survive for centuries.

 

Valkennacht – represents the utopia between all of the above, all of them at one feasting table, celebrating the “Valkennacht”, considering each other as equal and feasting, realizing they need to honor the earth and nature for the soil that feeds them.

 

Diatomacious Ooze – is a bonus track, for experimental purposes, a mixture of blackened death with horror elements and hysterical vocals in different ranges and styles.

 

 

Track Listing:

01. D’Oere
02. Strontroaper van Abjele
03. Voorvaderen
04. Valkennacht
05. Diatomacious Ooze [Bonus Track]

 

Vullighied | Released March 24th, 2020 on Sliptrick Records

 

Lyrics and music by Wesley and session guitarist Mantorok
Lyrics on Diatomaceous Ooze by Gratiën Versijpt
Music on Diatomaceous Ooze by Baruch and Zoran Van Bellegem
Vocals on Diatomaceous Ooze by Wesley Beernaert

 

 

Influences:
90’s Gorgoroth | Emperor | Sabathan era Enthroned

 

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https://www.vokillzforhire.com/

https://www.facebook.com/atermadness/

https://www.instagram.com/atermadness/

https://twitter.com/AterMadness/

https://www.soundcloud.com/aartsbok

https://atermadness.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZKvPM2919_DN_BwVmMPiFA

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Wesley Beernaert – Lead Vocals
Guy Van Nieuwenhove – Guitar
Jeroen Lagae – Guitar
Jerry Winkelmans – Drums
Roger Romain – Bass
Luca Viperini – Live guest at special shows and official writing and active member

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Āter started in 1996 as a solo project. It didn’t do much because the artist, Wesley Beernaert, often had the opportunity to join touring artists as lead vocalist.

 

Somewhere in 2004 it seemed as if Āter was going to turn into a band, in reality it only left Wesley Beernaert with session guitarist Mantorok. They both finished the ep + Wesley wrote some 12 extra songs…. Then the worst happened, a flood… All pc’s were broken.

 

Years later while moving Wesley found an old hard drive, broken, and recovered 4 songs, remastered them and replayed the bass and some guitar parts. And there you go. The EP ‘Vullighied’, written in an almost 1000 year old dialect of Flanders. A bonus song was added to the end. The ep was released on most digital platforms (see link below) but the physical version, which will be printed on demand, has an extra intro and song and included different variations of custum picks, stickers and patches ad a bonus.

 

Meanwhile Āter is no longer a solo project. Wesley has had the incredible luck to have had been approached by people way more capable then himself to write songs and record them. This EP has been released because history should not be lost, and it interludes the new Era of Āter as a new band. Expect similar music but with an emphasis on melody x 100, 2 guitars instead of one, and goosebump inducing-melodic riffs. Link to listen to samples and buy the album + info on which platforms “Vullighied” is available:

 

Distrokid
Bandcamp

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Vullighied (EP) - 2020

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Black Metal