I’ve mentioned Asgrauw, Hellvaerder, Schavot and Duindwaler more then a few times in my reviews. They are members of the Zwotte Kring collective, which contain kindred spirits sharing the same passion and philospy about music. Two of these members, Floris Velthuis (Asgrauw, Schavot) and Daan Bloemink (Hellevaerder, Duindwaler) have joined forces in order to make a new concoction under the name of Hexagraf.
And of course, Void Wanderer Productions and War Productions are the responsible label / distribution partner. So let’s find out what this new project called Hexagraf is all about; and with this I mean in particular their first offspring called “Walsen van Hoop”.
On this album Floris takes care of the compositions and Daan manages the vocals and lyrics, and they do quite a splendid job. I suspected Black Metal of some sort (experimental, melodic…who knows). In this case it is not just only Black Metal but also Death and Doom metal what I am hearing in the mix. This means good old Doom from the early thill middle of the nineties. Think of old Anathema, Paradise Lost and even the Gathering (before Anneke stepped in). This album oozes nostalgia. Although it took some time to digest I definitely like it.
It makes me feel like I am the teenager again discovering these kind of genres (what an exciting time that was). But besides nostalgia this album has more than enough to discover, for both young and old. When reading the Dutch titles of these tracks it isn’t a merry album to listen to. It reeks of dispair, melancholia and has an utter fatalistic approach. So don’t put this record on during Christmas dinner. At least not when you want the company to be around for a few minutes longer.
The album starts with “Stoflongen” and immediately we are off to a good start. Eerie keyboards, melancholic guitar parts and the fitting Doom/Death vocals of Daan will warp you back towards the beginning and middle of the nineties. “Koud geslagen” starts wit acoustic guitar before the heavy guitar sets in. Daan‘s growls in combination with the subtle keyboards wrap around you like a cold blanket. “Om organen te vernietigen” sometimes remind me of Gorefest‘s “Erase” album in combination with old Paradiso Lost (Gothic era) but Hexagrab manage to keep its own identity. Especially when it releases a well dosed part of agressive power.
“Sterven is vreten” contains a beautiful intro before the misanthropic mayhem steps in. Titletrack “Walsen van hoop” is in the same vein. The atmospheric keyboards and guitars and vocals almost make it ritualistic.
“Bijtend in de geest van productie” again starts with eerie keyboards before the harsh guitars and intruiging (spoken) vocals make sure you are soaked in miserie. It makes sure that this album has a fitting and intruiging end of this great album.
I already mentioned that this album is a trip back to memory lane. Maybe that’s what makes this “Walsen van hoop” so enjoyable. But beside the nostalgia it simply put is a well composed, executed and product album. Is it original? At times but mostly the sound is recognizable and has bonded with spirits of the past. And there’s nothing wrong with this. Especially when it’s cheer misanthropic pleasure provided like this! Good stuff!
Score: 7,9 / 10
Label: Void Wanderer Productions / War Productions
Release date: 18 December 2025
Reviewer: Erik
Tracklist:
- Stoflongen
- Koud geslagen
- Om organgen te vernietigen
- Sterven is vreten
- Walsen van hoop
- Bijtend in de geest van productie
