Andermans Mijne (Gate) [LP] Vinyl Record

Laster are stylistically a jack in the box and the same is true for the fourth album of the Dutch trio. Every attempt to cram "Andermans Mijne" into any given pigeon-hole" will be greeted with the next track jumping out again with a delighted devilish grin and a hearty slap on the wrist. On "Andermans Mijne", Laster continue their subversive work to experiment and to constantly warp and widen the framework of extreme metal with elements of indie and jazz rock, shoegaze and art pop, as well as post-black metal and whatever else the Dutch deem fit for purpose. Despite all complexity, the result is surprisingly stringent and to the point - at times even catchy and groovy. Since their formation in the old Dutch university city of Utrecht in 2012, Laster have shifted from a comparatively 'romantic' take on blackish avant-garde metal infused with art-rock dissonance towards an even more experimental approach, and somewhat back again. Their 2014 debut album "De verste verte is hier" playfully deconstructed and re-arranged metal song structures. Their sophomore full-length "Ons vrije fatum" (2017) went several steps further and to high critical acclaim as exemplified by an "album of the month" title in the UK magazine Terrorizer. The genre-benders' third album "Het Wassen Oog" has been compared with a sonic equivalent of dark movies by legendary director Andrey Tarkovsky. The authentic character of Laster's music is also reflected in the band's lyrical and visual expression regarding their art inspired album covers and live performance with their characteristic humanoid half masks. They can be easily singled out from the myriad of hood wearing acts these days. With "Andermans Mijne", Laster deliver a bold fourth chapter of their ongoing story of a labyrinthian tale full of surprising twists, multiple layers, and fascinating new ideas.