AN NCS INTERVIEW: OFFICIUM TRISTE

 Interviews  No Responses »
Aug 052024
 

(Last week we had the privilege of premiering a powerfully moving song named “Anna’s Woe” from the tremendous new album by the Dutch band Officium Triste, and now we follow that with Comrade Aleks‘ interview of the band’s steadfast vocalist Pim Blankenstein, a discussion that includes insights into that song we premiered, among many other subjects.)

One of the oldest bands on the scene of Netherlands is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year with the release of a new album Hortus Venenum. Officium Triste have consistently and slowly continued to improve their art of death-doom since 1994, and it must be said that the band somehow manages to develop and grow without going beyond the genre’s borders.

Their sixth album The Death of Gaia (2019) turned out to be the best one in their discography, and now it seems that Hortus Venenum surpasses it predecessor. While Transcending Obscurity Records prepares different sorts of the album’s physical releases for September 6th, Hortus Venenum could be found online almost everywhere – an unfortunate sign of our times.

We discussed all of these things with the band’s original vocalist Pim Blankenstein. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: OFFICIUM TRISTE — “ANNA’S WOE”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Jul 312024
 

We are most honored today to premiere a song from Officium Triste‘s new album Hortus Venenum (which translates to “Poison Garden”). Few bands born in the obscure realms of doom/death metal have managed to live for 30 years, but this Dutch band have, and not merely whispering on life support but somehow gaining even greater strength and resilience of spirit on this, their eighth album overall.

Adorned with a magnificent Paolo Girardi painting, the album will be released by Transcending Obscurity Records on September 6th. It includes eight songs, beginning with two of the three shorter tracks on the record (relatively speaking). Those two have previously premiered, and what we have for you today is the third one in the running order. More expansive than the first two, its name is “Anna’s Woe“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: OFFICIUM TRISTE — “LOSING GROUND”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Oct 212019
 

 

With a couple of stops and re-starts in the early years, the Dutch doom/death heavyweights Officium Triste are now well into the third decade of their existence, having honed their mastery of tragedy to a razor’s edge, creating music of both heart-breaking poignancy and crushing despair. On December 13th they will release their sixth album, and their first through Transcending Obscurity Records. Entitled The Death of Gaia, it explores ruinous loss on an epic scale, with music that matches the sweeping catastrophe of its conceptions.

Today we present the album’s closing track, “Losing Ground“, which provides a grand summation of the band’s powers, and of the changing dynamics of their music. It provides little reason for hope, but its hopelessness is nevertheless absolutely spellbinding. Continue reading »

MORE SEEN AND HEARD: OFFICIUM TRISTE, VENOMOUS MAXIMUS, DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA

 Exceptions to the Rule, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  2 Responses »
Jan 082013
 

Well, I’m afraid I need to take a break from our normal afternoon roll-out of the 2012 Most Infectious Extreme Metal Song list. I could explain why, but then I’d have to kill you.  Well, I wouldn’t kill you myself. I’d send out a squad of ninja lorises.  You’d probably die of old age before they got there.

Anyway, I do have something else for you. Actually, I have three new videos to share. Because time is short, I won’t say much about them other than to say I think you should watch and hear them.

OFFICIUM TRISTE

This long-running doom/death band from The Netherlands have a new album due for release on Hammerheart Records. Its name is Mors Viri, and it was mixed by Ronnie Björnström. The album features vocals by long-time Officium Triste member Pim Blankenstein, and that’s basically all I needed to know.

The video is for a new song called “The Wounded and the Dying”. It’s really just the music, but doom fans will want to hear this. Listen: Continue reading »