Band: Galghe
Genre: Black Metal
Album: Heerscht de dood nu als onderkoning?
Year: 2026
(Reviewed by Raaf Atasi for MetalfromNL)
Introduction
Galghe is a two-piece Dutch black metal band based in Sittard, Limburg. The band was initiated in recent years, and has already 2 EPs under its belt. The new offering; 'Heerscht de dood nu als onderkoning?' marks their first ever full length, and was released in March 2026. The 2 members go by the names (P.) who does vocals and plays all instruments, and (J.) who also performs vocal duties. Worth mentioning is that on Metal Archives, the band's lyrical themes are stated to deal with suicide and depression. There is certainly that vibe on the album. However, these factors were included within a thematic framework (could be a story) that demonstrates some landmark events from WW1. As we all know, in war, helplessness, terror, tortured psyche and potential suicidal thoughts are all proven occurrences among soldiers and civilians. But I believe that it should be stated on Metal Archives that this album is dealing with WW1 as the primary topic.
The way the theme was presented on the album was that each 19 min song was divided into 4 sections with 4 titles that represent notable cities in which major WW1 events took place. So you have 8 city names in total:
1) Sarajevo
2) Liege
3) Mons
4) Ypres
5) Verdun
6) Somme
7) Diksmuide
8) Versailles
(I highly recommend googling each city and what kind of involvement it had within the context of WW1. Fascinating song order choices and pinpoints by the band for the historical integrity and accuracy).
Composition & Performance
The songs vary in composition in terms of blastbeats and mid-tempo beats. Moreover, a lot of tasteful keys, strings, and sound effects are implemented to create an immersive, gloomy and terrorizing ambience. A standout moment for me on the title track 'Heerscht de dood nu als onderkoning?' is the first half of minute 10. Those almost distorted synths make you feel like it is the absolute end of everything. A soundtrack to the demise of life. Very dirgy, funereal, and captivates the listener and transports them to the next chapter. When the vocals, guitars and drums kick off again, it feels like the singer is talking to you from the other side. From the beyond, surrounded with shadows and darkness. The riff that follows is so menacing and grotesque especially when the blastbeat hits. It is one of the darkest moments on this record. Perfectly composed and thought-out.
As for the second gloomy rhapsody 'De door bloed verzuurde bodem', the song kicks off with some eerie cinematic sound effects of people in fear and anguish with blazing gun sounds that cinematize the whole scene. Then a dirgy mid-tempo riff/beat accompanied by some gritty/shouty clean vocals. Although I wasn't the biggest fan of the vocal timbre and pitch implemented in this "clean" section, it still does make the song stand out from the previous track and gives it its own identity, especially giving the fact that both songs are over 19 mins long, and both needed a distinguished personality to avoid similarity and repetitiveness. And these screamy clean vocals have definitely accomplished that and set a new tone for the track. However, 'De door bloed verzuurde bodem' does not stay in that pocket the whole time. The guys brought the black metal soul back into the piece and created a very tasteful combination of mid-tempos, blastbeats and other atmospheric elements throughout the song.
Speaking of 'De door bloed verzuurde bodem', my absolute favourite part on the album starts midway through minute 7, where everything stops, and a beautifully composed clean guitar section is introduced. This contemplative melody and atmosphere is just addictive. Suddenly, a fast, weird ass drum fill kicks in and surprises you before guitar distortion explodes with an incredible mid-tempo riff that serves as a phenomenal conveyance of desperation, hopelessness and anguish that take place in war. Cherry on top (a golden cherry) are the sensational and tortured black metal shrieks that accompany the riff. I kept rewinding these 2 mins until I memorized every detail from every instrument and vocal line. Just brilliant.
Furthermore, minute 13:55 on the same track is my favourite blast beat section on the record. It has that dark old school melodic black metal vibe, with a snare being a bit low in the mix to convey the nostalgia for the organic black metal spirit of the 90s. Think Nargaroth 'Black Metal ist Krieg' era meets Satyricon 'Nemesis Divina' era meets Mork 'Isebakke' era (especially the mid-tempo sections), and you'll have a good grasp on how this song (and the title track actually) sounds like.
The wailing vocals on this record are just haunting. One can hear, and be completely immersed in, total torture in the delivery especially when the singer (P. or J.) hits those clean notes as can be heard midway through minute 9 of the title track 'Heerscht de dood nu als onderkoning?', as well as minute 18:20 of the same track. Those frantic screams definitely send chills down the listener's spine, and demonstrate the atmosphere of bleak depression and melancholy.
Another thing I liked about this record are the scattered unpredictabilities. At one point you're listening to a slower mid-tempo section, and right off the bat it switches to an unexpected blastbeat. This is exemplified on the title track minute 12:06, and on 'De door bloed verzuurde bodem' minute 12:00, where it really catches the listener off guard, in the best way possible, and transitions them into the next chapter of the journey seamlessly.
Lastly, Galghe's new album has a plethora of catchiness. Something somewhat unusual to be said about a black metal record, but there are moments that stick with you. Whether it's a melodic and devastating riff like the one on the 9:12 minute mark of the title track, which is reminiscent of bands like Lord Belial and Siebenburgen, or something ambient and chilling such as all the key/synth interludes that pop up every now and then to pave the way for the next chronicle of the war story/theme. In all cases, catchiness is present on this record and you definitely feel like rewinding some song sections multiple times.
Production
Production is a bit murky, rough around the edges and very faithful to the old school black metal production of the 90s. Everything feels and sounds organic, especially the drums, where you can sometimes hear that not every drum hit is perfectly laid on the gird. This gives the album tremendous charm and appeal, especially to the loyal fan base of the old black metal sound. Sometimes I feel that the guitars could have been a bit louder in the mix, yet it is still great and immersive as it is.
Critique
The album is a complete work of art in its own right. Nothing really to bitch about. One small critique would be the prolonged repetitions that sometimes linger a bit too long for my taste. I'm well aware that this is somewhat of an intentional characteristic within this style in order to portray the never-ending vortex of darkness swallowing the listener and throwing them into a grim trance, but I still think some parts could have been edited like the riff on the title track (minute 14:04) that also repeats again at minute 15:27. After a while, it just felt a tad monotonous. Again, this is a personal taste not a judgement because I know this style requires sections like that for hypnotic purposes. However, maybe if some keys or synth were implemented in this section to escalate the atmosphere, it would have added more dynamic and dimension to it. Nevertheless, the guys still broke that repetition and introduced a layer of beat dynamic on minute 14:36 where the drums were sped up with an off-beat (Toms and Snare) flavour. Moreover, the transition on minute 15 is absolutely clever. Injecting those dissonant evil notes and chords before repeating the aforementioned long riff is definitely a sonic relief and compositional slickness.
The same could be said about the beginning of the second song 'De door bloed verzuurde bodem', where the mid-tempo beat and clean vocals repeat for over 5 minutes before it explodes into a skanky blastbeat and black metal vocal approach. This does not make the songs boring by any means, I just feel it could be a bit redundant at points.
Conclusion
I like this album. I like the concept and the way the songs were titled. There is a lot of thought put into it. Musically it is a bleak, immersive journey and soundtrack to WW1. Additionally, I enjoyed the sound effects that multiplied the degree of immersion. I really loved the doves at the end of the last section of Versailles, where it is known to be the city where the peace treaty was signed. I have mentioned a couple of critiques above but nothing really drastic that ruins the album's standard and experience.
Rating
8/10
The album isn't on Spotify, but you can find it on Bandcamp. Click Here
