DINBETHES is the work of Dutch musicians J and M as they come together to bring us the album Balans. J takes a large role for this release as he not only plays the guitars and bass along with supplying vocals, the mixing and mastering credit is also due to him. The drums were performed and recorded separately by M. The album started to take shape as they released "Venijn" and "Geboren" as singles earlier on in the year.

"Venijn" kicks off with a melodic and smooth guitar intro that allows the formation of the track to rise around it. The build-up comes into a Death metal cult track that keeps the intro close by and what you are left with is a haunting and catchy riff as the vocals summon a deep screech. The track has explosive elements, but it is the unsettling haunting feeling that exists throughout that catches my attention. "Storm" features creative drumming to lock down the rhythm as the guitars ring out. A strong bass line without trying to do too much provides a heavy tone until the guitars amplify the volume and the pace quickens thanks to a surging double kick. The song has a deceiving speed with its trance like song structure giving the drums a wide array of timings and fills to work with.

"Geboren", along with moments of other songs, seem to inherit a Punk guitar style and timings. That is where the comparison ends, the song has a speed friendly KATATONIA sound and the orchestral vocals are well placed, making the song take flight. A good song but not a favourite for me. "Los" is a two minute, lull you into a trance with twangy guitar picking and an open jazz bass line before eventually becoming the closing track "Balans". The song seems to account for everything the band wished to achieve with the release as it is a very well written song. The deep echoing vocals are powerful and come across clearly and at times they battle back and forth between a deep growl and a screeching with an echoing effect. The drums are in constant motion throughout the twelve-minute-long track, halting just enough to let the guitar and bass work together to bring the song back into motion. Many layers to the music without rushing the song along allows the music to hit harder than it seems to be.

Being mostly the creation of J, with the exception of the drums, the release seems to have had a lot of work put into it and it does show. There is a specific sound brought out with the music that will be the underlying tone for the band with future releases. A "what you see is what you get" thing you could say. If you are into the style here, then I am sure there will be more material to hear in the future, but for me I think I will wait until that time comes to hear more before I make my verdict.