ALKERDEEL is Belgium band that combines raw black metal with doom/sludge. "Slonk" is their fourth full length album since forming in 2005. They have also released a demo, an EP, two splits and a corroboration album. "Slonk" is an album that is aggressive album yet atmospheric.  Long intros of darkened beauty will be found among the thirty six minutes run time but passages of pure hell and terror will also be places this album takes you.

The production is dark and gritty but it makes you appreciate the quiet moments more, before the blackened aspects destroy your senses. The first track, "Vier," begins with a long and quiet intro. The mystic and melodic bass guitar takes the lead for much of the buildup. The guitars add in another layer, the song building underneath, even as it engulfs you. The vocals are raw as hell, a very throaty blackened shriek that is honest in approach.  Around the 8:53 mark, the sludgy blackened doom gives way to chaos as the guitars turn into a whirlwind of groove and riffs. The madness only increases with the drums going faster and horror and the riffs becoming the same.

"Eirde" keeps the momentum going–eventually it all runs together to form a huge wall of distorted sound. It is a very nice effect and it makes you give yourself to the song for total control. Repeated listens train the ears to hear actual riffs in all this black static, and good ones at that. Still even after the song opens for you, that wall of sound will still be there. This all makes for an engrossing musical experiences that many won't understand. But for those who do? You will want to put this song on repeat and discover its intricacies.

"Zop" has monstrous riffs and in many ways is the most straightforward song here. It is hard to deny the fury that is this song or the many great riffs that reside within it. Around the 7:40 mark, the sludge returns but the song never loses potency. The depraved vocals at the song's end cap it all off. "Trok" beats, pummels, and wounds with a cascading assault of drums. This song gets deeper and more dense as it goes along. The guitars dig deep to pull up muf and gravel for a wave of nastiness in which the vocals ride upon.  This song just doesn't let up, filling every available second with everything that made the previous tracks so good.

ALKERDEEL's "Slonk" is not a journey for everyone but those who do choose to ride the miasma will find many rewarding moments.