In de schoot der aarde is the first release under the moniker Sterveling by the Dutch musician Michiel van der Werff, who until now has been active mainly with the black metal duo Weltschmerz. The ep consists of a fifteen-minute track in which the cycle of existence is evoked, which from birth brings us back, at the moment of death, into the womb of the earth (which is precisely the meaning of the title in Dutch); the melodic lines are engaging as well as the voice that is an expressive scream and never out of range, with the whole that can recall certain musical expressions of the best Déhà with Imber Luminis. Although brief, the listening experience proves rewarding, so those who love these sounds can only wait with confidence for the good van der Werff’s next moves.

2022 – Independent