BOKKERIJDERS - Crush Kill Destroy

BOKKERIJDERS are one of the bands that have managed to make a name for themselves in Belgium's black metal scene in recent years. Following their 2023 EP "Silver Dust and Swords of Gold", the band are opening a new chapter in their discography with their debut full-length, "Crush Kill Destroy". Due out on October 23 via PERSONAL RECORDS, the album takes their no-compromise approach to black metal, thrash, speed metal, and punk into a broader arena. There is also another dimension to this debut: the final chapter of guitarist Wouter Lemmens' time with the band, who passed away in September 2025, making the record a marker of the end of an era for BOKKERIJDERS.

To understand the musical character of "Crush Kill Destroy", it's more useful to look at how the riffs fit together than to focus on genre labels. The raw guitar tone and high-pitched shrieks of BLACK METAL meet the razor-sharp riffs of THRASH METAL and the forward-driving rhythms of SPEED METAL. At times, punk's directness also enters the mix. Bringing to mind bands such as AURA NOIR and SLAYER, this approach is less about redefining genre boundaries than about bringing the aggressive, energetic sides of different traditions together under a shared songwriting philosophy. Rather than intricate arrangements, the emphasis falls on the momentum generated by successive riffs and the melodic details that make the songs stick in the memory.

The album's strongest moments come when these elements find the right balance at mid-tempo. The title track, 'Crush Kill Destroy', builds its impact through an ascending chorus without resorting to showy arrangements, while 'Primordial Phosphorus Eclipse' brings the band's thrash metal side to the fore with its weighty, driving riffs. 'Fire Chaser', meanwhile, opens up a broader expressive space through its epic approach, recalling BATHORY. On these tracks, the melodic qualities of the guitars reinforce the compositions' memorability without overshadowing their raw character. The solos are also brief and purposeful, adding movement to the arrangements without dissipating the songs' energy.

The longer compositions show that BOKKERIJDERS are not exclusively focused on writing short, direct songs. Tracks such as 'Locked in Gilded Chains Are the Guillotine's Blade', 'Miracle Osmosis', and 'Primordial Phosphorus Eclipse' attempt to create enough movement between their different sections to justify their extended running times. Nevertheless, it becomes clear that not every composition maintains the same level of strength as it stretches out. Particularly when the tempo rises sharply, the distinctions between riffs can begin to blur; sections built around blast beats and tremolo-picked guitars do not always retain the distinctive melodic thread found in the mid-tempo material. The album's fastest passages, then, are not necessarily its most effective. Some of the more aggressive transitions even diminish the impact of existing ideas rather than adding a new dimension to the compositions' overall flow.

The production plays an important role in making this musical approach work. It preserves the rawness while maintaining enough clarity to prevent the guitars from blurring together, allowing both the weight of the riffs and their melodic details to come through. The bass and drums also find their place within the dense mix, preventing the music from collapsing into an indistinct mass of noise. The high-pitched black metal shrieks complement the songs' ferocity without overpowering the guitars. Clean instrumental passages and touches of synth that appear in places remain secondary to the album's overall character; rather than signalling a significant change in direction, they serve as small details that add variety to the longer tracks.

BOKKERIJDERS' relationship with traditional metal is one of the album's most interesting aspects. The band embrace the rawness of old-school black and thrash metal without reducing it to a nostalgic re-creation. Melodic flourishes that recall the NWoBHM tradition, alongside the more grandiose riffing of classic heavy metal, add another dimension to the songs' directness. The comparison with NIFELHEIM also makes sense in this context: sharp guitars, dark vocals, and unpretentious songwriting bring the aggression of traditional metal together with black metal aesthetics. Still, the originality of "Crush Kill Destroy" lies not in discovering a previously unexplored connection between genres, but in bringing these different influences together around a distinct identity.

Some tracks are less effective, and that needs to be acknowledged when assessing the album as a whole. When speed becomes an end in itself, the musical ideas struggle to distinguish themselves, while passages that overstay their welcome can undermine the compositions' momentum. By contrast, the riffs BOKKERIJDERS develop at mid-tempo, their melodic transitions, and their well-placed solos show why this should not be dismissed as just another black/thrash record for genre devotees. What ultimately defines the band's music is their effort to avoid technical showboating without falling into the trap of simplistic songwriting.

Wouter Lemmens' death gives "Crush Kill Destroy" a significance that extends beyond its status as the band's debut full-length. With BOKKERIJDERS set to continue as a power trio, the record also carries forward the musical legacy of the band's former lineup. Not every composition reaches the same level, but the album rests on the band's defining strengths: riff-driven songwriting, an ability to bring different metal traditions together, and a balance between rawness and melodic detail. For listeners who have little interest in drawing lines between genres and want to hear the more direct, traditional side of metal in its various forms, "Crush Kill Destroy" is a worthwhile debut despite its flaws.

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