Band info
Band: Hexenbezem
Album: ‘The Final Empire‘
Released: February 27th, 2026
Genre: black metal
Location: Netherlands
Review
We think that most people agree that the world is a very tumultuous place at the moment. The consequence of this is that in a lot of countries around the world, there is a growing divide between the Left and the Right. Right-wing populism is thriving, and so is the fascism that is accompanying it. This is unfortunately also the case in the Netherlands, where Hexenbezem hails from.
The Netherlands are no stranger to the rise of right-wing populism, with figures like Pim Fortuyn in the very early 2000s and more recently Geert Wilders dominating (in all the worst ways) the political landscape. With it came a normalisation of right-wing outings and expressions, and we all know that trickles down in every aspect of society. That naturally includes music, or in this case, extreme metal. Labels like New Era Productions and Heiden’s Hart, unfortunately, still have appeal to the average Dutch black metal listener.
Luckily, it’s not all bad, because as we’ve said above, there’s another side to the divide! The number of openly anti-fascist Dutch bands (like Terzij De Horde and Imagine A Boot) is steadily growing, and let’s face it, we all know which side makes the best music. Which leads us to Hexenbezem, who are proud to call themselves anti-fascist. On their Bandcamp, they call it raw apocalyptic black punk, and we think it perfectly fits their sound. Active since 2021, ‘The Final Empire‘ is their third release and takes the same approach as their previous releases. It’s raw, in your face and gets the point across in less than 15 minutes. It finely walks the line of black metal and punk, without ever being distinctly either one of those. It’s raw, but certainly not so raw that it becomes a muddled mess.
Basic but very effective riffs, pummeling drums, powerful vocals. If bands like Ildjarn, Meti Bhuvah and Raspberry Bulbs are your thing sound-wise but you’d rather not get involved with those bands’ shitty connections, we can strongly recommend Hexenbezem for your raw black punk fix.
Other links and platforms:
BC: https://hexenbezem.bandcamp.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/hexenbezem.187