DE MANNEN BROEDERS - Grafschrift (Official Music Video)

DE MANNEN BROEDERS debut album 'Sober Maal' is out October 11, 2024 on LP/CD/Digital.

"Grafschrift" by De Mannen Broeders

shot and edited by Diana Lungu
at PKN church in Axel NL 2024

with Ds. Jan Verlinde,
current vicar of pastor of the PKN church of Axel, NL

Ds Jan Scharp was a protestant pastor in Axel, NL. He wrote this epitaph for his deceased catholic colleague and friend Johannes van der Walle in 1786. Scharp was condemned for writing such praise for his catholic friend but he stood firmly by his poem. This video was shot in the church where Scharp used to preach and feat Ds. Jan Verlinde who is the current pastor here. This is the first time this epitaph has been set to music, using a hymn also written by Scharp as interlude.

De Mannen Broeders

Tonnie Dieleman
Colin H. van Eeckhout
Pim van der Werken

2024

#DeMannenBroeders #Amenra #RelapseRecords #Folk #World #SpokenWord

[relapserecords]

DE MANNEN BROEDERS is the debut collaboration feat. Colin van Eeckhout and the Zeeuws Flemish folk icon Tonnie ‘broeder’ Dieleman. The former is the frontman for Belgian post-metallers AMENRA, a band known for their overwhelming heaviness both in sound and emotion. The latter is a Dutch folk singer whose music is inspired by his religious upbringing and the rural culture of his Zeelandic homeland, who has collaborated with Baby Dee and Bonnie Prince Billy. When the two met, they felt an instant connection.

“As a creating artist, it’s these encounters that you pray for, ” says Colin. “As soon as you meet someone like that, you know you have to do something together.”

Their connection was deepened as they discovered how much they had in common, from their similar dialects and their strong ties to their homeland, to their leanings towards the spiritual and the melancholic. “My work is all about death and sadness, ” says Tonnie. “For me, music started with my mother dying; my first album is about her death. That’s a strong connection with Colin, too, as he lost his Dad.”

The result is the 9-track Sober Maal (which translates to ‘sober meal’ and refers to the practice of eating a simple meal in order to practice gratitude), which is being released under the moniker DE MANNEN BROEDERS. It was written and recorded in under five days at the 18th century church Doopsgezinde Kerk in Middelburg in the Netherlands.

Sonically, Sober Maal is a haunting, droning, emotionally rich journey that feels rooted in a bygone world while still sounding wholly original, and has a melancholy air yet retains a hopeful feel. Colin and Tonnie’s vocals blend with the choir and a pared-back selection of instruments including a banjo, piano, hurdy gurdy and the powerful central organ – all intermingling with the sounds and echoes of the church.

“Religion has a negative connection because it has been a force on people, ” Colin says. “Spirituality is something you follow by choice. We like to dive into the ungraspable things in life: it needs to be free to interpret.”

[dysthymiabearer]

What a haunting song. Colin never misses

[özgilbabo]

Unbelievable. Unreal. These guys deserve so much more recognition.

[robertels]

Being South African I understand some of the Flemish/Dutch being used. Both my girlfriend, who's Peruvian, and doesn't understand a word, were transfixed watching this with a feeling of nostalgia. It takes incredible musicians and a cinematographer to transcend a language barrier.
Incredibly beautiful!

[langrolle]

This is haunting as it is real.
Such pure sound and vocals. I love it!

[HerrTelef]

This is beautiful!

I still hope, there will be a collaboration between Amenra and Belgium vocal ensemble Graindelavoix.

[sarloscantana]

This is...interesting. Definitely not what I expected. I kept waiting for the brutal breakdown but it never came - strictly folk. Still, very cool - curious to hear more.

[lucacolloi]

Vidrogate dibrutto semprepeggio relapse😢

[jaapscheele]

Bijzonder. Het gedicht geeft woorden, maar het heeft zelf ook een geschiedenis. Die eren jullie mooi!

[knutwagner]

Beautiful! Really looking forward for the whole album...

[patrickcorcoran]

Really nice. I loved reading the release notes.