Pothamus (Abur)

Greg Aramini
Aug 6
5 min read

Released: 2025

Genre: Post-metal, Shoegaze, Sludge

Sounds Like: Cult of Luna, OM

Homeland: Belgium

What makes Abur elite and sit atop OHMs Peak?

Abur undoubtedly stands out as this year's most unique heavy album. The trio seamlessly combines meditative riffs with atmospheric sludge, creating a monumental and soothing heavy album.
The vocals are surreal and heavy, contributing to the distinctive atmosphere that Pothamus embodies.
The album cover by Iljen Put is outstanding and captivating, perfectly mirroring the majestic heaviness.

Track Listing:

Zhikarta 7:26
Ravus 5:58
De-varium 3:16
Savartuum Avur 8:11
Ykavus 6:37
Abur 15:17

Dive deeper into Abur with our Q&A with Mattias M. Van Hulle, Drummer and Vocalist of Pothamus.

OHMs Peak: We look at Abur as a brilliant classic medieval thriller that you cannot skip. Taking it from start to finish we find maximizes the listener experience. Would love to get a brief glimpse into your writing process and how the vision of Abur came about. Would you agree that it’s a concept piece most enjoyed in one sitting?

Mattias: First of all, thank you for the kind words. I would agree, yes. But I would also add that the best way of experiencing Abur - and all of our music, in fact - is in a live setting. While a recording captures a moment, it cannot replicate the depth and immediacy of a live performance. Live, the music becomes an experience. On the one hand it is the simple act of being fully present. But on the other, it's the energy shared and exchanged which evokes something very deep, at least in my experience. The shared silence, the rising tension, the collective catharsis. It's here music finds its truest form.

OHMs Peak: We find your sophomore release to be even more expansive than Raya. Less post-metal and more atmospheric. What drove the direction on this new album. Did your immersive live performances drive your direction further?

Mattias: While a debut is almost a creation 'ex nihilo', a sophomore has both the burden and blessing of a prior reference. There definitely were times we refered to Raya and tried to deepen and expand those aspects that worked best on that album. So in one sense, the more expansive aspect, as you put it, was quite deliberate. But on the other hand, all three of us love to experiment with sounds, or new instruments, or singing. We don't approach music in a technical sense, but in a very visceral, instinctive way. Childlike, almost. We are drawn towards the feeling a certain sound or rhythm evokes, and try to build something up from there. We don't care a lot about genre conventions, really. Atmosphere is key.

OHMs Peak: 'Ykavus’ is so calming and Sam’s vocals are absolutely angelic. Can you take behind the creation and meaning of this hypnotic track?

Mattias: Thank you. Sam and I both sing on that track. A couple of years ago I bought a shruti box, also known as a surpeti. It's an Eastern instrument originally used during mantra-singing or religious ceremonies. All of our songs are written collectively, born out of long jam sessions. This was no exception. The very first try-outs with this new instrument eventually evolved in what is now 'Ykavus.' These sessions were also my first try-outs as a singer. So it's quite a special song for me.

Conceptually we interpret the song as a ritualistic confirmation of the philosophical tenets of Pothamus. Ykavus speaks not in declarations, but in currents - slow, resonant reminders that we are not observers of life, but participants woven into its endless thread. It does not shout, but murmurs, sings, hums, stirring something ancestral in the marrow. In its tones and textures, 'Ykavus' reminds us that we arise within and out of the world. We are no islands, but nodes in an ever-pulsing web spun not only through biology, but through presence and awareness. Relation and interbeing. 'Ykavus' is and ode to the unseen ties that bind being to being. A reminder that we, as humans, are part of the intricate web of life, granted this extraordinary gift to feel, to be, to experience in the co-presence of other sentient beings. This is the central idea of Abur.

OHMs Peak: What was your band’s most memorable live performance? Where was it held and why was the night so special?

Mattias: For me personally, that would be our Rites of Raya show. The artistic release of our debut album, in a 17th century church in our hometown Mechelen. Logistically it was quite a challenge, but we managed to pull it off thanks to many skilled and helping hands. Playing in such a venue adds something profound to the music. The place is already resonant with centuries of hope, silence, and invocation. The walls carry memories of praise and lament. In such a place, music becomes something spatial - something that lives in the arches, moves through the nave, and returns to the listener transformed. The acoustics are insane as well. Not merely physical; they are metaphysical. Notes stretch farther, linger longer, touch deeper. Reverberation becomes reflection. We are very lucky with our skilled sound technician who managed to use that present reverb to our advantage.

There is, too, a heightened attention in such a place, I think. An implicit reverence. One plays but also listens differently under a vaulted ceiling. It invites the inward, opens the soul. The performance becomes less about delivery and more about offering, maybe? Since that show we are keen on playing in special environments or sacred places. One month from now, we will be performing in a botanical garden conserving thousands of exotic plants. Very much looking forward to that one as well.

OHMs Peak: What band NOT in the sludge and post-metal genre would you love to tour with that would most compliment your sound?

Mattias: Wardruna, Heilung, One Leg One Eye, Anna Von Hausswolff, Emma Ruth Rundle, and many, many others!

OHMs Peak: We would love any insight as to your current and upcoming tour plans in Europe and abroad.

Mattias: We just returned from a small tour through Germany. We will play UK and Italy this summer, and embark on a BeNeLux tour in autumn. Our plans for next year are yet to take shape, so who knows..

OHMs Peak: The album art has an anthropological feel. How did you connect with Iljen Put and how did the creation come about.

Mattias: Iljen is a good friend of ours. We knew what he was capable of artistically, and quite from the start knew he was the right man for the job. I'm pleased with your use of words, actually. Anthropological is spot on. Raya, conceptually, was a cosmology. A broad interpretation of our terrestrial and human origins, and our subsequent place in the universe. For this we wanted the artwork to embody something ancient, something that breathes wisdom, knowledge, insights, but is cryptical enough to invite the listener / reader to search for the multiple layers and meanings in the work. We're happy he wanted to work with us on Abur as well.

I'm working on a book at this very moment, diving into the philosophical universe of Pothamus. Iljen is creating the artwork, and I can already tell you it will be stunning.

OHMs Peak: Pothamus Is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to?

Mattias: Oof. That's difficult. I'd go for 'False Lankum'. It's an album all three of us deeply admire. And there's just something intensely soothing about Radie Peat's vocals. I guess one could use some comforting when stranded on an island. Maybe the island even is Ireland. That would be very fitting, no?

Pothamus is:

Mattias M. Van Hulle - Drums, Vocals, Surpeti

Michael Lombarts - Bass

Sam Coussens - Guitar, Vocals

Follow Pothamus: Bandcamp / Facebook