Bismut – Matsutake

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · May 19, 2026

Bismut is a progressive/ heavy psychedelic instrumental rock band from Nijmegen, Netherlands. The trio consists of Peter Dragt on drums, Huibert der Weduwen on bass, and Nik Linders on guitars. They have released their debut album, 2018’s Schwerpunkt, 2020’s Retrocausality, 2023’s Ausdauer, and their latest, 2026’s Matsutake. Matsutake was released on April 24th 2026 on Tonzonen Records and contains six tracks at thirty nine minutes.

Bismut has a vivacious and bombastic sound that borders progressive rock, heavy psych, and jazz, creating a dazzling mix of atmospheric audio. “Alienation” comes in hot with hammer tapping percussion and dynamic guitars and harmonies. The improvisational style of jamming has a seamless ebb and flow of sonic resonance. As the music begins with the prog rocking fever of energy and spunk, it gradually glides into some spacy and cosmic tones of psychedelia. Matsutake is an explorative album in all of its six stages of song structures. “Neugier” has a familiar storm building element as the first track and also breaks out into sonic relapses of delirium. The syncopated fusion of sounds are very powerful and really make for an interesting and alluring listening experience. There’s even a horn section part in the middle of the song that gravitates towards some Spanish style guitar strumming. It then transitions into a heavy wall of fuzzy rhythms and patterns.

The third track called “Assemblage” has a more mellow transmission of sounds signaling from the instruments. Smooth jazz and swinging percussion are the rudiments that build up this song. Bismut are masters of musical mathematics that are never too elusive or complex in their execution. The music is perpetually moving and grooving throughout each song. “Contamination” and “(Potentially) Immortal” are both intricate and engaging numbers that color the musical soundscapes with many vibrant shades and tones. Bordering on improv and intricate, the music can be as calm as a gentle stream and as violent as a massive tidal wave.

Most of the songs on Matsutake extend from the six to eight minute range except the final track, “Salvage”. The two and a half minute outro is a cosmic swirl of psych that drifts along like a black hole. The song just slowly drifts out of the sound barrier and concludes this roller coaster ride of a record. Bismut soar deep into the depths of interesting and create sonically exuberant sounds of riveting instrumental rock.