DYSANGELIUM
Thánatos Áskesis
W.T.C. Productions (2014)
Rating: 8/10
|
|
Earlier in 2014 German black metal horde Dysangelium released the reasonable Leviaxxis; a demo that was to prepare us for the horrors to come from evil souls Sektarist 0 (vocals), Götzenzertrümmerer (guitar), T. (guitar), C.H. (bass) and A.N.L. (drums).
Thánatos Áskesis offers up nine grating, black metal segments which offer the predictable formulas associated with this style of extreme chaos, but yet I find it rather engrossing.
Of course, there will be the usual comparisons with Watain and also Mayhem to some extent as some of the tracks feature that arrogant, oozing quality; the most noticeable is the brilliantly scathing ‘Words Like Flames’ which uncoils like some slick, oily black serpent barking out orders of destruction amid a slow, simmering brooding atmosphere of suspenseful guitar darkness and an effective moody drum plod. So, there’s not much here that greatly differs from the aforementioned Leviaxxis demo release, but one can still wade through such a suffocating pile of ash and enjoy it for what it is; another archetype black metal potion, but one which contains plenty of arrogant melodies and slower musings of grandeur.
Even so, as each track develops one can only admire the chilly, decadent atmosphere of the production and a self-confidence which makes one feel as if we’re dealing with a band on the scale of, say, Poland’s Behemoth such is the mature structuring of the songs. For instance, ‘Ave Obscuritas Incarna’ boasts a truly wicked, barbed menace in its seething drum sound and those booming, malevolent vocal cries, while always behind is built an almost punky wall of chaotic gruelling which hints at that almost typically Swedish potency, such is its gravelled catchiness and ashen coating.
Again, I refer to the slick production which allows each instrument to shine in its own perverse manner, so when the drums of A.N.L. need to come forth and batter, they do in such a precise and formidable manner. The prime example is the icy rush of ‘Gateways To Necromancy’ which in typically bleak, black metal manner forms itself as a bracing gale of spiky guitar spits and an unrelenting drum wildness.
I still prefer Dysangelium as a darker and much slower beast, however, and opener ‘Consecrated By Light’ is an all too rare haunting melody steeped in doomy moisture and dank bass tremors. Even when the track ups its pace, it still maintains an evil atmosphere that cuts deep to the bone.
For me, Thánatos Áskesis is an album that steadily grows on the listener like a thickening fog, eventually enshrouding the audience via those nasty vocal outbursts and an all-round framework that is just so steely and cold by design. Dysangelium is indeed proof that even by implementing the usual tactics, there’s no reason to fix something which is not broken and this style of derisive and earthy black metal will always have that certain mocking charm. By switching between speedier flails of disdain and mid-tempo divisions of misty doom, Dysangelium once again progresses steadily through its career to construct a record that still suggests a band that is straining at the leash. I’m unsure what it’ll take for them to break free of their chains, but now let’s enjoy this mocking clan for what it is; a stark, sweeping entity crossing the borders of German and Swedish extremity, and with an unerring focus that can only hint at what horror is yet to come.
Neil Arnold
