With AGM’s Birthday and a PDF-Version of avantgarde-history approaching, it’s time to take on one of the forgotten treasures of the nineties: DHG’s “Satanic Art”. Let’s touch the devilish mind for a chaotic mindtrip, which starts with a relatively unspectacular (but weird) piano intro. Following that comes “Traces of Reality”, and this song (one of the craziest BM-songs I’ve ever heard) leaves none of them. I don’t know what kind of drugs you have to take to write such a monster – It is fast, it is chaotic, it is raw and aggressive. And kind of spaced out at the same time. DHG’s attacks come from some parallel realities, intercepted by one of the best symbiosis between classic and Black Metal which crossfades into a slightly industrial part, everything with subliminal synth effects infiltrating the listener. A piano with really strange voicework grants a short pause before the rest of the song destroys your synapses with an ultra-fast blast inferno, ending at exactly 7:06 (do your math here).
“Symptom” is much more straight, but not less disturbing with its speed and distortion backed by snarled vocals. The synths do their best to heave DHG’s satanism on a cosmic level (musically, and with “cosmic” I do not mean something like the exaggerated ramblings of the late Mr. Nödtveidt) . Twisted, driving, outerwourldish. Sadly, too short with only two and a half minutes.
“The Paramount Empire” could be something left from “Monumental Possession”, it shows the old face of DHG with relentless BM which nevertheless hints in the direction they are going to turn.
“Wrapped In Plastic”, a piano piece again, leads us out of this chaos… And those of you who followed DHG know that it will greet us again, introducing “Shiva Interfere”. A congenial move, this bridge between two releases, if there ever was one.
“Satanic Art” is beauty in chaos, and this might be a hint (and a hidden parallel) to a possible influence ABIGOR had in reinventing their chaotic art with “Fractal Possession”. DHG have shaped a beautiful fractal, whose only downside is that “666 International” could not exactly cope with what SA promised (But then, with “Supervillain Outcast”, who cares?)
True satanic art indeed.
-Tentakel P.
VITALS:
Release: 1998
Label: Moonfog
Avantgenre: Chaotic Black Metal
Duration: 15:59
Origin: Norway
Official site: www.dhg.no
Review online since: 12.07.2008 / 22:41:51
| TRACKLIST:
01 – Oneiroscope |
Yes! And now Peaceville are releasing the vinyl version!