Just a short noise, and straight to its hyperkinetic business. It sounds like symphonic black metal battling it out with technical death metal. Only when the vocals kick in (a misanthropic rasp) that the black metal sides of things dominate slightly. But the instrumentation remains a discordant monstrous mess (in a good way). On top of the chaotic din (albeit well produced) of lighting fast riffs, blasting stuttering drums, the bizarre synths add that extra something special. Somehwere between analogue saw tooth fuzz and classic video games, it really adds to the oddness of the experience. The opener ends just as abruptly as it begins , leaving the listener feeling like a trauma victim. “Doden Force Division” carries on the militaristic industrial assault choosing a more mid tempo approach towards its ends. The bizarre keyboards and guitars weave in and out. It really is quite hard to grasp in a single sitting. Very occasional , a catchy bit reminds you that the band has a blood bond to conventional extreme metal, but such moments are few and far between. “Disphenoid`s Equilibrium” sounds like a classic symphonic balck metal band suffering from ADD , but the main motif is pure classic (ala mid era Emperor).
What of the art , you say ? Sufficiently post-apocalyptic, all decaying carnivorous machinery and militaristic cyborg endeavors, I say. The lyrics are angry, war-like yet having an essence of pure hate and the spiritual black dimensions common to the kvlt. I was hoping for some more sci-fi aspects, but the subjects here are kept ambiguous enough to fulfill a variety of scenarios. I particularly enjoyed the anthemic twisted black thrash of “The Funeral Of Altruism”.
“Beyond Ice, Beyond Death…” is a short almost purely electronica piece that starts out straight and twists into the band’s ugly vision. The great thing is that the very next track sounds like an extension of this very piece and unfolds magnificently (industrial Behemoth morphing into metal trance, anyone?). Though some may find this adoption of gaming synths into black metal a bit of a turn-off, it does work marvelously.
A strange thing I noticed is that while the drums are electro in places , they are extremely roganic in some places. Whatever it is, man , cyborg or android, it is very apt percussion for the band’s sound.
Without beating more about the bush, I will heartily recommend this for anyone into industrial extreme metal. There is not a single bad track here and even the band’s ill-bent experiment in “Deathcamp Prelude” (which leads to another crusher) fits like a glove. With some more songwriting and production experience this will sit nicely with the big boys. The band has since come out with an EP which has garnered good reviews too. The label has been picking up some really interesting bands in the last couple of years. Here’s to many more.
-Suleiman
VITALS:
TRACKLIST:
1. The Axe Of Wrath
2. Doden Force Division
3. Disphenoid`s Equilibrium
4. The Funeral Of Altruism
5. Beyond Ice, Beyond Death…
6. D.T.I.O.G.
7. Deathcamp Prelude
8. Decagon Deathcamp
9. I.N.R.I.
10. Mel[un]holy
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