June 2023 Feature Release - The Infinite Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

For June's Infinite Feature, I stumbled across Dødheimsgard, an offshoot of Ved Buens Ende..... that has been rather interesting to me as of late. I hadn't heard of the band before this album caught my attention this year and I've been meaning to spend some more time with it. 

https://metal.academy/releases/43757

I've done my review, here's its summary:

I was also late for the Dodheimsgard party. I've never heard of this band until just a couple weeks ago when I discovered their earlier masterpiece 666 International during my ongoing industrial metal exploration. And now I get to check out their latest album that's as fantastic as their earlier pinnacle! Since the aforementioned 666 International, these Norwegian progressive black/avant-garde metal masters have an 8-year interval between releases. I don't know if that's intentional, but the wait was worth it for longtime DHG fans with Black Medium Current! The band was formed in the 90s as part of Norway's black metal scene, then they took on a more progressive/avant-garde direction. Their determination to keep going has resulted in a successfully written album to give you the best of their recent times. With an epic blend of clean and harsh vocals, soft and heavy guitar, and some stellar synths, all this definitely makes many of the tracks worthwhile. With that, Black Medium Current is another grand magical experience from this band. The psychedelic synth moments are good for anyone up for DHG and any other progressive black/avant-garde metal band. My curious mind can certainly get the best rewards!

5/5

Post-Metal and Black Metal can work together, but a lot of the times, the drastic differences in tempo, aggression and flow screw up whatever connection might have existed. And through the first half of Black Medium Current, I felt much the same way. The opener “Et smelter”, felt like a mishmash of ideas arbitrarily taped together and told to “give it your all kid!” And for a track that exceeds ten minutes, I was less than impressed for what would come next.

But much of the rest of the album feels a little bit better. Once I discovered that Dødheimsgard was associated with Ved Buens Ende… it began to click for me. The atonality of the album is not at the forefront and gives the post-metal sections an extra wrinkle. Compositions can be hit-or-miss, and the black metal passages are, like with Ved Buens Ende… the most lacking part of the project. Kind of odd considering Dødheimsgard’s first albums are closer to traditional black metal, but whatever.

The electronic elements are just another element to separate this from the plethora of same-y sounding progressive/post metal bands. The band has toyed with industrial elements in the past so this is nothing out of the ordinary. Overall, I really enjoy this record; it teeters on greatness, but that might be my leniency towards experimental music that’s willing to take more risks. This certainly does that, but I’m not if it resonates as much as I want it to.

4/5

Firstly, there are plenty of good ideas within Black Medium Current, and I really do get why people would love it. To me though, it is a bit like the Oscar-winning movie, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once with just too many ideas being crammed into it's (admittedly, suitably lengthy) runtime. I also understand that the fault is entirely mine and my lack of sophistication, or maybe intellectual capacity, are the real reason I can't wrap my head around it's myriad of ideas, but I just can't hold everything it has to offer in my head all at once. Another issue for me is, frankly, the terrible clean vocals that are the real villain of the piece here. I much prefer the black metal sections because it means we get a few moments of respite from this vocal torture.

I did enjoy how they employ the keyboards and the occasional excursion into space rock was welcome. To be honest, though, I think Deathspell, Blut aus Nord and especially Oranssi Pazuzu do this sort of thing much better (or at least, more to my own taste). I have been determined to give it sufficient listens to allow it to reveal itself, but after four full listen-throughs, I have been relieved every single time when it has ended, so I guess it is just one of those albums that really isn't for me.

2.5/5