The DSBM Thread

Whilst I find a lot of Depressive / Suicidal Black Metal to be self-absorbent and, frankly, amateurish, one of my recent favourites in the sub-genre is Déhà, the Belgian behind the bands Imber Luminis and Slow (amongst a shedload of others). He has released nine albums in 2020 so far, including three in his A fleur de peau series. These three albums are some of the best DSBM I've heard, Déhà having a gift for expressing the inner emotions of the psychologically troubled without sounding like a self-absorbed idiot. Despite his profusion of releases this year, the quality has not been compromised at all.With guest appearances from artists like Kim Carlsson of Hypothermia, Natalie Koskinen of Shape of Despair and Nils Courbaron from Sirenia Déhà is pushing the envelope as far as DSBM goes.

Bethlehem - "Dictius te necare" (1996)

I first encountered Germany's Bethlehem through the mid-90's tape trading scene through their 1993 demo tape & 1994 debut album "Dark Metal" (both of which I quite liked) which led me to track down their sophomore record "Dictius te necare" through the same channels once it hit the shelves. It saw Bethlehem adjusting their sound somewhat, mainly off the back of a lineup change that saw vocalist/keyboardist Andreas Classen (Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult/Shining) being replaced by new front man Rainer Landfermann (Pavor) whose psychotic howls are the main talking point with this release. The blackened doom metal instrumentation isn't all that different to what we heard on "Dark Metal" but it's the over-the-top theatrics of Landfermann that the clear focal point & will ultimately decide on your reaction to "Dictius te necare" as I think it's fair to say that he's more than a little divisive. He is also the main catalyst for the album's DSBM credentials as he sounds like he's in all sorts of agonizing pain on these seven tracks. Personally, I think the album needs him too as the riffs & single-guitar lineup aren't all that exciting but I do really enjoy the deep, stripped-back atmospheric material that pops up from time to time on most tracks. The doomier material is also where I think Bethlehem are at their best with lengthy closer "Dorn meiner Allmacht" being the clear album highlight in my opinion. I can't subscribe to the general consensus that "Dictius te necare" is some sort of classic release but it's certainly worth a listen for those with a penchant for the doomier & more depressive side of black metal.

For fans of Silencer, Shining & Forgotten Tomb.

3.5/5