Desolate Shrine - Fires of the Dying World (2022)^{Release ID: 35578}

Desolate Shrine are not a band I am at all familiar with, but instrumentalist L.L.'s other band, the death doom act Convocation I am very much acquainted with, last year's Ashes Coalesce being one of my favourites of 2021 and ultimately a vinyl purchase. L.L.'s Desolate Shrine are more of a death metal project than Convocation with only brief dalliances with death doom. Their sound is quite dense with a significant bottom end and a satisfying complexity that never strays into technical excess, but rather focusses more on interesting twists and turns within the songwriting. This feels to be more than just straight-up death metal, although I would hesitate to call it progressive, it does feel so occasionally with the incorporation and hints of other genres such as black metal, death doom and even, I venture to suggest, a bit of grind (during The Dying World).

Fires of the Dying World is also atmospherically accomplished with a darkly grim and forbidding face being presented to the listener which is occasionally leavened by short acoustic interjections. The albums longest track, the ten-minutes of The Silent God in particular, is an impressive exemplar of modern death metal songwriting and it's potential complexities. The subsequent track, Cast to Walk the Star of Sorrow, then attacks more brutally and with the synth backing of the track's first half even has hints of classic-era Emperor to add to the death metal pot.

I have seen a few comments that this doesn't do anything new and whilst that may strictly be true, it is far from a boring rehash of other, superior albums. I don't know sometimes what it takes to please people because this is extemely well-written, adeptly performed, fairly complex and brimming with atmosphere, so if that isn't good enough for you then I don't know what is! Consequently this will probably end up being one of those albums that is overlooked in favour of more hyped, inferior product which is a big shame because there is much to admire and enjoy here.

Oh and is it me, or is that Varg Vikernes on the album's cover being tormented by demons?

Desolate Shrine have bounced on and off my radar since 2012's popular sophomore release The Sanctum of Human Darkness.  As Finnish death metal goes they are not quite as unique in their sound as say Krypts are, but they do still possess that punishing low end of death metal that is synonymous with the country scene and have forged a five album career in just over a decade.  Fires of the Dying World is their first in five years yet does not sound like a band who have been apart for any length of time.  Sharing members of Sargeist and Convocation (amongst other bands as well), Desolate Shrine sound as cohesive and mature on album number five as they always have.  The experience of the group is obvious and despite their bm credentials, their sound has limited bm influence.  Ranging from the familiar aforementioned Finnish sound to more of death / doom tempo over six tracks (and an acoustic intro that sets the scene nicely), Desolate Shrine have a limited yet effective variety in their kit bag.

What is obvious from track two onwards is that there is true power behind the riffs here.  As we get to the slower tempo of The Dying World we start to really hear the bleak emptiness of the band's sound, using harrowing melodies and punchy riff patterns to drive home their darkness and this marriage of the more raw death metal riffs with the restrained and detailed atmospherics or melodies is the clever balancing act that the trio pull off here.  By the time we roll around to the majestic riffing that comes in at approximately two thirds of the way through Cast to Walk the Star of Sorrow I am completely sold on this record.  It might lack the dynamic and signature off-kilter rhythms and odd melodies of some of their contemporaries but fuck me does it have an attitude all of its own that is clear for all forty-six minutes of the record.

The previous two releases had shown a band going of the boil a little for me - certainly when compared with the debut and sophomore releases.  The Heart of the Netherworld and Deliverance from the Godless Void never felt like complete offerings, certainly in terms of that cohesion that I mention early on on this review.  Here the good ideas are part of a smarter concept overall and the highlights standout from a much more appealing foundation layer to begin with.  Nice to see a band get back on course and show some real bite still.