Dødsengel – Alongside Choronzon
Jointly released by English label Barghest and Norwegian label Terratur Possessions, this new Dødsengel EP delivers more insanity and ritualistic modern Black Metal.
First thing to note is that Alongside Choronzon is a 10″ vinyl, 2 tracks per side, offering up almost half an hour of powerful, dark music.
‘Contra Mundi’ begins with slow, restrained riffing and agonised vocals that open your mind for the madness to come. The composition is unconventional and incorporates ideas and arrangements that few other bands try to implement in their music, and to Dødsengel’s credit they really nail it again in their own inimitable way. This opener perhaps feels more like a massive intro than a conventional song, but it is no less enjoyable for that. Kark uses a mixture of low-toned clean vocals and hateful growling that writhe together with swirling wails, which at times sounds like he is singing with a throat stuffed full of gristle.
‘Vi, Templa Diaboli’ emphasises the ritualistic qualities of Dødsengel’s music for the first two and a half minutes, with a well-structured slow riff, strong, pounding drumming and dark shamanistic shouting. The riff evolves perfectly when it speeds up, twisting and turning towards the middle of the track, the dissonant chords taking centre stage.
‘Of Kali, of Seth, of Satan!’ kicks off the B-side and, in my opinion, is the best track on the EP – perhaps even one of the best Dødsengel compositions to date. Funereal keyboards and rolling percussion create the feel of a mass seance, before launching into another trademark mid-tempo riff. Then things get deeply bizarre, so much so that for once, I’m really at a loss for analogies to convey the effect it has! Think ectoplasm…
The final offering, ‘The City of Pyramids’ is fucked up enough to trap you inside your own nightmare… Dark, haunting and hypnotic, it pounds your mind with high-powered jolts, evolves into an entrancing melodic section, and ends with a vocal performance from Kark that conjures up a vision of him being reduced to a hideous clump of quivering flesh.
You can’t help but be impressed with the sheer insane manufacture of this band’s music. With so many groups trying to be modern and original at the same time very few manage to do it convincingly. Here, however, Dødsengel’s conviction and belief in their ability really belches out through the music.
If you’re already a Dødsengel fan, then this EP follows on nicely from their last two releases (Mirium Occultum album & Arkaik EP). The music is still fresh and interesting because you never know what Kark and M.A. are going to come up with next. If you haven’t heard them before, this is Black Metal worth seeking out, as Dødsengel are swiftly rising to the forefront of the modern Scandinavian underground – and this ascendancy is totally deserved.
Alongside Choronzon should be out some time in mid-November and another co-released Dødsengel EP, entitled ‘Ecstatic Horror’, is imminent.
Barghest (2 sample tracks available here)
Terratur Possessions
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