As was so often repeated on the classic comedy series `Monty Python’s Flying Circus’, and now for something completely different… Diskord are certainly a unique prospect; for a start, a Norwegian extreme metal band that doesn’t play Black Metal (they have probably heard this before), but not only that – a band that plays progressive, avant-garde death metal, and have been releasing material since 2001.
I tend to review a lot of so called `old school’ or retro extreme metal releases; this is also retro, but in a different sense. It doesn’t invoke the spirit of early Morbid Angel, Possessed or Celtic Frost, but instead in its own way pays tribute to the relatively minute technical death metal scene that emerged in the early 90’s. Don’t be fooled into thinking of modern technical death metal – this is not an over-produced 1000-miles-an-hour noodlefest, designed to completely desensitise you within the first 30 seconds. Diskord are an infinitely more interesting proposition.
For a start, they have an organic, stripped-down sound, the likes of which you only tend to hear on very old death metal albums, in particular Autopsy records! Far from sounding weak in today’s era of multi-layered digital perfection, Diskord’s sound is dark, twisted, extremely atmospheric and often downright creepy, like a low-budget, obscure horror film. I can’t help imagining that this was recorded live in a blood-soaked, fetid basement somewhere…
The music itself is wild, insane, unpredictable and highly creative. Wiry, snaking riffs twist suddenly into something else entirely, frenetic passages suddenly stop to give way to nothing but the low rumble of bass guitar and someone shrieking madly in the background. There are heaps of jarring dissonance, truly evil sounding arpeggios and completely barking mad sections that defy description (very Lovecraftian!). Often, just when you’ve locked into a groove of a sort, Diskord will suddenly change the tempo completely, and then back again before you’ve had time to process what just occurred. There is a definitely a progressive jazz influence here, partly because of the use of nasty dissonance, but also the incredibly athletic guitar and bass lines, which really do drag you all over the place like a rampaging monster trying to get the juicy bits from out of your shattered body.
For those knowledgeable in the early death metal scene, some of you might remember one other obscure Norwegian band in a sea of much more well known American and Swedish bands; Cadaver. I can see definite similarities between Diskord, and this much earlier, vastly underrated crew. For a start there is a similar, technical, left-field yet low budget feel about the production and the overall sound, although Diskord are much more technical and off-the-wall. The vocals have a similar quality too; that harsh, gargled, visceral snarling that was only really found on early death metal albums, before it became cool to burp like a flatulent frog.
For those of you who love old-school extreme metal, yet yearn for something different from the norm; this could well be for you. Musical points of reference as far as I can tell are as follows; Voivod, Atheist, Cadaver, Necrophagia. Autopsy, and some of the really nasty, slow atmospheric parts remind me fleetingly of Maudlin of the Well. If this sounds like your bag; pick this up now!
(8/10 Jon Butlin)
Leave a Reply