If I had a pound for every press release I have read that promised ‘True Black Metal’ I’d be reasonably financially comfortable. It’s a common and almost always empty promise these days and as a result I tend to pay little or no heed to such claims. The press release for The Deathtrip’s debut album offers more of the same, promising “true black metal” and “the real thing again”. So talk may well be cheap, but there were a few other things that made me pause for thought and wonder if there was more to this than just another poorly played and produced collection of mediocrity. Aldrahn of Dødheimsgard on vocals? Production by Snorre Ruch of Thorns fame, who claims it’s the best black metal album he’s heard in many years? Well ok, he’s not going to turn around and say it’s shit after working on it, but the best black metal album he’s heard in years? That’s a very strong claim, and one I had to put to the test.
The Deathtrip was a project that originally started back in 2003 when Host, clearly still of the black metal mind-set that Thine adopted on their early demos, composed and recorded some stripped down and raw black metal tracks which attracted the attention of Aldrahn, who was impressed enough with what he had heard to want to get on board. After 10 years in the making ‘Deep Drone Master’ has finally surfaced with all the usual promises and platitudes, but there’s clearly far more backing this one up than usual and the evidence is almost immediate. Once we clear the ‘atmospheric’ intro track which basically consists of 90 seconds of the sounds of nature, the full bore assault of ‘Flag of Betrayal’ kicks in with a bare and simplistic guitar riff and frantic drumming that is simply drenched in old school black metal atmosphere. Aldrahn’s vocals have a maturity that is lacking in so many current black metal bands, managing to deliver a measured and edgy performance that veers between the sinister and the deranged, like Nocturno Culto on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The pace slows significantly as we descend into the ‘Dynamic Underworld’, with Aldrahn giving perhaps his most delicately unhinged performance on here, whilst Host’s guitar riff is basic, repetitive and ultimately hypnotic.
In addition to the measured musical composition, the vocal performance, whilst it could never be described as clean, is clear and understandable which allows the appreciation of the well thought out lyrics. It is this as much as the music which gives this a true black metal feel, with nods to early Darkthrone, Satyricon and Bathory. Ending on a particularly strong note with the epic ‘Syndebukken’, it could be argued that they saved the best for last, but it’s a very strong album from start to finish.
To call ‘Deep Drone Master’ the best black metal album in years is a bit of a stretch, but it is a really engaging and thoroughly enjoyable work. It’s a very honest and knowing take on classic black metal without lapsing into the ever present mire of cliquey ‘kvlter than thou’ pretentiousness, however I’m sure there will be plenty of purists out there ready to step into those shoes and decry this as false. For the rest of you, it’s well worth adding to your collection.
(8.5/10 Lee Kimber)
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