With a name like Dismal Aura one may well anticipate a band playing atmospheric doom or DSBM but that’s not exactly what we get here. This trio from Ottawa are a politicised musical weapon tackling subject matter such as colonialism, state-terror, and environmental destruction over a backdrop of crusty blackness. Canada has always had its musical malcontents prepared to stand up and fight against injustice, oppression and the musical diarrhoea spouted out by their favourite mouthpiece Celine Dion. Thankfully the likes of Nomeansno, DOA, The Subhumans (Can) Propaghandi etc have been kicking against the pricks for decades and on this their second album Dismal Aura have the support of Topon Das of Fuck the Facts helping out with the production here.

Necropolitics and no that’s nothing to do with voting for the living deceased but “the use of social and political power to dictate how some people may live and how some must die” is one of the key subjects on these 8 songs. Battering down the doors with grinding guitar sound and speedy drumming flurries ‘Blood Quantum’ has plenty of aggression and disgust about it. All 3 of the band apparently join in on vocals and the main thrust here is squawking discontent but there’s plenty of room for lower growls and hollering behind them. Those wanting more insight into the politics can look up titles and subtext behind song titles like ‘Les Allumettières’ but if not one can focus on the stabbing drive and fury of the short and volatile song itself. There’s a bit of odd experimentation on ‘One Path, Many Voices’ indeed the intro does actually exude a dismal aura before actually reverting to a jolly sounding vitriolic bounce with plenty of rebellious bravado about it. There’s also occasional swings into a doomy and gloomy sound tempering things down on the likes of ‘Essence Of Petrichor’

Not a long album, this runs at just under the half-hour mark and gives the listener a suitable chance to get fired up and radicalised over the bracing pogo rally of ‘…And Their Blood Shall Be Upon Them’ and the full force bludgeon of ‘Weaponizing Human Suffering.’ I have to admit it has taken a while for the songs to grow on me and they are far from immediate though. Perhaps that’s because I was caught between the punk crust and the so called black metal side of things and found them both battling away for common ground. Still I think I got there by the end and last number ‘Beyond Necropolitics’ provides some neat melodicism amidst a thumping and aggressive tumult. There’s room to grow here but the spirit shines through and those ruing the sudden demise of Dawn Ray’d should certainly be directed to take a listen.

(7/10 Pete Woods)

https://www.facebook.com/DismalAura

https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/imperium-mortalia