I sense humour here but seeing a song titled “1939”, perhaps not. The theme of that one is fairly obvious, but this Czech modern metal band also cover online bullying and nuclear destruction. But before we get the idea that Dymytry are too preachy, I should add that this masked quintet has a reputation for rousing live shows. Disturbed is one of the bands with whom comparison has been drawn.
The start of opening song “Enemy List” told me that there was a connection with Crematory and sure enough the gentleman responsible for production and mixing has the two bands in common. Disturbed this is not. “Enemy List” is a saccharine-infused commercial metal song, but a decent, hooky one. The synthesiser provides the initial fizz, but with some exceptions this is a classic metal band with strong songs. “Everything is Black” is just this, with a repeated title line and an expansion into pseudo-heaviness and of course a guitar solo. But repetitive and clichéd as it is, there’s tons of energy. The synth provides more than the introduction to “Wake Me Up (Before I Die)”. Even with a bit of djent and distortion thrown in, it’s a lightweight song. I’d call it Rammstein Lite but at this point this is metal without threat. I read that “Legends Never Die” is a cover and discovered that Against the Current did the original. It fits well into the Dymytry portfolio for the reason that the title is repeated to death and it’s shamelessly commercial, with an arena rock feel. While the lighters and phones are brandished, there is the now familiar djenty breakdown.
“Three Steps to Hell” starts as a harsh-sounding rock song with Crematorian tones, developing with a cheesy chorus. Dymytry are not going to blow anyone away with this stuff. “In Death We Trust” is the song about the impact of the atomic bomb. Of what’s come so far, this song is the moodiest and darkest, with a good mix of emotive elements and heaviness. With the sound effects, guitar work and vocal power, it comes across strongly – definitely a highlight on this album of largely anodyne songs. Things then liven up with the bouncy commercial metal song “Dead Living Dead”. “1939” follows. Heavy, commercial and with a message, summarised in the lyric “no-one will survive another 1939”. Dymytry cannot be accused of being cryptic. It was when I was listening to “The Revenant” that I realised how much this reminded me of old Finnish bands like Charon and Poisonblack. I’m sure it’s coincidental but Dymytry have captured on this song in particular the ability to capture dark themes in a commercial style of song. “The Revenant”, which was one of my favourite songs of this album, takes things down a notch and the dark lyrics are matched by an equally dark mood. The title song closes the album, and leads off with a metal breakdown, followed by a rap. In style it has the nu-metalcore element of Drip Fed Empire. Although wholly different in style from “The Revenant”, these songs share the quality of being sinister. Hardcore in essence, it gives the album a powerful end.
This album could not be described as cutting edge but it gets its point across. Having listened to “Five Angry Men”, I can understand why they would be fun to watch live. The music here is not challenging. It is commercial and repetitious with its choruses in the way that audiences that don’t want anything too taxing would appreciate. It’s breezy and energetic and occasionally atmospherically dark, and it is for these qualities that I like this album.
(6.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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