Love it or loathe it but genre definition is one of those things us music writers seem unable to not dissect and in the case of Dutch band Dool it still makes me tut when I open go to site Encyclopaedia Metallum and find them not included. They may play what is defined as dark rock stylistically but you cannot really discount them when many others of a similar nature are up there. The emphasis on metal and gothic doom in their craft is something that simply cannot be ignored. One thing we don’t generally go into though is Gender Orientation, it’s not something that is particularly any business of ours or anyone else’s, apart from the artist concerned. Nor is it something we should give a fig (leaf) about. The only thing that is important is that a person should be able to do what they do without any form of discrimination or impact upon themselves. Simple really. The only reason I am bringing it up here is that to a large extent it has shaped this album both in title and thematically and it has also been expressed by vocalist / guitarist Raven van Dorst themselves, even reported in highbrow UK paper The Guardian. For those wanting further background information, Raven was born intersex and it was determined by doctors that she should be classed as a girl, naturally leading to a voyage of discovery and own search of identity which cannot have been easy through life. There are plenty of other places you can read up on this if you wish but we turn to the music and the follow-up to excellent album Summerlands of 2020.
Hopefully attention by The Guardian will take the group a bit further from the Underground they sprung from. One thing you cannot help but notice is the Velvet vocal caress of the singer on tracks such as opener ‘Venus In Flames.’ I love the way it starts via guitar riff and vocals, gradually adding a drum beat and then adding the full weight of everything honing in. It really gives you the full scope of the production and delivers a good old wallop. The nine songs are dark, full of depth and absolutely delicious. There are many hard hitting melodies which after a few listens really get into your head and added with the sublime warmth of things, just like its two predecessors it has timeless feel making you well aware that in years to come it could well be considered a classic album. With no less than three guitarists on board there is no shortage of dreamy, meandering instrumental parts which due to past affiliations will certainly appeal to fans of the tragically cut short in their prime band ‘The Devil’s Blood.
The hazy weave of songs such as ‘Self-Dissect’ add a psychedelic tincture and when combined with the rafter hitting power of vocals at full-flight, the impact is close to delirious. Everything has an identity and something to define it, case in point being the synth intro and dulcet tones of the title track moving to thick bass groove and gorgeous, shiver-inducing chorus. Fuzzy instrumental ‘Currents’ perfectly moves into the Indie guitar flow of ‘Evil In You’ and provides a stomping vigorous beat. By comparison, the shimmering flutter of ‘House Of A Thousand Dreams’ draws you into its grasp like a long lost and just discovered novel. You both want it to last and similarly devour it page by page. It’s easy to see why the excellently entitled ‘Hermagorgon’ was chosen as a single moving between folds of delicacy and rugged layers of groove. Its guaranteed to be particularly impactful live and hopefully will gain the band some new appreciation when they finally return to the UK for Damnation Festival (slotting in a London date would be nice too, hint, hint).
In short a captivating album which engages and captivates over its 49-minute running time. No surprise I love it and this has been on most pleasurable rotation constantly over the last week or so. I can’t see that stopping any time soon.
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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