“Fans will rejoice at the knowledge that this vital band has returned”, I read. I guess that counts me out because I knew almost nothing about this band. In fact shortly before I received this, I read a post by a friend who announced that he had accidently cut his hand was a breadknife and as a response was going to listen to this album. Research was necessary. One thing I established quickly is that these guys, whose fifth album this is, are perfectionists. It’s been fourteen years since the self-titled previous one, and a noteworthy point about this one is the contributors: Jens Bogren mixing (too many bands to mention but I’ll throw in Opeth, Soilwork, Enslaved and Rotting Christ), Jeff Loomis (Nevermore and Arch Enemy) and Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry, Meshuggah) amongst others. The main protagonist of Dååth Eyal Levi runs heavy metal schools and himself has done production for Black Dahlia Murder, The Contortionist and others. And they have a drummer from Septicflesh who was in Decapitated. On the table here, on the face of it, was a heavy metal album with a strong progressive edge, and added orchestrations.
The album gets off to a rip-roaring start with “No Rest No End”. A ball of adrenaline, it’s a lively dose of melodic symphonic death metal. My initial thought was “which Finnish band does this remind me of?” – Norther, Mors Principium Est, maybe? Actually its drama brings to mind Carach Angren from the Netherlands. The rapid tempo and upbeat arrangements are continued on “Hex Unending”. It’s a well-controlled song with an intoxicating mixture again of death metal, melody and orchestration. I’d describe it as exciting. Drums reverberate and another solid rhythm hits us. Flamboyant guitar solos are a feature of this album and this song, but they’re well interwoven and there’s little time to breathe as Dååth don’t waste a second, smoothly changing direction and tempo without ever disturbing the song structure. Heavy death metal darkness combine with more flourishes and flamboyance on “With Ill Desire”. The all-action nature it made me think of a quote I had read from the lead member of this band: “If you’re not going all out, what’s the point?”. Well I can reassure him that there’s no danger of me or I suspect of anyone else thinking that Dååth are not going all out, not because of the noise but because of the multitude of influencing elements and relentless energy.
“The Silent Foray”, which features Per Nilsson, takes us to another level. The start has the feel of accelerated Opeth. Rapid-fire melodeath follows. The song becomes more thunderous without losing the melody. Midway the song takes on a dramatic face before the anticipated guitar solo takes off. It does not leave the song behind however. With its tempo changes and atmospheric passages, this is a song of great richness. A dark orchestral sound joins the metal to lead off “Unwelcome Return”. Into deathly rapidity we go. Of all that I heard, this one spiralled more in all directions, and I needed to listen to it more for better appreciation of all its ingredients. “Purified by Vengeance” is a thumping death metal march – rousing and more straightforward in formula with a tantalising break and transition three-quarters of the way through. Once again it is a well-crafted and expertly delivered song. It all lends itself to live performance, such is the level of energy and excitement throughout this album, but I can see that “Purified by Vengeance” could really get a crowd engaged. “Deserving of the Grave” starts darkly and orchestrally. This is like Carach Angren again but without the theatricality. That said, it twists and turns, breaks down, is sinister in its atmosphere and has a sound which is typically massive. The virtuoso guitar solo, delivered by Jeff Loomis, accompanies the heavily collapsing world provided by the instrumentalists. But it’s not overdone, nor is it separated from the main song. These qualities are something I like about the music of Dååth. It’s well integrated and always powerful. “Into Forgotten Dirt” combines all the strengths of what has gone before: rousing and sophisticated death metal with exciting twists and turns.
I know my friend who had the bread knife accident likes Mors Principium Est, and I can hear an element of their style here. Dååth are way more sophisticated in their arrangements, and I certainly wouldn’t want to be brandishing any kind of knife while listening to this. It could get messy. “The Deceivers” certainly isn’t messy, in fact it’s expertly controlled without being overly clinical, which was something I feared when I first read about the band. This is a well-produced and highly accomplished album of dramatic anthems by a group of expert musicians.
(9/10 Andrew Doherty)
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