The duo behind De Arma that is A Petterson and J Marklund are responsible for so many great bands between them and De Arma is not the only one they have collaborated on either. Armagedda, Bergraven, Saiva, Stilla, Sorgeldom, Whirling and Lönndom are just some of the groups they have to their name, all quite varied and different and all of them fascinating as I am sure anyone who has heard them will agree. From raw black metal, to out-there avant-garde strangeness and not forgetting a bit of traditional folk music, their work covers many angles. De Arma sees the duo proclaiming their love for Gothic Rock and the darker more melancholic side of metal and it has been pointed out that they reside in an area known for Sentenced and Charon just to provide a couple of points of reference.
Debut album Lost, Alien and Forlorn was not actually a purely Swedish dose of misery as the duo were joined by long time follower The Watcher aka Frank Allain of Fen, Fellwarden etc on lead vocals. He added some great harmonies partly no doubt summoned by his love of bands such as Talk Talk to the table and also got a few bursts of harsher vocals in on the act too making it a solid debut. This time round though it is just the duo doing everything, Andreas Pettersson taking over the vocals as his lyrics were just too personal to allow anyone but him do so. This is obviously the main difference between the two albums but if you have heard Stilla and the likes before rest assured the vocals are in more than capable hands.
The album comprises of seven fairly lengthy numbers the first of which Pain Of The Past quickly gets chugging away with some excellent melodic guitar weaving away and a very Gothic sounding presence sounding very much like it could have derived from the English Leeds scene that basically founded it. These are songs to really immerse yourself in, sure there is melancholy but they are not sad and miserable in the slightest. That’s partly down to the clean, soaring vocals that are incredibly rich and expressive adding a lightness and caressing touch to the songs. The album is based on true events and personal experiences, so you have the choice of trying to interpret them or just coast along with the music as your guide through the emotions that are expressed. You may also spend time trying to compare to other artists and vocalists but that is not quite so easy. I have found that De Arma very much has their own distinct sound and are not trying to jump on any gothic, post punk bandwagon in the slightest. Speaking of which there is perhaps a touch of Garm vocally before his band went and did just that. Vocally on numbers such as City Vultures and it may well be the title drawing me there a bit as much as the rafter hitting soars there’s also a touch of Vulture Industries too.
It’s very easy to lose all track of time listening to this and find yourself very much straying into its shadows and darkened corners. It tells tales of a life that is well lived and has left scars but not one that is shrouded in pessimism. In-fact there’s something almost life-affirming about it, jolly and upbeat are perhaps not quite the right words but at times it is not far off. A couple of tracks such as ‘Illusions Of Love’ feature guest vocals from Maria Oja adding her delicate tones to them. There’s a touch of Anneke and definitely Lee Douglas about them; the label blurb quite rightly making an Anathema reference and doing my job for me. I guess the guitars and the mesmerism they provide has a fair bit of that Nephilim magic about them especially when given the freedom to luxuriously sparkle away from the vocals on a song like ‘Funeral In My Brain’ and when we next arrive at the vocal interplay on Nightmares In The Dark there is certainly something luxurious and decadent about them.
This is a much easier album to listen to than review, perhaps that is due to the extremely personal nature, maybe its just that it is hypnotic and space and time kind of go out the window when it is playing. Everything leads to ten-minute finale You Were Blood and if you are in a stupor, naval gazing exercise at this point a sudden salvo of blast-beats are going to provide a sudden awakening. Did I feel the pain here and that is a question asked but frankly no as I was too busy actually enjoying it and found the experience one that tells an intriguing tale without looking for sympathy in doing so? Be prepared, if you do stray into these shadows, you will find yourself ensnared.
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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