Dèigh - Nothingness [Track] (2013, Self-released)

Spain has its fair share of black metal bands, but hardly any have ever achieved any form of international success. From Madrid comes Dèigh, a musician focused on creating "abrasive black metal". Dèigh released a demo in 2012 entitled No Life Flickers, and Nothingness, I think, is supposed to be one of a few tracks featured on a new EP with the same name.

Whether the 5:40 minutes long track is supposed to be the entire EP or just one track from it is a little unclear at the time of writing. I'm pretty sure 5 and a half minutes doesn't quite qualify as an EP, and if you could at all justify calling it such it would be because the track itself could well be separated into two parts. The initial part of the song is ripe with distorted guitars and is by far the most active part of the track, whereas the latter part of Nothingness is dominated by clean guitars and crash cymbals.

There are several things worth talking about regarding Dèigh and Nothingness. I don't exactly know where the "abrasive" tag fits in, because all I hear is poorly written and sloppily executed bland as fuck black metal. Nothingness does not possess the atmosphere and feeling a slow track can produce. It does not have the energetic headbang-inducing riffs a mid-paced tempo can invoke. And it certainly doesn't have the abrasive aggravation that high-tempo black metal can cause. The track (or EP or whatever) is mostly low speed "metal" with a really simple 4/4 riff accompanied by horrific bedroom production. After a minute or so the track completely changes to an equally simple clean guitar melody, this time chaperoned by some of the worst programmed drums I've ever borne witness to. When the distorted guitars set in again the image of bedroom black metal is completed with endless crash cymbals ad nauseum and no sense of timing whatsoever. To be honest it sounds a lot like the guitars were recorded with little to no attention to the drum track.

Dèigh has so little attention to detail that it sounds like he didn't even listen to the song before uploading it online. I have no idea if the rest of his material is of equally inadequate quality, but listening to Nothingness doesn't make me want to find out. I have seldom seen such a blatant disregard for the final product, and the fuck-it-all change from one part of the song to the next and the way the track jsut stops at the end as well as the near-constant crash cymbal only empasize this notion. The only thing even remotely redeeming on the demo are the completely run of the mill raspy black metal vocals sporadically found on the track. 2/10 guitars.

If for some reason you want to torture yourself or test your faith in the future of metal you can find Dèigh - Nothingness on Bandcamp here

DÈIGH official Facebook

Listen, if you dare



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Damnum Animus - Forgotten by the Waves [Track] (2011, Self-released)

Some readers will perhaps remember the review I did recently of Damnum Animus' debut entitled "Sanity: The Lies of the Father", and I'm happy to present Damnum Animus' newest track "Forgotten by the Waves", which will be featured on the upcoming EP called "Beneath the Swells" which will be out later this year.

Damnum Animus, which received 6/10 guitars, delivered 'sombre classically-inspired black metal' with a clear atmospheric focus. I was glad to hear that this solo project has not abandoned any of the solid elements of the first release and have actually improved a little.

One of the main things I had against the release was the more or less constantly going double pedals on the drums which got really monotonous during the EP, and to see Damnum Animus having gone for some more varying drums warmed my heart while listening to this chilling track.l' with a clear atmospheric focus. I was glad to hear that this solo project has not abandoned any of the solid elements of the first release and have actually improved a little.

The American band made itself noticable with the many different layers of classical instruments and I'm pleased to hear that this is a recurring element in the material. The vocals have gotten even better, which adds to the already good atmosphere of the track. I was at first a little in doubt about Forgotten by the Waves as Damnum Animus have opted for a more epic and less dusky approach to the neoclassical branch of black metal as I came to know it on Sanity: The Lies of the Father, but with a few listens it just grew on me. It still works, and you're never in doubt that it's still the same band you're listening to.

About halfway through Forgotten by the Waves there's this little part with piano that I think feel a little fabricated and fake, which is a real shame as it doesn't do anything good for the flow. I'm not too big on the following use of clean vocals either as they feel a little out of place.

All in all Damnum Animus is an evolving project, and it's nice to see an artist not afraid to try new elements. I'd rather see a band trying new things and failing than seeing a band writing the same material ad nauseum, and Damnum Animus may yet have a bright future. I'm looking forward to the release of Beneath the Swells at any rate.

This new track receives 6/10 guitars.

Damnum Animus - Forgotten by the Waves is available for free download HERE
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