Dusk

This Dusk EP was recorded in 1993 and released early in 1994. Apparently the band released a demo prior to this, but I assume this is the same recording (given the identical track-listing and recording date). Whatever happened, this is classifiable as 'death/doom'. It fits alongside early records by My Dying Bride, Anathema and Disembowelment. This sub-genre was one of the few branches of death metal that sounded consistently fresh in 1994. A handful of American acts were tending towards slower tempos at around this time (Morgion, Evoken/Funereus, Novembers Doom). Dusk may have been among the front-runners. Their sound was heavy, atmospheric and menacing.

In recent years there has been a temptation for people to see death/doom as distinct from death metal, playing down the common lineage. An EP like "Dusk" shows the errors of this way of thinking. This record has surely been influenced by earlier death/doom like "As the Flower Withers" and "The Crestfallen" (one of the song lyrics makes reference to 'the sweet suffering', for instance). However, there is plenty of old fashioned American death metal in here. "Dusk" doesn't necessarily sound like Deicide, but there are several moments of technicality and aggression that sound like a slow version of Deicide (or maybe Immolation). This is death metal, but it has doom elements.

The execution is superb. Dusk have great riffs and a vocalist who can spit and rasp with the best of them, and a sense of anger that is uncommon in death/doom. The crushing, mid-tempo grooves of "Element of Symmetry" and "Dreamscape" are enough to bludgeon the most hard-nosed brutal death metal fan. None of the songs on this EP have epic pretensions but they all have atmospheric and compositional depth. The recording quality is excellent, unlike what might be expected for an obscure death/doom band. There is no 'murk'. The guitars and drums sound clear and rich. This was recorded at a local studio in the band’s hometown (Green Bay), a studio rarely used by metal bands from outside the area. The band were lucky in that respect, they had the place (and the sound) to themselves.

Occasional problems arise from the blending of doom and death metal. The riffs sometimes grate against each other to create something that is less than the sum of its parts. The clumsy technical-ish break towards the end of "Envision the Terror" is one example. The middle section of "Mourning Shadow" is another. Neither of these moments sound good. Fortunately, they don’t have much impact because most of the material on this record is so strong. The blending of styles is particularly good on "Begotten Interlude", which assimilates death metal technicality and some tasteful blast-beats. Dusk were better at integrating blast-beats and slower sections than celebrated bands like Disembowelment or Rippikoulu were.

I recommend “Dusk” to people who revere the earliest My Dying Bride recordings, and to people who want to hear what Disembowelment might sound like with less grindcore influence. This EP may not be as pure (or as beautiful) as Dusk's full-length debut album from the following year ("...Majestic Thou in Ruin"). That album would see the band abandoning almost every trace of American-style death metal in favour of the epic death/doom sound, with amazing results. Nonetheless, the idiosyncrasies of this EP make for an explosive, intoxicating experience.

Dusk... I remember experiencing them for one of my first times at dawn, sleepy, in the bus on my way to college. It was in October or November, at a time where the dawn was late, where it was cold outside, so the bus was going up in the mount area, a more residential neighbourhood which gave you a better sense of nature than in the city itself, where I was heading. I put my headphones on with the Dusk ep put in until I reluctantly left the comfort of my seat. I don't know if it was the darkness, the coldness and the dormant elevated mount area with all its trees that gave me some sort of impression, or just that the music expressed those elements rather well, but I was literally drawn - almost in a trance - to the music. The surroundings felt unsettling, menacing, as if I was unwelcomed, that there, nature was the master and that something grave happened, or was bound to happen. But maybe (and probably), the music enhanced the setting, gave it a new sensory reality. That means it's of the atmospheric kind of music, the one, like I told, that goes well to a minimum of nature and darkness, that you'll want to do your nightly walks with.

No, it's not some kind of Agalloch, and no, it's neither some kind of black metal similar, or not, to Drudkh. Dusk is old-school death metal with leanings to doom metal. They will eventually put more and more doom into their sound until not being doom metal, but not death anymore, but here, on their debut, it is principally uncompromising death metal. Not uncompromising in the skull-crushing-250 bpm-br00tal-shit sense, in the sense that if it leaves you indifferent to its world of darkness, coldness, hopelessness and menace, you are either dead or one of those black metal elitists who can only recognize coldness and hate through an east-european tape recorder from the soviet era. Speaking of a cold sound, here, it is, and raw too, though far from the aforementioned one. In fact, it sounds rather good; every instrument is clearly defined and doesn't showcase the limitations of the recording method. Much like Coffins' mastery of the perfect tone to convey its aim on Mortuary in Darkness, here, Dusk mastered theirs. Crushing in faster passages, it doesn't miss its hits in slower ones.

While Dusk are rather different than any old-school death metal bands, it's more everything else than the guitar that really contribute to that. It's not that it doesn’t have its particular personality, but saying that the riffs are doomier, more menacing, unsettling and less melodic than the Swedish bands should be of a good indication of how they sound. Though beside the faster and slower parts, some of them present some acoustic lines helping to give a stronger atmosphere. Add to this the aforementioned production and you have the beginning of a particular sound. The drumming may be the second most important element to contribute to that it, here, it really isn't some kind of generic and unoriginal one principally because of the cymbals and the rhythms. Lots of cymbal centre hits and loads of unusual beats, unusual mixed use of all of the drumkit. It really helps to accentuate the sound the guitars convey and build the whole character it. You really have to hear it to understand, it's probably one of my favourite drumming performance ever. Then the keys; they are kept to a minimum, but when they are present, it's for a reason. Take the opener "Envision the Terror" for instance; it starts with 6 seconds of keyboards before the other instruments kick in, before they slowly fade out to reappear in short moments. So while they are kept to a minimum, they made the first impression, a first impression of menace. They are not sweet, beautiful or cheesy, they are punishing. And lastly, the vocals - the bass is overpowered by the guitars, but even as a preacher of the importance of bass is metal, I still find Dusk's lack of standout bass to not detract a bit from its aspired optimal quality. The vocals really are something distinct to Dusk, they are a kind of mix between growled death metal vocals and screamed ones. Scream vocals - not the screams some vocalists may do, but the general style - are not a style I tend to appreciate though here, the mix between it and the growls works so well that they really expand the atmosphere.

Really, it is most shameful that Dusk are still a very obscure band as all of their releases are stellar. This first self-titled ep is phenomenal, my only gripe against it being the nature of the release; an ep, it's short. Though you may listen to it in loops, its appeal won't wear out so soon. It's still a pretty unique release and won't be copied, but expanded upon, following a logical evolution in their latter releases. If you like both death metal and slower music, this is a must, something that you'll need to experience in one of your autumnal nightly walks to be appreciated in its fullest.