Dommedagssalme

Cold, cold, cold black metal from the United Kingdom is up next. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything as raw as this come out of the British underground scene, or perhaps even on a larger scale. Domestically speaking, this one man band are apparelled in their no-thrills approach though they do hold some resemblances to fellow British band In Vino Veritas, who’re a Velvet Cacoon spin-off. The approach is reminiscent of Velvet Cacoon’s best ambient work, though not quite as good, and is like a hazy winter’s morning as the moon descends and the fog thickens around us. Dommedagssalme have gained at least some notoriety on Metal Archives for their sound with previous reviewers describing the demo material as a mixture between Burzum and Velvet Cacoon, which is most definitely appropriate. When I read that very description, I knew I just had to hear what was on offer from this highly interesting one man band. Alongside the terrific and inspiring artwork, this became a must-have. John Marshall, the creator of Dommedagssalme, is a match for any ambient black metal musician. His crazy and chaotic self-titled full-length is bound to be unapproachable to anyone who isn’t already an established hardcore fan of the underground black metal scene.

Sticking to the roots that were laid down by the second wave, in particular, Dommedagssalme have created an unusual blend of atmosphere and raw charm, if you can call it that. I’ve not actually heard the demo, but I assume the material is exactly the same as it is on this full-length edition of this self-titled piece, which was picked up by a major label and given full-length respectability. In comparison to the infamous Velvet Cacoon, Dommedagssalme don’t assert the same authority in terms of ambiance, but they do sell their material well in parts. The vocals need work as they don’t affect the emotiveness of the record, nor do they impact upon the listener much. The drums need to be entirely re-worked as they only ever differ scarcely. The production is fine, although is does restrict whatever bass is used due to the heavy distortion of the guitars. The keyboards are somewhat of a saving grace, reminding me of some of the more delightful ambient passages by Procer Veneficus. Instrumentally, ‘Bleakest Death Beneath A Bitter Moon’ shows the least intent to impose a professional sound. The vocals are indecipherable and although that isn’t usually a problem, they don’t enhance the atmosphere that trembles around it. Its almost as if the instrumentation and the vocals are intimidated by one another.

Whenever the vocals give way to the repetitive instrumentation, the ambiance that flows underneath the harsh vocals is enjoyable. I’d imagine this hectic style wouldn’t sit well with fans of diverse black metal songs as the drumming doesn’t let up on the blast beats, only occasionally allowing a quick blast of the cymbals to fashion a different sound to the ever-present double bass. Experimental black metal doesn’t exist within the realms of this fortified castle. The king is repetition and he sits on his throne in the knowledge that nothing can dethrone him and take his treasured crown away. There is a fixation on the second wave, as I’ve said, in terms of delivering a powerfully raw performance. Although this is achieved, it isn’t much use when the material doesn’t allow any appreciation to follow. Take Darkthrone’s ‘Transilvanian Hunger’ as an example. This repetitive Darkthrone record is raw, but it generates an atmosphere that cannot help but be enjoyed by the cold loving fans. Dommedagssalme don’t offer an atmosphere worthy of listening to on multiple occasions, which is unfortunate.

The guitars offer little diversity, creating a thick hazy wall over the soundscapes which are largely generated by what seems to be a keyboard section, though this is unclear due to the heavy distortion. The first song isn’t a great example of what Dommedagssalme are capable of. The moat surrounding the kind’s castle cannot be penetrated easily though. It isn’t until the second song, ‘Rapture of the Desolation’ that things begin to take a turn for the positive. The drumming, once again, doesn’t cease (although there is a brief period where they change the beat a bit, but unfortunately, this is lost in the haze of the melee), but the keyboards work effectively within their own realms to add a little something extra to the record. Though Dommedagssalme are submerged in repetition, the keyboards add a mystical aura to the much maligned soundscapes. I’d appreciate their influence much more if the drums would give way to the superior qualities that this record does contain. The restrictiveness of repetition has never been felt by me so much before as it has now. Dommedagssalme truly don’t like change and that spoils the entire record from start to finish. Not intended for multiple listens.

Dommedagssalme's demo is an amazing piece of work for a band that has not recorded or released anything aside from this material. In many respects this music is worthy of being treated as a full-length album rather than a mere demo. It is six tracks in length, and the musical depth and quality presented here is far beyond that of many, many black metal demos which are released.

To begin with, Dommedagssalme crafts a very harsh and biting guitar tone that is extremely fuzzy – much more so than any well known black metal, and more than even some of the fuzziest acts would dare be. The guitars are a chainsaw hiss, yet maintain a powerful elegance with the extensive use of rich, thick, layered chords. There are many complicated dissonances woven into the music, but there is definitely a strong and almost triumphant sense of melody buried underneath all of the fuzz, which is reminiscent of a furious hail of snowy glass shards. This melodic soul can be difficult to detect on the first few listens, but once discovered, it is quite enveloping, and even charming – much like Varg's work on "Det Som En Gang Var" or Velvet Cacoon's "Dextronaut". The drumming on the album, which is programmed, is excellent for what it is. It serves its function perfectly, isn't overly complex or minimal (with a few nice fills here and there, yet not overdone), and is very pleasingly mixed with the grating guitars. Bass is, if present, not audible – but this is essentially a non-issue as the trebly nature of the guitars create a tense and sharp atmosphere that would be too rounded out by the sound of a bass.

John's vocals compliment the hissing fuzz of the guitars perfectly – they are echoing, slowly dying, throaty screams that reverberate around somewhere in the distance. Not too nasal or high pitched, not too screamed or yell-like, they are thick and menacing behind the veil of the guitars. To round out the recording, matching intros and outros are included. They have a voluminous feel to them and act as gateways between the normal world and the content of the album.

Overall, this demo is an amazing start for Dommedagssalme, and shows an enormous amount of potential. This is definitely a band to watch in the future, and this recording is definitely one of quality, and should be acquired while it's still available.

This first demo from Dommedagssalme represents a drastically different tangent that John Marshall has found himself trekking down after/while writing a very different style of black metal for Circumscriber. While that project basks in soaring, rich keyboards which juxtapose buzzing raw guitars, many changes and somewhat spastic arrangements, this first Dommedagssalme demo provides a much more stripped down take on raw black metal. This is however, no sign that the music isn’t rich.

After the cavernous but rather simple introduction “Moribund”, the first and best track on the demo “Bleakest Death Beneath The Bitter Moon” attacks with layers of thin sounding guitar which tie in with each other to create dissonant, hidden chords, but a substantial sound. The simplistic programmed drum battery is perfectly functional and gives the music an acceptable amount of force, without once becoming intrusive. The demo has no bass, and with the direction this demo takes, it doesn’t need it. The guitar never crosses a point where it’s too tinny and maintains a satisfying raw buzz, which as mentioned before, creates something of a barrier between the listener and the music. Even a few months after acquiring this demo, new things are heard.

The demo continues with “Rapture of the Desolate”, slightly more melodic than the first track proper and marginally faster. It is worth noticing at this point that the vocals on this demo are utterly hideous, howling shrieks which act almost as an extra layer of dissonance to the music. No syllables, lyrics or themes can be made out, just the sound of pure torment mingling with the droning guitars. This track does have a few sections which sound slightly more upbeat (hah!) than the previous one, both in terms of guitar work and drums, but eventually fades out with a bleak sounding, highly repeated section…

”Of Blistering Frost” is probably about as technical as Dommedagssalme gets on this demo, with more rapid changes and much more coherent “riffs” than earlier songs. Vocals spew from underneath the final repetition of the opening riff and the song comes to a sudden end. It’s probably the most memorable of the songs on the demo, for the guitar work is much more creative than other tracks, but is still very orthodox (a good thing).

The final track proper, “The Night is Deep” is again rather easy and coherent to listen to compared with earlier tracks, which is a shame because compared to “Bleakest Death…” the experience doesn’t seem as rewarding and there is less to come back to than that track. It’s somewhat given to you on a plate. However, that’s not so say that the passages in this song are unenjoyable, they just seem slightly more predictable and less “buried”, which is something I like about Dommedagssalme’s sound on this demo. Drumming on this song is again more laterally thought out than “Bleakest Death….” which may be an intentional transformation throughout the course of the demo, but it certainly fits the thin, highly repeated outro to the song, accompanied by more utterly hideous shrieks.

Not much can be said about the outro “Perished” other than it’s a fairly satisfactory way of closing the demo. All in all, for a first demo this works very well. Providing the listener with a number of styles and influences and a very clear one-man focus, combined with a kind of droning, weak but rich guitar sound that I personally find very appealing, I’d say it’s definitely worth the bargain basement price that Australian label Basilisk is charging for it. I can’t imagine Dommedagssalme will be able to release another disc like this again so I wouldn’t be surprised if this direction is a one off, but for an experiment, its well thought out, well executed and deeply focused.