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Pest > Dauðafærð > Reviews
Pest - Dauðafærð

Unique - 100%

Felix 1666, April 18th, 2015
Written based on this version: 2004, CD, No Colours Records

The obscure front cover can be understood as a first indication and the opening riff removes any doubts. It opens the gates to a realm of desperation and blackness, bitterness and pain. The ice cold guitar sound makes your blood freeze and the tone sequence creates immediately a misanthropic atmosphere. As soon as the other instruments set in, "Lifit es dauðafærð" appears as an unstoppable steamroller. Driven by the mid-paced rhythm, the song takes possession of the listener. The perfect sound is immediately noticeable. It is characterised by its density, intensity and mercilessness. Right from the beginning, it is obvious that the here described journey into the next world knows no return. Even an interruption of this voyage is impossible. But in harmony with the chosen rhythmic approach, you do not need to run. Voluntarily or not, you will achieve your goal sooner or later. This EP has come to take you away and the musical realization of the transition to another world leads to an almost unreal experience. The composition matches perfectly with the lethal intention of the band.

The Swedish duo impresses with its keen sense for the right amount of riffs, breaks and tempo variations without damaging the captivating atmosphere. Quite the opposite, they keep a close eye on the structure and the overall impression of this masterpiece. The result shines with a maximum of coherence and memorability. But not only the instrumental section leaves a lasting impression. In view of his inescapable fate, lead vocalist Necro expresses hopelessness and forlornness in an outstanding manner. His diabolic nagging emphasizes the atmosphere and he embodies the wanderer between the two worlds very convincingly.

Pest has created a unique piece of black metal. While the vast majority of bands roughly follows the symphonic route of Dimmu Borgir, the Holocaust path of Immortal or the mesmerizing approach of Burzum, Pest stands on its own. I must admit that their black riff cascades also have an hypnotizing effect. Nevertheless, their way of proceeding and the generated aura cannot be seriously compared with that of Varg Vikernes. The Swedes operate much closer to the rules of the genre without losing their individuality.

The austerely designed and - of course - colourless booklet shows a night sky. Dark treetops distinguish themselves from the starless firmament. "Life is a journey of death" is the image caption and the statement of this output at the same time. While watching on the described picture and listening to this special kind of one-hit-wonder, I am tempted to say that they are right. Pest draws the listener into the fathomless depths of the human psyche. The musicians do not need to use keyboards in order to create this atmosphere. They confine themselves to morbid guitar lines that express the irreversibility of death. The melodies embrace you, not very violent, but irresistible. The grim reaper emerges from the fog and takes you by your hand. I guess you will accept your destiny and follow him trustfully.

Perfect - 100%

ggspinefx, September 18th, 2012

Given the enormous number of black metal bands that exist or have existed, it is virtually impossible to sample them all, meaning that there will always be great bands that you won’t ever hear. On top of this, bands themselves can vary greatly in the quality of their releases, so if you are exposed to some of their lower quality material first, you may never avail yourself of the chance to hear their better works. If you limit yourself to full length releases, assuming they are the most worthwhile, you may find this an erroneous assumption and thus miss out on a band’s best material, that may be found on demos, EPs or splits.

Well here I hope to save you from at least one oversight in the form of Pest’s Dauðafærð. You could easily overlook this band if you only heard Desecration or In Total Contempt, thinking that they only produced mediocre black metal; not bad, but not exactly great either (except the track “Descending” from Desecration, that track is great).

Dauðafærð, the release in question, is an EP consisting of a single epic track clocking in at over 20 minutes. A far more atmospheric beast than other Pest material, it is in my opinion one of the greatest black metal tracks ever recorded.

It opens with some solitary tremolo guitar, before bursting forth with an absolutely massive riff, which is one of the most memorable ever. The same riff appears again a bit later in the track. The track mostly progresses at a mid-paced tempo, as impassioned vocals lead us through a series a dark chapters in an ancient Scandinavian tongue. At about the 15 minute mark, there is a short breakdown, the exhortation of the title lyric, “Lífit es dauðafærð”, then the second big riff of the track leads us through the last few minutes that are entirely instrumental, before dying down to fade away with more solo tremolo guitar.

Although a lengthy composition with a relatively simple structure, this song is far from boring or repetitive. There are several breakdowns and tempo changes and the vocal performance is powerful and engaging. The instrumental sections tend to be a bit faster with epic riffs used to maximum effect, including the tremolo / double-kick combination that we love so much.

The production is absolutely great. Raw, heavy and mixed perfectly. Every instrument sounds totally real and is clearly defined, including bass. Nothing is too low or high in the mix and just the right amount of effects are used on the instruments and vocals.

I think full marks are given a bit too freely in MA reviews, but I’ve been listening to metal for 25 years and this is the kind of gem that keeps me digging in all corners of the earth. I haven’t heard the English version on the vinyl and I kind of don’t want to, as this is perfection and I don’t want to mess with that.

Differnce, at last... - 85%

Online_Shark, May 2nd, 2006

Now, this release actually looked interesting, unlike any of PEST’s earlier works. One track (?), 20:30 minutes (?) – things might have taken a slight change (after two very boring releases by these Swedes) and this is very positive.
The one and only song, that this album contains, is named “Lifit Es Daudafaerd”, which is ancient Swedish, and lyrically, the song is performed in this interesting language. There is not much to say about the lyrical part, as ancient Swedish is difficult to understand (even for Swedes), but “Daudafaerd” (I know), means “Deaths-journey” or “Journey to Death”, directly translated.
Musically, this album truly is a masterpiece, containing a wide range of beautifully performed epic hymns, which not once turn into boredom. There are so many “layers” of music in “Lifit Es Daudafaerd”, and for every listen, you’ll explore a new “side” of the song. This 20:30 minute long unique masterwork is divided into (approx.) 10 parts of roughly 2 minutes, each representing series of astonishing and extremely catchy riffs. Vocals appear desperate and very throaty (“Panzerfaust”-ish), the production is clear, and the instruments are extremely well-handled.
The atmosphere in and through out the song is truly brilliant, and this is without doubt the best PEST realease, up to date. “Daudafaerd” is the missing link in all the average music, created by PEST, and it pleases me, to finally hear something creative from their side. No obvious influences are shown here, and if any, I woud say BURZUM’s more emotional works. It’s great to finally experience a good release from these Swedes. Hopefully, they will continue with this splendid style of fierce and epic black metal. Thumbs up...