 |
| #FOR FANS OF: Hellenic Black Metal |
The Greek trio Dødsferd is one of those interesting projects, that lives under the long shadow of legendary acts like Rotting Christ or Septic Flesh. Being the Greek scene so rich in terms of quality and quantity, it is particularly difficult to gain some recognition, but this project, founded exactly twenty years ago, has managed to build a long career with some quite good releases. Maybe, they won´t have a particular masterpiece, which could have helped them to reach the top of the scene, but their music undoubtedly deservers our attention.
Having said that, its time to focus on the most important thing, the band´s new album, which is released in the twentieth anniversary of its existence and it should be a representative opus of this current sound. 'Skotos' is the name of the new beast, which is unfortunately a short EP of two songs, being extended by the previous full-album 'Diseased Remnants of a Dying World' as a bonus track. In any case, our attention goes for the new pieces. This stuff is firmly rooted in the black metal genre, which will not surprise its fans, though we are talking about a band that has experimented with DSBM or black/punk influences during its career. In contrast to its predecessor, 'Skogos' contains clearly shorter songs that get to the point. "Skotadi" is the EP opener, and it is a furious piece, whose pace varies between remarkably fast sections and a few slightly slower ones, but with a clear predominance of the speediest sections. The mixture is done quite well as the mid-tempo parts give us the chance of headbanging a little bit. This is traditional black metal as its best, with a tremolo main riff, that gives a hypnotic touch to the song. The vocals are vicious and high-pitched screams, nothing new, but they are solidly performed. The second track, "Cursed to Die at First Light", follows quite similar patterns, as it is another fast track dominated by a relentless rhythmic base. It also contains a tasteful main tremolo riff in the speedy sections, and a slightly more dissonant ones in the slower parts, which are nevertheless combined with more tremolo riffs here and there. One aspect I like is how audible the bass is, something that sadly doesn´t happen many times.
'Skotos' is a good release, which doesn’t offer anything new, but it contains two very enjoyable tracks that makes us expect more stuff, which sadly doesn´t happen. Let´s see if Dødsferd can release a full album with the same characteristics, even though a greater variety would be welcome. If not, the first positive impression would be ruined in case that we have a bunch of songs, that follow exactly the same structures and main characteristics. (Alain González Artola)
Having said that, its time to focus on the most important thing, the band´s new album, which is released in the twentieth anniversary of its existence and it should be a representative opus of this current sound. 'Skotos' is the name of the new beast, which is unfortunately a short EP of two songs, being extended by the previous full-album 'Diseased Remnants of a Dying World' as a bonus track. In any case, our attention goes for the new pieces. This stuff is firmly rooted in the black metal genre, which will not surprise its fans, though we are talking about a band that has experimented with DSBM or black/punk influences during its career. In contrast to its predecessor, 'Skogos' contains clearly shorter songs that get to the point. "Skotadi" is the EP opener, and it is a furious piece, whose pace varies between remarkably fast sections and a few slightly slower ones, but with a clear predominance of the speediest sections. The mixture is done quite well as the mid-tempo parts give us the chance of headbanging a little bit. This is traditional black metal as its best, with a tremolo main riff, that gives a hypnotic touch to the song. The vocals are vicious and high-pitched screams, nothing new, but they are solidly performed. The second track, "Cursed to Die at First Light", follows quite similar patterns, as it is another fast track dominated by a relentless rhythmic base. It also contains a tasteful main tremolo riff in the speedy sections, and a slightly more dissonant ones in the slower parts, which are nevertheless combined with more tremolo riffs here and there. One aspect I like is how audible the bass is, something that sadly doesn´t happen many times.
'Skotos' is a good release, which doesn’t offer anything new, but it contains two very enjoyable tracks that makes us expect more stuff, which sadly doesn´t happen. Let´s see if Dødsferd can release a full album with the same characteristics, even though a greater variety would be welcome. If not, the first positive impression would be ruined in case that we have a bunch of songs, that follow exactly the same structures and main characteristics. (Alain González Artola)
(Transcending Obscurity Records - 2021)
Score: 69
https://dodsferd.bandcamp.com/album/skotos-atmospheric-black-metal
Score: 69
https://dodsferd.bandcamp.com/album/skotos-atmospheric-black-metal