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░ ██ ██ Artist: Beissert ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Darkness : Devil : Death █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-10-14 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Agonia Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ I've got a vague recollection of this German █
█ band's 2010 sophomore album The Pusher (probably █
█ received the promo with a pile of others and never █
█ ended up reviewing it). But by and large, Beissert █
█ is new to me, and fairly surprising; not always in █
█ a good way, but I can say with confidence that █
█ I've never heard a band quite like this, in part █
█ due to the wild charisma of their vocalist, █
█ Richard Beissert, who proudly stamps his feet onto █
█ the center stage of the recording. Don't get me █
█ wrong: he's not louder or harder pushing than the █
█ instruments, per se, but he's easily the most █
█ distinct factor here. Without him, Darkness: █
█ Devil: Death might just come off as a rather vapid █
█ modern groove/thrash disc with a few decent licks, █
█ but nothing too enduring or endearing. █
█ The album is pretty interesting in that it's a █
█ horror tribute, in particular places towards H.P. █
█ Lovecraft, whose prose is often quoted directly in █
█ the lyrics. Not unusual in metal, perhaps, but for █
█ a band of this style, I guess it must be a first. █
█ Huge, ruddy, semi-sludgy chugging guitars (which █
█ often sound like the gunning of a broken muffler) █
█ are configured into contemporary thrash █
█ progressions with a few hints of 90s groove/metal █
█ or metalcore, and the drums have a bright, █
█ battering mix which ranges from the usual █
█ rock-inspired beats to a meticulous use of strong █
█ double bass patterns. The bass guitar is thick and █
█ deep in the mix, but often the notes will swerve █
█ off on their own course of fills, and it adds █
█ dimension to the substrate of the rhythm section. █
█ Beissert, though, is ultimately about the █
█ choruses. Those dense, down tuned and palm muted █
█ piledriver patterns are almost always a setup for █
█ some larger, melodic chorus as in "Zorn Der █
█ Geister" or "Age Ov Darkness", where Richard's █
█ performance will either sink or swim the album, █
█ and I found that in several cases, these proved █
█ emotional and climactic enough that there was a █
█ bit of replay value. █
█ In general, I wasn't too fond of the rhythm guitar █
█ sequences, most of fall seem inspired by bands █
█ like Crowbar, Pantera or Machine Head, but a few █
█ quirky exceptions shine through (like that █
█ minimalistic muted hook in the verse of the title █
█ track). Thankfully the group indulges in all █
█ manner of atmospheric leads and melodies that help █
█ to glaze the meatier undercarriage. Variation is █
█ in no small supply here, I assure you. Really, █
█ though, as bold and bludgeoning as the band seems, █
█ it's the nigh on schizophrenic inflection of █
█ Beissert himself that proves the most captivating. █
█ Perhaps not as crazy as a Mike Patton or a Neil █
█ Fallon, but very much an original. His natural █
█ tone has a hoarse, manly and mildly constipated █
█ depth which is helped out by his accent (he sings █
█ in German on the track "DXXXV", but usually in █
█ English). And yet, he's also capable of breaking █
█ into a higher pitch, even a rare scream, and █
█ enjoys fucking around with his range. For example, █
█ in "Perm Trias", the longest and strangest song on █
█ the album, in which the bridge chorus feels like a █
█ Teutonic, darker sounding David Lee Roth joined by █
█ handclaps and girly backing choir... █
█ Those are the sorts of surprises scattered through █
█ the 47 minutes of Darkness: Devil: Death, and part █
█ of the reason I found it easier to tolerate than █
█ other records which go for a straight 90s █
█ nu-groove aesthetic. Granted, the contrast of such █
█ goofy personality with the darker, brooding █
█ lyrical concepts is often a bit too much to █
█ swallow, but it's not something I hear every day, █
█ and made for a pleasant and interesting listen. In █
█ the end, I didn't find the music entirely █
█ compelling. The majority of the riffs did little █
█ for me apart from their rich and fulsome █
█ production, and I often had to focus in on the █
█ vocals just to maintain attention. That said, this █
█ is surely an unusual combination of dynamics. Like █
█ a bunch of Cthulhu cultists riding Harley █
█ Davidsons, heavily inked, with Ed Hardy tees, en █
█ route to a simultaneous pig roast/Nyarlathotep █
█ summoning. If the notion of sharing a few pilsner █
█ glasses with such folk jerks your chain (and █
█ really, who wouldn't?), and you don't shy away █
█ from simpler groove riffs like these, then at █
█ least give this a once over. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Thy Chthonic Cathedral 4:49 ░
░ 2. Darkness-Devil-Death 3:00 ░
░ 3. Age ov Darkness 2:21 ░
░ 4. Zorn der Geister 3:44 ░
░ 5. My Path Shall Be Your Wrath 4:21 ░
░ 6. Perm Trias 8:35 ░
░ 7. I Am the Lore 3:12 ░
░ 8. Do What Thou Wilt 5:07 ░
░ 9. DXXXV 3:36 ░
░ 10. De Profundis Clamavi 2:58 ░
░ 11. Die Diamantenen Tore der Hoelle 3:41 ░
░ (Polaris) ░
░ 45:24 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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