
On the Facebook page, the band describes its genre as “psychedelic black metal”. I think, the psychedelic influences are particularly evident in two songs: “In Tombs” and “Armageddon”. The former at the end and the latter in the middle contain a section with slower chords and a repetitive and obsessive rhythm pattern. These slower sections create an atmosphere similar to stoner doom. I find that this type of solution be peculiar of the style of this band. I also find that there are influences from German black metal, especially Dark Fortress.
Liberation Funeral is a really well made album. Since the result is so good, I would say it was worth to wait eleven years for the first full length. Such compositional maturity and awareness are not always to be found in a band making its debut. In addition to the above mentioned stoner-like parts, Dimholt are capable of creating intricate and morbid riffs, variations, arpeggios, so that Liberation Funeral is a varied album that never bores. The bass is not just a filler that repeats the notes of the guitar, but it really completes the music with a clear line: it is played like a bass and not like a guitar.
Liberation Funeral goes straight to the point: no intro and the first song begins immediately with blast beats and a sick and morbid riff that immediately captures one’s attention. Unfortunately there are also some weaknesses: the production is not the best and the sound quality should have been better: the guitars are not very clean, and the drums sound a bit artificial. The band has a drummer anyway, Stanimir, who takes care both of drums and of drum programming. Maybe the band is still looking for a personal sound or it is just that the fact that the album is self-produced may have had consequences; I would have liked to listen to Liberation Funeral with a better sound.
Monolithe is responsible for the text writing, which covers different topics. The themes of the lyrics range from a severe criticism against humanity to reflections about the afterlife. In any case, Monolithe does not give us a reassuring and optimistic picture. Misanthropic barbs against humanity are thrown in “... at the End ..”, which foreshadows a desolate mankind, which, because of its greed, is abandoned to itself without grace from above. In “In Tomb” the afterlife is described only as a place of darkness, and not as a beautiful place as we usually imagine it. Finally “The Neverhealing Wound” is perhaps the climax of this unfriendly picture; life is here considered to be a wound and suffering: “This life is a wound / And we live silenced / In search for the cure / But can we find it…?”. The keywords in the texts of Dimholt are desperation, solitude, nihilism.
In conclusion, Liberation Funeral is a really good and interesting album. Good job.
Notes:
Liberation Funeral was self-released on April 1, 2014.
Tracklist: 1. Blindead 2. The Neverhealing Wound 3. Chaos Reborn 4. The Shades of Night 5. Black Horizon 6. In Tombs 7. Armageddon 8. Ruins 9. ...at the End... 10. Theodicy | 04:39 04:45 06:25 04:28 07:09 07:40 06:27 04:57 05:54 06:12 58:36 |
Monolithe - Vocals, Lyrics
Asen - Guitars
Rumen - Guitars
Yavor - Bass
Stanimir - Drums, Drum Programming
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com