(written by Islander)
“Raw, vicious and uncanny….” That’s the succinct summing-up offered by Helldprod Records for a new album named Awakening of Ancient Evil by the Finnish black/thrash duo Disembody. It’s their second full-length, following the aptly named Reigniting Hellfire from 2021, and that quick take on the music is accurate. Here’s the label’s more elaborate description of the music:
Following their own path, A.H. and J.J. prove once again that they know exactly how to write compelling songs. This time, get ready for eight tracks packed with hellish aggression, piercing riffs, and relentless pounding evilness. Haunting melodies will lull you into a dark slumber, only to have you scorched moments later by Disembody’s blazing tongue of fire….
There is also, somehow, an eerie Beyond the Gates aura lurking throughout the album, adding another layer of infernal crudeness to the darkness already embedded in these tracks.
That description is also accurate, and we have some of the proof today in our premiere of a song from the new album ominously named “Dweller of Abyssal Waters“.
Raw, vicious, and uncanny… that is indeed the impression that Disembody immediately generate on this new song. With drums heavily pounding and serrated-edge vocals rabidly gnashing, they inflict roiling riffage that feels like a whirlpool of knives, punctuated by swirling, pulsating arpeggios that sound fiendishly ecstatic.
The music channels hellish grandeur — it vibrantly gleams as well as rips, and the contortions are fiery. But near the song’s mid-point Disembody add another dimension, an exotic lead-guitar melody that makes one think of ancient Mesopotamian sorcerers, or the performance of snake charmers. The soloing also carries that esoteric and seductive melody forward in vibrantly flickering tones.
And then Disembody return to us another dose of black-thrashing viciousness at the end, one last rampant burst of high-octane and heavily hammering energy. But it’s that exotic melody that’s likely to be what causes the song to get stuck most firmly in listeners’ heads. (And indeed, the memorability of the songwriting is a hallmark of the album as a whole.)
Awakening of Ancient Evil was recorded at Äänipanimo studio and it was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Tatu Säteri. The startling front cover is a painting by Aarno Karimo, a Finnish artist, in 1929-1932.
Helldprod will release the album on CD and digital formats, and it’s available for pre-order now. After the links, also check out the previously released first single from the album, “Vigil“.
PRE-ORDER:
https://helldprod.com/shop/index.php
https://helldprod.bandcamp.com/album/disembody-awakening-of-ancient-evil
DISEMBODY:
https://disembodyband.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Disembodymetal/