Deathspell Omega : "the Long Defeat"

 The French Black metal project's 8th full length. The bar is always high for them as they continue to make music that challenges both themselves and the listener. This opening track confirms this is still the case as it is both their most accessible work and some of the densest darkest atmosphere they have dug into in some time. The vocals are varied. They range from a proclamation to croaks and gurgles. The bass tone is their sickest yet. They drape everything in dissonance. Not a depressive black metal band, but they touch on a similar gut-wrenching vibe.  Regular reader will know I am not normally down for a twelve-minute opening track, but it works here as they hold your attention. Could they stood to have trimmed some of the fat? Sure perhaps two minutes worth , but it is not enough to distract me from where they hit the mark. 

The second song, picks up where the verses of the first track left off. Then things get blasty and chaotic. When it come back together in the more thrashing section with the croaked vocals it sounds more like they have common ground with the black metal status quo. The title track is also a step away from the darker and more jarring sounds found on the first song and more like what you expect from a black metal band without relying solely on blast beats. Are there some? Yes, but it is not over done, however the title track works off a similar rage that you can hear from bands more in the middle of the blackened road.  If this was any other band, it would be more impressive , and they nail what they set out to accomplish here, but  how occult is this ?  The darker more melodic turn the song takes is a nice shift of dynamic, but not sure it fully answers this question. 

"Sie sind..." finds them blasting into things with a more reckless energy than we have heard from them in some time. It sounds like the instruments are crashing into the sound barrier, We have know they are capable , but really heard the conventional shredding metal guitar solo that is touched upon here, as they give you the taste, they could do it if they so desired. When things are more deliberately paced the song has a better stride.  The drumming is impressive regardless. That more Emperor like vibe I have spoken of in relation t this band in the past, can be heard here.  After having them thrown almost every conceivable black metal sound at you they should they can write a song as well, with "Our Life is your death", which feels more like first wave black metal, without them trying to dig into a retro sound like most of the bands who worship Venom do.  I will round this up to a 9.5, which is more of a concession than I normally have to make for these guys, it's just the kitchen sink of blank metal hitting you midway into the album and some of the more straight forward elements take a minute to get used to.