Review Summary: White Metal
Black metal is a strange genre. One might say it started as a big middle finger to the norms of Metal, and to society in general; sonic defiance of the status-quo both musically and ideologically. Then somewhere along the line it became undesirable to break the "rules" of the genre for fear of becoming a target of basement dwelling curmudgeons deeming them "not true". Hence there were few bands in the late 90's to early 2000's pushing the envelope very far. Thankfully in the last decade or so, there has been a resurgence of creativity in the black metal machine and it has gained momentum maybe more than any other genre in metal today, and that defiant boundary pushing attitude has come back. From the jazz experimentation of bands like Aenaon, the avant-garde carnival madness of Unexpect, the bright and shiny Pixie metal shoe-gaze of Alcest, even the fusion of ska and black metal with bands such as Leper and Let the World Die, it seems that there is no limitation to what can be considered black metal nowadays.
So what makes black metal...black? Is it frosty tremolo riffs layered over relentless blasting? Raspy shrieks and sweeping keyboard atmospherics? Because Dekadent has all of these in spades, yet they are so unlike most of their contemporaries. What sets Dekadent apart is the ethos through which they create their music. They are the negative (or maybe the positive) image of the average black metal band, the components of the image are the same but the colors spectrum is entirely different. Where most black metal has a narrative of despair and hatred and hopelessness, Dekadent's music is a rallying cry of triumph and love and a zest for life. But don't let song names like "Beautiful Fire", "Providential Love", and "Day of Solace" fool you into thinking that these guys don't bring the heat, because they do. After the beautiful and concise instrumental opener "The Wound", the first proper song "Thralldom Decree" comes roaring out of the gate with the first of many "feel good" melodic riffs driven by a barrage of blast beats. However, it doesn't feel like a rehash of the same old "blast, shriek, and repeat" that countless other melodic black metal bands do, it is invigorating and fresh and sets the tone for the adventure to come. The song also features some pretty massive stomping grooves, which is a pretty common theme throughout the album, especially in "Providential Love". This isn't metal for sulking and dwelling on the problems of the world, this is an album to blast during a summer drive with the windows open, an uplifting soundtrack played in the context of melodic black metal. The vibe of the album brings an almost Devin Townsend like quality, think the happy go lucky nature of Synchestra but obviously cranked up in intensity quite a bit. Several moments of the album actually sound like the aforementioned Canadian's work as well, such as "Beautiful Fire" which sports a Physicist like riff that rears its head throughout the verse. Also "Craven" which has riffs that stink delightfully of latter era SYL, and also features one of the most engrossing crescendos of the album in the final third of the song.
There are some more subdued moments on the album also. "False Endearment", if it were not for the black metal rasps, might find its way on to a hard rock radio station with its driving rock beat, cascading melodic riffs, and a beautiful guitar solo with gentle acoustic strumming underneath. "Paramours in Vain" features some tastefully done clean vocals and some of the catchier guitar leads on the album. Every song here has something to remember it by, there isn't one track that is easily skipped over, everything feels immediate and essential to the listening experience: memorable melodic riffs abound, vocal lines will worm their way into your head, diverse drum patterns that blast, groove and accentuate in all the right ways, thought provoking lyrics. You won't be wading through complex song structures trying to decipher what hidden gems lay amid the confusion, Dekadent throw you a hanging curve ball of sonic awesomeness and all you have to do is listen. This is the kind of album that takes you out of your every day mind set and transports you somewhere else. Whether that place is actually in the realm of black metal is certainly up for debate. I argue that Dekadent have blazed their own trail into White Metal; its uplifting, its fun, its inspiring, its everything that I feel is missing in modern metal, and if you consider yourself a fan of the genre you are doing yourself a disservice by not taking this ride.
