Review Summary: A welcome addition that will leave you thirsting for more.
Deathspell Omega deliver a refined arrangement of their sound on
Drought by compacting a potent handful of tracks into just 21 minutes while retaining the group’s illustrious suffocating density. Being their only EP with more than three songs and each being under 5 minutes,
Drought is a distilled cogent sampler of their best attributes with a palpable aftertaste of things to come and is an excellent choice for anyone attempting to cut their teeth on Deathspell Omega’s unique brand of chaos for the first time.
The range of the music itself is dynamic, panning from thick and knotted oblique melodies and frenzied chaotic aggression to woefully angelic post rock/ambient influences. Each track offers its own brand of madness and complexity showcasing a different facet of Deathspell Omega’s unmatched style. Mikko continues to utilize his raspy growls to great effect and the drumming performance is still an insane mix of furious blast beats and impressive fills. With everyone on the mark the group continues to pave new ground through the metal sonic-sphere without missing a step.
The opener “Salowe Vision” paces itself with doomful conviction and enough mournful purpose to act as both a beautiful stand-alone song and introduction, something rarely implemented successfully. What proceeds is domination by a hellish aggression you would expect from the very best of Paracletus. Twisted and dark these songs rip you through a murky atonal undertow without pausing for breath. Yet each member’s contribution is clear and discernible thanks to the excellent production. The album’s latter half while at times slower and circumspect provides a balanced contrast to the rest of the EP providing a more stoic take on their obfuscated sound like the notably multifarious closer “The Crackled Book of Life” With such diversity, in the wake of the albums end listeners will be hard pressed to reach a mutual consensus for the best track which is likely to shift upon repeated listens.
Drought feels like a fitting epilogue to the two years since finished epic trilogy, perhaps not in ideology but rather a reaffirming summation of their accomplishments as well as a continued willing exploration, providing assurance that Deathspell Omega will be able to evolve their sound in new and interesting ways in the future and hopefully avoid the stagflating state of their genre whose conventions they continue to advance.
