Review Summary: Praise for Diskord’s "Degenerations".
Having spent the larger part of the past eight months getting thrown from one metal release to the next I think it would be fair to say that 2021 has been a more than decent year in regards to the death metal genre as a whole. Given that it’s only
just August, it would be doubly fair to say that
more is yet to come. As much as that last line is a blatant cop-out, Diskord’s
Degenerations solidifies the fact that the year isn’t over until all those “best of” lists come out in December’s eleventh hour. While most die-hard, death metal fans are still salivating over the likes of Ad Nauseam’s
Imperative Imperceptible Impulse it would see a fanbase in remiss to simply “turn off” on what is still forcing its way out of the woodwork. In this way,
Degenerations is certainly a poignant reminder that there will always be quality music, no matter the time of year. More so considering Diskord’s third since their 2007 debut is their current masterstroke.
Hailing from the iconic metal trenches of Norway, Diskord fits the “not very conservative, pre-hyped” levels of greatness one could expect from the country that gifted metal fans the like of Darkthrone, Emperor and Borknagar, the likes of which have amassed fans across the globe—but that alone doesn’t give
Degenerations a free pass in the modern world of death metal, especially considering (as listeners in 2021) we’ve been spoiled by Cerebral Rot, Ophidian I, Ad Nauseam, Stargazer (AUS), Turris Eburnea to just rattle off a few. Yet Diskord’s larger soundscape more closely caters to the likes of vintage Gorguts
and Autopsy, catering well to those who prefer the sauntering stop-start progressions and fervent technical advances, better known to those premier acts who act as the genre’s gateway back in the 90s. Yet, there’s an underlying freshness found here, presented in the album’s more biotic nuance.
It’s a big statement I know, but for all the hyperbolic tendencies written onto various web pages a world over there’s some that simply make-more-sense-than-others. All in a couple of minutes, “Loitering In The Portal'' solidifies Diskord’s newest slab of death metal alongside the acts mentioned above while ingraining the tendencies that allow them to stand clear of today’s more populated flavour of the month soundscapes. “Bionic Tomb Eternal” transfixes the listener with fretless bass guitar and cheeky drum interplays, before sauntering into an octane led riff fest. While every part of Diskord’s makeup demands to be at the front and centre, each of these components work in concert with each other, giving that occasional tom ‘tonk’ a gracing space to cut through the circular and winding riffery, the meticulous melody cuts and ever prominent bass rumbles. Individually, the instruments behind the
Degenerations sounds may just be rammed up to twelve, but together every little nuance works together like a couple holding hands, strolling along the beach’s shore.
I don’t want to get swept up here in the over generalization of
Degenerations’ design. In fact, I’d like to quash the idealism that Diskord’s third studio effort could be dumbed down to a measure of its parts. “Dirigiste Radio” is the
perfect example of how a group can show off all its better parts, without dropping the musical intensity while providing balance to a style. Wild spiraling guitar licks crash into snapping, almost lurching guitar riffs. The avant-progressive-isms that flirts with technical (for lack of better word) wankery run parallel to a heavenly traipse of fretless and ever-present bass work while deceptive drum (courtesy of one Hans Jørgen) tempos both provide the backbone and inexorably change at a whim. Even as the record continues on its merry little way, the jutting, spiralling and self-juxtaposition of the record’s forty-two minute run time the likes of the dystopian “Clawing at the Fabric of Space” which warbles while remaining gritty or the one-two-three punch of “Raging Berzerker in the Universe Rigid” and “Gnashing” which flirt around a world of dissonance without succumbing to complete Ulcerate-ion worship.
At the end of the day there’s a lot one could take away from Diskord’s third full length release. For
Degenerations’ song writing is substantially top-notch, without detracting from any of the natural nuance that makes this album jaunt through the best of death metal’s niches. Sure, this doesn’t cater directly to any one field; it’s not a Demilich carbon copy, nor does it conform directly to the types of dissonance and DIY creativity mentioned within the Ad Nauseam crowd. What
Degenerations has in spades however, is death metal earworms, catchy riffs and superb musicianship. In defining “essential 2021 music”,
Degenerations is worth a mention, regardless of the extremities of the genre to which it is defined.
