Doedsmaghird â Omniverse Consciousness Review
By Thus Spoke
I, too, did a doubletake when I first read Doedsmaghird. Your brain isnât playing tricks, Doedsmaghird is a project of Dødheimsgard vocalist and guitarist Yusaf âVicotnikâ Parvez and Camille Giradeau respectively. And the two bands are related in more than name and members. Debut Omniverse Consciousness could believably be another Dødheimsgard record, sounding, as it does, like a natural extension of Dødheimsgardâs signature sound. Exploring further along the vividly electronic path that Black Medium Current set out, Doedsmaghird brings inâor brings backâthe wildness and irreverence that Vicotnik largely set aside for that album. Did you hear Black Medium Current and think it was a bit soft, that Vicotnik had lost his edge and everything was far too âordinaryâ? Do you just want extra Dødheimsgard? Awaken to the Omniverse Consciousness.
Doedsmaghird makes music the way Dødheimsgard does; by which I mean music that accurately replicates the experience of hearing technical extreme metal whilst on mushrooms.1. Rather than assault with mud-drenched gutturals and impossible patterns of string and drum, Omniverse Consciousness evades accessibility through weirdness. Blips, whooshes, jabs, yips, chimes, and throbs of electronically conjured noise are this outingâs distinctive element of wackiness, accompanyingâif not dominatingâthe riffs and drum work. This is, of course, in addition to the expected unhinged vocals that lurch from croaks, to wailing moans, to surprisingly mellifluous cleans. Sometimes it even sounds like everything is being played backwards. But it works. The duo say of the album that it was conceived with more spontaneity and freedom than recent Dødheimsgard output, and this comes through in how jam-packed with ideas, and elastic in its transitions it is. But unlike A Umbra Omega, Doedsmaghirdâs debut isnât pure sonic schizophrenia; it isnât sharp and abrasive. Rather, itâs an uncomfortable dream, one that stays just on the right side of becoming a nightmare, its strangeness found in the dominance of synth-soundscapes that mould a black metal no one else could replicate.
Doedsmaghird ¡
Heart of Hell Whatâs so impressive about Omniverse Consciousness is the contradiction inherent within it. With individual movements dissonant, real harmony sings through overall. With multiple jarring elements playing on top of one another, cohesion arises from the chaos. Doedsmaghird neither supplement their black metal with experimental electronica nor supplement their electronica with experimental black metal; the two genres are simply one here. Sometimes, this means overtly psychedelic and wobbly Ă la Blut Aus Nord (âEndless Distanceâ), others something far more exotic. The clicks and pulses accompanying demonic croaking narration (âDeath of Timeâ), clipped, squeaky moans (âSparker Inn Apne Dorerâ), and jangly yelps and yips ofâŚsomething (âThen, To Darkness Returnâ) separately appear grating. But like an apparently unnatural dab of colour in an impressionist painting, they are essential to the picture, and collectively compose something wonderful. Doedsmaghird really seem to be able to do whatever they like, and pull it off. A suddenly thunking, cardboard drum tone (âMin tid er ommeâ); whiplashing between whooping, sampled moans, and dissonant black metal (âSparker Inn Apne Dorer,â âThen, To Darkness Returnâ); playing tremolo riffs to a clacky trap beat (âAdrift into Collapseâ). I wouldnât blame you for thinking it all sounds awful. But, by some magic, it isnât. Throwing two fingers to the traditional idea of tension and release, Doedsmaghird take you by surprise with (their version of) synthwave and mournful cleans (âHeart of Hellâ), enigmatic piano (âEndeavourâ) and the coalescence of warbling synth and burring guitar (âMin tid er ommeâ) being suddenly beautiful.
Before long, you wonât even remember thinking anything about Omniverse Consiousness was âthat weirdâ. Soon youâll notice more and more that there is actually a plethora of harmoniousness on display, and that everything transitions as logically as can be. The sliding keyboards shine (âHeart of Hellâ), lurching drum patterns blend slickly into whirring thuds of noise (âThen, To Darkness Returnâ), bubbles and pops melded to burring tremolos whoosh into fun, compelling melodies (âEndless Distance,â âMin tid er ommeâ), and more! Doedsmaghird also ice this beautifully mad, moist cake with a rich fondant of stellar production, meaning that you get your moneyâs worth on the creative intricacies they throw in at every beat, and the insanity is just that much more immersive. Better yet, itâs little more than three-quarters of an hour long, making it far more digestible and eligible for repeat listens.
Omniverse Consciousness is just an extra portion of modern Dødheimsgard. But this is not âthe Dødheimsgard at home,â itâs a bona-fide helping of the real deal. It may not be as epic as Black Medium Current, but for how little time itâs been, itâs phenomenal. Further developing and twisting the electronic edge into a black metal only they know how, Doedsmaghird shows that its creators stand head and shoulders above the crowd. Embrace the Omniverse Consciousness.
Rating: Great
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Peaceville
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: October 11th, 2024
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