CoC : Dawn of Relic - One Night in Carcosa : Review

Dawn of Relic - _One Night in Carcosa_
(Wicked World, 1999)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)

My central problem with _One Night in Carcosa_ is that it lacks aggression. I don't mean because the music written is not aggressive, that wouldn't necessarily be a problem, but that the way it is played and produced lacks aggression, which would improve the record, at least to my taste. What DoR play could roughly be described as black metal, but that -would- be a rough description. Apart from fleeting moments where the influence of Mayhem or Burzum is evident, the overall sound only borrows from the black metal style and many aspects (the drums, especially in their emphasis on double bass, for example) sway more towards death metal. DoR utilise keyboards and some melodic progressions which are common to the atmospherically inclined section of the black metal movement, but this said they are not even close to being in the league of such greats as Emperor or Satyricon. The guitar work on here is pretty average and its sound is passable; the drum work can be pretty good with some impressive breaks occasionally pulled off. The vocals lack variation, however, and are somewhat faceless. Overall, DoR isn't anything I have a passion for disliking, but then again it isn't something which gives me much pleasure to listen to either.

(article published 7/7/1999)