CoC : Dysperium - Dysperium : Review

Dysperium - _Dysperium_
(Frostscald Productions, 2009)
by: Quentin Kalis (7.5 out of 10)

Imagine a parallel universe where Ulver remained in the metal fold instead of turning their attention to electronic tweaking, and this would be the result, possibly at the tail end of another "Trilogie". Pastoral folk and Garm-like chants act as _Kveldssanger_-esque interludes, but also integrated into the 'true' songs. As a result, the acoustic tracks feel like a break, like a step back from the intensity of the metal sections, rather than hastily composed and disconnected padding. And just like Ulver, there is touch of forgivable pretension, in the form of unnumbered songs -- or are they "Hymns"? -- and the lyrics strongly suggest a dog-eared Roget's Thesaurus was a constant companion. One cannot ignore the similarity with the lupine Norsemen, but avoiding crossing that fine line where influence becomes mimicry. They may not be the consummate songwriters Ulver were -- are -- but their blending of folk and multi-genre metal (doom, black, heavy) into a near-seamless mix is not easy to pull off and all too easy to forget that this is merely their debut.

Contact: http://www.myspace.com/dysperium

(article published 2/4/2010)