Published on Jul 28, 1999
One of the biggest misconceptions about death metal – especially
one that I’ve held for some time – is that the genre is marked by
nothing but growling, screaming singers who can only be translated
with the lyric sheet and the Rosetta Stone. More specifically,
these singers are always men, screaming about war, death and the
occasional demon or three. The final stereotype (though this is one
that isn’t necessarily as strong as the previous two) is that the
music is always blazing fast with little sense of melody.
Then, along comes Dismal Euphony to shatter the stereotypes of
the traditional death metal band. While I can’t pretend to have
understood every word, the diction of this group was much clearer.
The melodies and the slower tempo were greatly appreciated. And –
perish the thought – you had the inncent sounding vocals of Anja
Natasha sharing the forefront, proving that women can easily hold
their own in this genre. Put it all together, and you have Dismal
Euphony’s latest release,
All Little Devils.
This Norweigan quartet’s latest offering is a short one – the
nine songs clock in at just under 40 minutes, but they make the
most out of their time by delivering body blow after body blow of
powerful metal that doesn’t forget to create a pretty sound. With
the assistance of guitarist Frode Clausen, bassist/vocalist Ole
Helgesen and drummer Kristoffer Vold, Dismal Euphony sets
themselves apart as being one of the better bands of this
genre.
With the opening notes of “Days Of Sodom,” the listener
instantly knows that this isn’t your traditional doom and gloom of
this genre. Natasha’s vocals, combined with the occasional input of
Helgesen’s more sinister growls, almost remind me of the early days
of Mercyful Fate. Even if you don’t agree with the messages of the
songs (which, to my ears, seemed to be tame in comparison to some
that I’ve heard in recent months), you can’t help but be impressed
with the musical and songwriting abilities of this band.
Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan in the world of death metal;
it’s always seemed a little too creepy for my tastes. Yet tracks
like “Victory,” “Lunatic,” “Psycho Path” and “Shine For Me, Misery”
all make a strong case for me to turn to the dark side. The music
that Dismal Euphony creates is almost classical in a sense, and
even has some tinges of gothic style to it. It’s not your typical
death metal – but then again, I think that’s what they wanted to
accomplish with
All Little Devils.
Dismal Euphony is the kind of band that can get you interested
in the death metal genre, if you only give
All Little Devils a chance. Being evil never felt so
good.