Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2016 17:49:14 GMT -6
Dormant - Consolamentum
Year: 2006
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
I wanted to wait until my reviewing skills improved a little before I tried to tackle this little unknown masterpiece, though seeing as it is about to become extremely rare, I need to write this now.
Dormant is a one-man Dutch CBM act that released just this one EP before disappearing. This isn't uncommon in our scene, as many bands tend to come and go with only a few releases. Some of them are quite good, such as Vaakevandring, Evroklidon, and Erasmus. Dormant fits into that list as well.
This EP is the quintessential example of "trve" Christian black metal. It's performed by only one man, and something about it just feels underground. It has that nice, lo-fi production, but it's all mixed so well that it works perfectly. Everything is audible and intelligible. The guitar sound is thin (but not too thin) and feels just right for this style. You can tell just from listening that Consolamentum was a fairly low-budget release, but that's not a bad thing at all; in fact, I'd say that it enhances the experience. Some of you might not really be able to comprehend this, but I encourage you to give it a listen and hopefully you'll see what I mean.
Though Dormant is and should be classified as atmospheric black metal, the atmosphere isn't too pervasive or constant. It comes and goes throughout the duration of the EP. It's neither overused nor underused; he got it just right. Most of the songs seem to have a break in them where the electric guitars drop out and are replaced with an acoustic guitar and some synths, and it always sounds great. Atmosphere is created in different ways in other songs. In "Den Smale Sti", synths are used in the background during some of the main parts of the songs to give it a little symphonic melody. "Liefde Was Het" features an electric organ and some clean vocals to give it a very "churchy" feeling (which makes sense, since it's a cover of an old Dutch hymn). "Dormant Souls" is an ambient interlude that creates an extremely dark mood. Additionally, "The Hunted" features some ambience (wind noises, wolf howls, etc.) that manage to create atmosphere without feeling too cheesy or fake. In fact, the album as a whole has a very natural feeling to it. I mean that in two ways. First, I can tell that this is very nature-inspired black metal, and that wandering around outside (especially in a forest) while listening to this album would be quite an awesome experience. Second, everything on this EP sounds real. You can tell that he's actually playing the drums and that they aren't programmed. You can hear his fingers slide along the guitar. The guitars occasionally squeak a little (not in an annoying way, but in a..."lo-fi" way ) and it makes it obvious that they're very real. Some bands tend to overproduce their music to the point where it sounds completely fake, but Dormant is the antithesis of that. The other thing that Dormant is great at when it comes to atmosphere is using it to create a variety of feelings. It isn't always dark; it isn't always mysterious; it often switches between the two and some other feelings as well. There are parts of some songs that feel purely powerful, and there are some that feel light and reverent. There are other songs that feel ominous and foreboding. This variety keeps the EP interesting for its entire duration. Consolamentum truly wouldn't feel the same without all of the wonderful atmosphere.
The writing of the actual instruments is equal to if not better than the quality of the atmosphere. There are some seriously killer riffs in here. A lot of them are very catchy and memorable, and they always contribute perfectly to the dark, natural feeling of the EP. Many of the riffs are typical fast or mid-tempo tremolo riffs (with multiple layers for complexity), though most of the songs have a slow section that feels almost doom-like. The riffs there are solid as well, and this is typically where the atmospheric sections will emerge. The acoustic guitar riffs add perfectly to whatever atmosphere is being created by the synths.
The drumming is solid. As I mentioned before, it feels very real, and that can be refreshing in a scene where bands often don't hesitate to settle for programming. He switches up styles enough to keep it interesting and prevent redundancy. You have your fair share of blastbeats (as you would expect), but his drumming during the doomy and atmospheric sections is spot on as well. In the former, he tends to time the tom hits with the guitar notes and uses cymbals during the guitar notes to keep time. In the latter, he does a few different things. In "The Grievous Children" he lightly taps the cymbals to add additional atmosphere. In "Sylvan Chants Nocturnal" he opts for a groovier rhythm. Like I previously said, it's this kind of variety that really keeps things interesting.
Vocally, Consolamentum is well above average. The majority of the EP features high, primitive black metal growls that match the music perfectly. There are other styles used as well. The title track features whispers to accompany the atmosphere. "The Hunted" features some lower growls to add to the dark mood created by that song. "The Grievous Children" contains some spoken vocals to add to the mysterious feeling. And lastly, "Liefde Was Het" features the aforementioned clean vocals to add to the reverent feeling.
Consolamentum is an absolute masterpiece, a must-have for any Christian black metal fan. It is delightfully underground and contains simply some of the greatest music that I have ever heard. It's one of those albums where when I start listening, I never want to stop, and I find it difficult just to even hit the pause button.
Still not convinced? Listen to this.
100/100
-CrimsonWarrior
Remember how I mentioned that it'll be extremely rare soon? It's because Shaver AV (which seems to be one of the few places on the internet that sells it) is going out of business. Right now, it's on sale for only $2.99. That's right. It's a ridiculously low price for such amazing music.
shaverav.storenvy.com/products/672292-dormant-consolamentum
Year: 2006
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
I wanted to wait until my reviewing skills improved a little before I tried to tackle this little unknown masterpiece, though seeing as it is about to become extremely rare, I need to write this now.
Dormant is a one-man Dutch CBM act that released just this one EP before disappearing. This isn't uncommon in our scene, as many bands tend to come and go with only a few releases. Some of them are quite good, such as Vaakevandring, Evroklidon, and Erasmus. Dormant fits into that list as well.
This EP is the quintessential example of "trve" Christian black metal. It's performed by only one man, and something about it just feels underground. It has that nice, lo-fi production, but it's all mixed so well that it works perfectly. Everything is audible and intelligible. The guitar sound is thin (but not too thin) and feels just right for this style. You can tell just from listening that Consolamentum was a fairly low-budget release, but that's not a bad thing at all; in fact, I'd say that it enhances the experience. Some of you might not really be able to comprehend this, but I encourage you to give it a listen and hopefully you'll see what I mean.
Though Dormant is and should be classified as atmospheric black metal, the atmosphere isn't too pervasive or constant. It comes and goes throughout the duration of the EP. It's neither overused nor underused; he got it just right. Most of the songs seem to have a break in them where the electric guitars drop out and are replaced with an acoustic guitar and some synths, and it always sounds great. Atmosphere is created in different ways in other songs. In "Den Smale Sti", synths are used in the background during some of the main parts of the songs to give it a little symphonic melody. "Liefde Was Het" features an electric organ and some clean vocals to give it a very "churchy" feeling (which makes sense, since it's a cover of an old Dutch hymn). "Dormant Souls" is an ambient interlude that creates an extremely dark mood. Additionally, "The Hunted" features some ambience (wind noises, wolf howls, etc.) that manage to create atmosphere without feeling too cheesy or fake. In fact, the album as a whole has a very natural feeling to it. I mean that in two ways. First, I can tell that this is very nature-inspired black metal, and that wandering around outside (especially in a forest) while listening to this album would be quite an awesome experience. Second, everything on this EP sounds real. You can tell that he's actually playing the drums and that they aren't programmed. You can hear his fingers slide along the guitar. The guitars occasionally squeak a little (not in an annoying way, but in a..."lo-fi" way ) and it makes it obvious that they're very real. Some bands tend to overproduce their music to the point where it sounds completely fake, but Dormant is the antithesis of that. The other thing that Dormant is great at when it comes to atmosphere is using it to create a variety of feelings. It isn't always dark; it isn't always mysterious; it often switches between the two and some other feelings as well. There are parts of some songs that feel purely powerful, and there are some that feel light and reverent. There are other songs that feel ominous and foreboding. This variety keeps the EP interesting for its entire duration. Consolamentum truly wouldn't feel the same without all of the wonderful atmosphere.
The writing of the actual instruments is equal to if not better than the quality of the atmosphere. There are some seriously killer riffs in here. A lot of them are very catchy and memorable, and they always contribute perfectly to the dark, natural feeling of the EP. Many of the riffs are typical fast or mid-tempo tremolo riffs (with multiple layers for complexity), though most of the songs have a slow section that feels almost doom-like. The riffs there are solid as well, and this is typically where the atmospheric sections will emerge. The acoustic guitar riffs add perfectly to whatever atmosphere is being created by the synths.
The drumming is solid. As I mentioned before, it feels very real, and that can be refreshing in a scene where bands often don't hesitate to settle for programming. He switches up styles enough to keep it interesting and prevent redundancy. You have your fair share of blastbeats (as you would expect), but his drumming during the doomy and atmospheric sections is spot on as well. In the former, he tends to time the tom hits with the guitar notes and uses cymbals during the guitar notes to keep time. In the latter, he does a few different things. In "The Grievous Children" he lightly taps the cymbals to add additional atmosphere. In "Sylvan Chants Nocturnal" he opts for a groovier rhythm. Like I previously said, it's this kind of variety that really keeps things interesting.
Vocally, Consolamentum is well above average. The majority of the EP features high, primitive black metal growls that match the music perfectly. There are other styles used as well. The title track features whispers to accompany the atmosphere. "The Hunted" features some lower growls to add to the dark mood created by that song. "The Grievous Children" contains some spoken vocals to add to the mysterious feeling. And lastly, "Liefde Was Het" features the aforementioned clean vocals to add to the reverent feeling.
Consolamentum is an absolute masterpiece, a must-have for any Christian black metal fan. It is delightfully underground and contains simply some of the greatest music that I have ever heard. It's one of those albums where when I start listening, I never want to stop, and I find it difficult just to even hit the pause button.
Still not convinced? Listen to this.
100/100
-CrimsonWarrior
Remember how I mentioned that it'll be extremely rare soon? It's because Shaver AV (which seems to be one of the few places on the internet that sells it) is going out of business. Right now, it's on sale for only $2.99. That's right. It's a ridiculously low price for such amazing music.
shaverav.storenvy.com/products/672292-dormant-consolamentum