Burning Darkness – Dödens makt

Band: Burning Darkness
Title: Dödens makt
Label: Non Serviam Records
Release date: 02 July 2021
Country: Sweden
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

When the high expectations I have about a band’s new album are confirmed, it’s always a great sensation. And after listening to “Dödens makt” on repeat for a few days, I can only smile in joy and approval. I truly love the previous album by Burning Darkness, “The Angel of Light”, in which these guys deliver pure fire! Straight-to-the-vein Melodic Black Metal with an unpolished and raw style, totally mind-blowing, with demonic vocals, speedy guitar riffs and outstanding melodies, and the drummer at really high speed, like possessed by Hell’s fire. Boom! You must listen to that album if you still haven’t done it!

So, what we have in “Dödens makt” is… more. MORE of everything before mentioned, with some new added elements and details that make the band’s second opus a pure delight.

There’s a lot of extra melody added to these 8 tracks, just as if these guys were searching for an equilibrium between brutality and something more rhythmic. But this aspect doesn’t make the album a mild one at all. As I mentioned, there’s more of everything. Guitar riffs are varied, there’s plenty of tremolo picking, sounding obscure and with an urge to “talk” about darkness and evil in every note that is played. Daniel Wennersten and GhiauR at six strings simply nail it! And the solos, even if there are not a lot of them, are very skilfully played.

Bass is really audible all along the album and that’s a reason for joy, at least for me. I love when I can listen to the work provided by this instrument! Severin Gottsén knows his stuff, for example at “In the Shadow of Webbed Wings” I can feel my body hair bristle with that bass sound.

Per Kolderup Finstad’s performance is something insane, vomiting deep growls like a maniac, and also furiously screaming as if the world was suddenly thrown to an infernal abyss… The way “Dödens makt är stor” starts is simply mind blowing! I really like how he can use his voice in such an intense and versatile way!

Another special mention goes to Nemgrá (Germán Echiburu), FFS!, this guy delivers fire with his drumsticks! He’s really fast and accurate, he knows how to use his skills, when more intensity is needed, or when less means more, ‘cause it’s not all about blast beats, if you understand… And I guess he’s needing a new pair of boots after every performance, at least. Just listen to “In the Shadow of Webbed Wings” and you’ll find his inner beast unleashed.

Now, let me tell you about some new elements that can be found here. The production is clear, really good, probably due they have signed with Non Serviam Records, but their debut one was self-released. That’s a very good improvement indeed.

It also contains two songs with lyrics in Swedish, being their first release entirely in English. There are some “dramatic” elements here and there that confers a special musical texture to this album; for example, the theatrical parts that can be listened in “Sulphurous Wrath” and in “Dödens makt är stor”, and the fantastic song “She Who Dwells Beyond the Branches” in its entirely, with so many varied details in it. You can also find a Death Metal sound in “Neonaticide”; and kind of an epic feel in “Draugr”, to highlight some aspects.

Oh and I can’t end my review without mentioning the fantastic cover artwork done by Łukasz Jaszak. That terrific and demonic mutant bat on the top of what seems a scorched skyscraper is the perfect image that gives complete sense to the album.

Well, to sum up I’d say this is a varied album of Melodic Black Metal, with a high quality, that will surely endure once this year 2021 has passed. Not that can be said about a lot of new releases. This is a solid 9/10 for me! Sílvia

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9/10 Epic Storm
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