SWORDS OF DIS is a Doom/Black Metal band formed in the UK in 2009. It’s been ten years since the duo had their debut album release. “Melencholia” has ten songs. “Orison” is first. Talk about harrowing…this is about as scary as it gets. Voices rise and fall in the background, as ominous music plays. Is this the end of the world? “Mask of the Myriad” has a raw production value and the frightening elements remain strong. The vocals go from cleans to harsh and back again, and the tension is very thick. “Sea of Storms” has eerie voices in the beginning followed by a slow grind and devilishly harsh vocals. The intensity is turned up with the advent of machine fun drumming and the storm rages for what seems like days.

“Our Lady of the Naked Flame” has more of those eerie, shrilling female ritualistic screams in the beginning. The song enters the odd black vestibule with a soft glowing light inside from there, and you think that you stumbled into Lucifer’s lair. “Oculus Diaboli” has a more linear sound, and the scary elements still dominate the landscape. Again, the backing male vocals sound like commands from the Dark Lord himself. “Oculus Dei” straddles the fine line between Doom and Black Metal very well. Some of the guitar parts and vocals are dissonant, while others follow the frail melody line. It’s at least a reprieve from the terror. “Eclipsing the Deathless Sun” has plenty of doomy element stirred into the soup of hopelessness. The vocals swell to near screams towards the end, and their edgy rasp can be felt deep within.

“לִוְיָתָן“ is a ten-minute offering. “Lead me down to the waters” she utters, with a lifeless soul. Doomy and dissonant elements follow closely behind, as bass guitar keeps a steady pace. Deadly male harsh vocals carry the sound from there…about as harrowing as anything I have heard. “Palimpest” closes the album, high in both Doom and torture. The vocals aren’t in key with the music often times, and this is a reflection of the horror in her soul. By the end, there is nothing left inside. Overall, that final phrase sums up the album well. First, there is horror and torture, next there is nothing left of the band’s soul. The album takes you on a journey through your worst nightmares, and leaves you feeling numb at the end.