Rethrenody
Dusk
From Bandcamp, "DUSK is known to incorporate Atmospheric Black Metal into Industrial, full of relenting uncaring pounding blast beats and inhuman growling vocals mixed with modern rhythms such as Darkstep and other electronic influences." I believe this album is re-mastered or some sort of re-issue, because the original album titles did not have the "re" in them. In any case, the album has six songs. "Rethrenody I" is first. A light storm falls in the background with rain, and some tense guitar tones. Something lurks in the darkness. Drums thud on the ground, followed by some heavy rhythm guitar accents. The song is mysterious and doesn't show all of it just yet.
"Rethrenody II" has more heavy, electronic thuds that brim with distortion. Eerie bells ring in the background, with harrowing tones of wind and other intangibles like whispered voices. The voices swell with anger at times, and the duck back into the shadows. "Rethrenody III" features more ambient and frightening tones, and the band is very good at developing them. A thick tension hangs in the air, and I fully expect to be murdered, but the assailant never comes. He waits, and waits, but I know he is there. The goosebumps on my body tell me so. "Rethrenody IV" is similar in scope, but a bit more sinister and more of the motives are evident. The killer has shown part of his form, but remains anonymous, and hides his face.
"Rethrenody V" begins with the cackle of crows, followed by the sounds of heavy machinery. They break in with harsh vocals and a white noise fills the air. I am reminded of the torture scenes in the movie Hostel. "Reblackened" closes the album...as if the album needed more dark elements. Distorted tones of METALLICA's "Blackened" arise, but with the band's own spin. One thing that is immediately different is that you can finally hear the song with bass guitar. It was mixed out by METALLICA in the original version. It sounds thicker, and as it should have, and James' voice is dubbed in. Overall, this was a unique and devious album. I like best how they continued to hide the killer's identity. You can feel him out there but can't quite see his face. That way, death comes swiftly, and anonymously.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Rethrenody" Track-listing:
1. Rethrenody I
2. Rethrenody II
3. Rethrenody III
4. Rethrenody IV
5. Rethrenody V
6. Reblackened
Dusk Lineup:
Dusk - Keyboards, Programming
Pàlak - Bass
Implacable - Guitars
Shaman - Vocals
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