This is some death metal, mixed with other styles, that feels like a real trip through death and the afterlife. It’s kind of overwhelming, but a lot of fun.
The music can feel, depending on the song or even the different parts of the song, crushingly heavy, really fast or have a strange dark atmosphere. To give you an idea of the diversity of styles used in this album, the first track, called The First Death, starts like a pretty convincing old school death metal imitation, and then turns into a thrash metal number with wild guitar solos, that reveal the band’s instrumental skills. An Erosion of the Eternal Soul has slower, almost doomy riffs, and picks up some speed as the song progresses, but still retains a sinister undertone. The title track is a fast death metal song with a mellow and melancholic keyboard outro that I guess is meant to feel like the dead finally resting in peace. Seeking Oblivion is more experimental, starting with strange singing and then turning into a sort of doom-influenced death metal track.
The strange singing also makes an appearance on The First Death. It sounds like a sort of hymn to the dead, or an invocation to the spirits of the afterlife, and help create the album’s dark sound. If I had to describe this album’s sound in a somewhat colorful way, I’d say it sounds like the songs of death itself. Something about the interesting mix of different styles and the mix of raspy growls and invocation-like singing also remind me a little of Sigh’s first album. I’d say any band that reminds me of Sigh is definitely doing something right.
Instrumentally, this album is also definitely good. The guitars are played with skills, and can play all sorts of riffs, from fast solos to death metal heaviness and creepy melodies. The vocals are raspy growls that can often get lower, and are recorded in a way that really makes them feel like they come of a dark cave or from the beyond.
I’m using a lot of death-related comparisons, because those are clearly the images that Draghkar want to create in the listener’s mind, and yes, they succeed. This is a really entertaining record, full of death metal goodness and unique ideas. Maybe not every song is perfect, but this album still has a lot of good things to offer. This made me want to check out their other songs, and if you already knew those, you won’t be disappointed by this new album.
Release date: July 27th, 2020
https://www.facebook.com/DraghkarBand/
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