Saturday 18 May 2013

Dark Buddha Rising - Dakhmandal - Review

Dark Buddha Rising - Dakhmandal

Dark Buddha Rising are a Sludge/Occult/Doom Metal Band from Finland

The members are

J. Niemi
V. Ajomo
V. Vatanen
P. Rämänen
J. Rämänen

Dark Buddha Rising hail from Finland and play some pretty ambient, pretty occult, pretty psychedelic and pretty doom-laden drone. Theirs is a dense and transcendental sound, more like a voyage of discovery than a listening experience. Be fair warned though, this is not for the faint of heart. This is challenging stuff, yet all the more rewarding for those who dare to persevere.

Each track on this ritual of a record is signified by a mere letter for a title, a shortened version of the album name when combined - 'Dakhmandal'. This needs to be experienced as a whole epic, and even though this review will inevitably not do this vision of sound complete justice, I will endeavour to attempt to cover some of the finest points contained within.

'D' serves as an unnerving opening piece, slight in build but strong in feel. This thing is slow and steady, an ominous sign of the true intentions of DBR. It's the soundtrack to a bad acid trip, forlorn and suffering. There are some subtle nuances that evoke a constant feeling of unease, but nothing can really prepare you for what faces you ahead...

'K' is pure evil. Just fear-inducing heaviness. It's so lethargic that it's practically played in reverse. Fifteen minutes of just bashing your skull in with a cursed hammer. I would be claiming it was horrible, if it wasn't so damn good. Manic vocal delivery, relayed like a sermon from a druid with his finger on the pulse of some unholy power. It's so intense you should only listen to it while seated. Even in it's quiet moments this track is daunting. Tremendous stuff.

'N' is so anchored in the low-end that if you aimed it a kidney stones you could successfully erase them from existence. The bass on this bad boy is monolithic. Like the soundtrack to a planet being torn apart and sucked into a black hole. Entire civilizations being wiped from existence. The death of everything that ever was. It's scope is immense, and nothing can escape it's gaze. Pure insanity in sonic form.

It's testament to the sheer power that Buddha possess that the elements of calm on this beast are just as heavy as their maliciously loud brethren. No respite can be found here; this is devoid of solace or beauty or anything even remotely pure. A splendidly bleak offering from a magnificently talented group. Play loud, and signal the end time.

Written by Matt Fitton

Dakhmandal will be released on Svart Record on June 7th 2013. If you do buy a copy then hide yourself in a dark room as this album is a nerve-shredding experience your have not experienced before. Awesome!!

Thanks to Svart Records for sending a copy for us to review.

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