Album Type: Full length
Date
Released:
27/08/2017
Label: Third I Rex
Dead
Woman's Ditch have composed a genre-bending journey of music and words, that is
certain to create an atmosphere you will not soon forget.
“Seo Mere Saetan” CD//DD track listing
1.
The Ugly Truths
2.
Failed To Rot
3.
We Are Forgiven
4.
Break The Mind
5.
Mr. Kipper
6.
Crusade
The Review:
It
is hard to be truly unique as a black metal group on the scene. So many far
afield concepts, music and vocal styles make being an original artist unusual
in what is already a subgenre of metal that pushes boundaries and buttons
aplenty. Consider a few black metal innovators, such as Deathspell Omega, Ruins of
Beverast and the Meads of Asphodel among many others. Each of
them pioneered elements that were in many cases never quite repeated or else
became part of our contemporary canon. Enter Dead Woman's Ditch, a worthy
successor to these artists.
Now
on their second full length – though technically its their fourth record,
following two demos and a full length before this – Dead Woman's Ditch composes a
genre-bending journey of music and words. As with a lot of metal, there is a
lot of conceptual vision happening, yet it is a stunning sound that is far more
exciting. The quartet, composed of guitarist/vocalists George Rhone and Glenn
Charman (known for his live work with Electric Wizard), Chris Rust on bass and
drummer Robin Corbet, is certain to create an atmosphere you will not soon
forget.
The
release, intended to tell the darker stories of the settlement of Somerset , UK
While
you may dig the black metal touches, the beauty of the new Dead Woman's Ditch release is
its diversity. "Failed to Rot"
shares some psychedelic and sludge influences in the guitar work. "We Are Forgiven" has hints
of doom and haunting vocal effects to ballast the track. There seems to be a
great deal of thought and intention across songs, with the pairing of each
truly standing out. By the time of "Break
the Mind," with its blackened doom ala Barathrum, you come to appreciate
how well done “Seo Mere Saetan”
really is. Rhone and Charman in particular
elevate the album and make it a stifling experience.
What
makes “Seo Mere Saetan” additionally
fascinating is the blend of gear used. In
one instance, a drum machine is looped through a guitar amp and pedals. There
are plenty of subtle vocal and bass production tricks that will have you
listening again to confirm what you heard. The conclusion, "Crusade," highlights many of these aural touches –
intense drums, a wonderfully chosen sound clip and more that must be heard –
that make the release an infernal triumph.
“Seo Mere Saetan” is available here:
