Review by Ryan Harding

DODHEIMSGARD: 666 INTERNATIONAL Moonfog Productions

The industrial/electronic undercurrents that first manifested with various acts on the DARKTHRONE tribute appears full-blown for the first time with DODHEIMSGARD. The change is not a major shock, considering their previous migration from pure black metal to black thrash, though at least the bridge there was more comprehendable. From the thrashy MONUMENTAL POSSESSION to last year's SATANIC ART mini-album less so, though the manic speed with industrial touches wasn't such an extreme transition. But the leap from ART to 666 pulls out all the stops to create something metallic, industrial, electronic, and unique. Picking up where the piano outro to ART concluded (which in turn continued from the outro to their "Green Cave Float" cover), "Shiva Interfere" quickly distorts with guitar, synth, pulse drums, and the clear - though not clean - vocals of Aldrahn, as we follow "A bell boy's journey through the eight limbs of yoga." The music and lyrics become increasingly stranger and lines blur between genre - metal to industrial to techno (thankfully they don't press their luck with techno too much) to . . . other. Enter "Ion Storm," which initially seems guaranteed to venture into more and more unbearable styles of techno but out of nowhere revives the speed of the EP, as Vicotnik (aka Mr. Fixit) throws out one supreme riff after another.

Despite the addition of new elements, DODHEIMSGARD remains quite guitar oriented, and Fixit has stand-out riffs throughout. "Final Conquet" reprises a few from "The Paramount Empire" at new tempos for different effect. While no song is quite the equal of "Ion Storm's" chaos, most of the songs have their fast moments. The arrangements are very complex and everchanging, and only pieces can be grasped at a time, such as "Regno Potiri." Now and again are some piano interludes, usually brief, which stand in stark contrast to their counterparts (though piano makes a few appearances in the songs). The drums are live, though often distorted. If I'm not mistaken they come courtesy of Aggressor from AURA NOIR (Apollyon did the drums on ART, Vicotnik on KRONET TIL KONGE and MONUNMENTAL POSSESSION). Aldrah lets the black metal vocals take over now and again, but mostly he maintains the alluring clear vocals with exceedingly bizarre lyrical content. 666 INTERNATIONAL forges a metal/electronic connection that I was dreading since the DARKTHRONE tribute, but DODHEIMSGARD shows it can be done with as much skill and thought as the extreme genre warrants, if not more.

5 Perplex Skulls

This review copyright 1999 E.C.McMullen Jr.

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