After an eight-year absence, Avant-Garde Black Metal Masters Dødheimsgard has returned with a new release, Black Medium Current. Known for their experimentalism, the band continues to impress with their ability to showcase something innovative or revolutionary with each release.
Analyzing this complex avant-garde album certainly isn’t an easy task. It’s a carefully organized piece of art, fusing elements of post-black metal, electronic, psychedelic rock, industrial, and even classical and new-age music. It’s hard to characterize this album with a single genre tag – which makes it all the more interesting to study.
The tone of the album is perfectly set in “Et smelter” with its languorous and melancholic acoustic guitars accompanied by ethereal synth tunes. The melodies manage to awaken something deep within the listener, penetrating through their flesh and evoking a sense of somberness.
It is an impressive feat to hear how elusive terms can be incorporated into musical forms. The pinnacle of this feeling is captured in “Tankespinnerens Smerte,” where menacing riffs transform into warm and upbeat melodies.
The album’s most daring and audacious side can be observed in the track “It Does Not Follow“. The title itself suggests that the song does not conform to any particular structure. It further emphasizes that the band has not adhered to any preconceived notions and has experimented freely with this composition.