Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege

دمار (Damaar) are extreme. Not only in terms of the metal standard in Lebanon, but from a general perspective. With the exception of the intro the music on their first and only output is nothing but a violent blast of black metal with death/thrash influences. Chaos rules here with an iron grip and leaves the listener (nearly) no time to breathe, relax or contemplate; remember silence is just a preparation for another wave of noise – paraphrasing the well-known proverb of Horace. In consequence it reminds on early Dark Funeral, Infernal, Sacramentum, Marduk … the current suggestions are a bit misleading and that for various reasons.

To be frank, Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege is a mess. The sound, surprisingly powerful and well produced, leaves the listener basically steamrolled once the album is over. Intensity is one aspect of it all, but it has reached a state in which it all becomes incomprehensible. A ton of noise... a load of pure aggression and adrenaline. Furious guitar work, a bombardment of drums and on top of it powerful black metal screams. It is difficult to make out something specific in terms of the riffs or arrangements – except for the solo parts that is. Here, the combination of all is the important aspect and not the atomization of each of the facets, which can then be examined separately or with precision.

دمار 's output is conceptually rather minimalist and except for some small phrases not much of the lyrics can be made out. It all remains blurred and distant. What makes “Triumph Through Spears of Sacrilege” rather pitiful is the general absence of any kind of identity. Interestingly, the opening intro – references to Islamic preachings and incendiary – might also be of a kind that would suit a band which plays in on a current (rising?) trend of Islamophobia in the West. Whether this band from Lebanon wants to get associated with this faction is an open question. It is therefore a pity to not see any lyrics or to get some deeper insights into the background of the music. Of course, the band has to avoid getting too much attention in a country in which their music stands diametrically opposite to the predominant religion. Nevertheless, it all leaves a slightly bitter taste.

As often, the black metal remains unexplained and incomprehensible. It does not deliver a message outside of aggression and fails to offer a perspective. It is merely a very brave attempt of expressing something that stands up par to the level of short-sightedness and intolerance of some of some religious leaders; here: Islamic, but there are enough numbnuts in other religions as well, so other exampled could be brought up without much effort or difficulty. Black metal is a circus. Black metal is entertainment. The reason for this is the direction in which the music points. Those, who happen to blow themselves up after they have been indoctrinated by clerics or whatever, will hardly ever had the opportunity to experience this release or might never ever had a chance to do so. The target is the Western audience – especially considering that the music had been spread by an US-American label –, but these people will fail to understand the texts for two reasons:
1: gap between the cultures
2: general physical absence of the texts (as they do not appear in print)

But maybe I am a bit unfair in this respect and setting the bar too high up here.

Anyway, but when it comes to comparisons, then there is only one band that comes to mind: Halla from Iran. This band and their Lebanese counterpart دمار are rather an example for what is possible and to what extremes music from Islamic countries can be brought. Maybe even pseudonyms are not enough to protect the musicians from the mercilessness, which they receive from the defenders of the supposedly merciful. Music like this reminds on the image “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. An individual wants to express something and even though the message might be impossible to grasp, is it not the attempt that counts?

Maybe this sums it up:
War-like music from a war-torn nation.

Based on a review originally written for ‘A dead spot of light (Number 21)’:
http://www.archive.org/details/ADeadSpotOfLight...Number21