Dirge of Death's Silence

Of all the potential ripoffs of Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse," Dirge of Death's Silence is actually a pretty awesome ripoff. Even the band itself doesn't appear too original. Blood Stained Dusk looks like your standard black metal project with subpar production, lots of tremolo picking, and random keyboard effects thrown in to make a dark and evil atmosphere. Doesn't this sound like the first Emperor album? Also, the band is from Alabama which might turn some heads (but why should that matter?). Nevertheless, there's a lot to be offered on Dirge of Death's Silence and you'd be suprised that, despite the stark similarities between In the Nightside Eclipse, the guys behind Blood Stained Dusk have a few small tricks up their sleeve to make for a truly haunting and dark black metal album.

Dirge of Death's Silence has a pretty "standard" production type. The music has a very thin sound, but so much is going on in the background. The keyboards and synths in the background make the overall sound feel really busy. It's tough to hear everything the first time you run through this. Foggy would be a way to describe it, but not a particularly dense fog. It's nearly impossible to hear the bass, but the guitars are far from buried. There are a ton of tremolo riffs and it's actually not that hard to pick out the notes if you really wanted to. The guitars don't play a huge role - that main source of this album comes from the overall feel and production of this album. The vocals do an incredible job contributing to the mood of this album. In the midst of all the chaotic sound going on, it seems the vocalist, Dageth, is really trying hard to make his voice known. It's a great effect because he really seems into it and because there seems to be competition between all the other elements, the end product is somewhat grandiose. This is the dark, majestic sound I've been looking for!

There's one song on this album that completely blows everything else away. That's "Moon Behind the Storm." After a haunting accoustic part in the beginning, the metal kicks in aggressively with an evil undertone. The riffs work well with the synths to build up into a truly mysterious atmosphere until there's a tempo change in the middle. I know I'm not going to be able to give it enough justice in this review, but the middle part of this song is so goddamn awesome. Dageth's shrieky screams sound so genuine and energetic but the real greatness again comes from the setting of the very chaotic music. This is some pretty intense stuff. The best part is the blatant arpeggio-like effect from the guitars. Combined with those screams, I get chills down my spine every time I listen, which I usually put on repeat 4-5 times until I finally decide to move on. The chills get even colder when the song sort of softens up and everything "levels" out into one blur that still is really memorable. Then the song kind of goes back to the style like how it started. For sake of a reference, Emperor fans may find a parallel to "Into the Infinity of Thoughts." Years after I heard "Moon Behind the Storm", I am still obsessed with this song.

If you liked the first track, chances are you'll have no problem with the rest. Tracks like "Bringer of Everlasting Domain" continue that trend of evil, majestic black metal, utilizing keys in their most regal aspect. Tracks like "Saguinas Path" focus more on riffs and melodies. I'm very partial to this song as well because the song sort takes its time progressing and varying the ideas, but it's subtle. There's a simple riff going but it slowly increases in octaves on the fretboard. I'm not a musician so perhaps I got my terminology wrong... As opposed to an evil mood, "Saguinas Path" is something I would consider more melancholic. It's also catchy, which isn't what I expected at first.

I guess the main problem with Dirge of Death's Silence is that you really only need a few songs. While there isn't a weak track on here, I really only stick to my favorites when ever I'm in the mood for Blood Stained Dusks. This is all opinion based however, you may actually greatly prefer the songs I didn't describe here. Dirge of Death's Silence is ultimately proof that "ripoffs" can still be awesome. Anyone who likes this type of low-fi black metal (or that metal that makes you want to gaze into the fullmoon while in the woods) should definitely check this out!