Dengel

Not the most prolific of bands, Beijing based act Dengel pumped out this mini album featuring four English language tracks and two sung in Mandarin eight years ago and haven't exactly done much outside of touring ever since. Their clunky sounding moniker was conceived under the evocative guise of merging 'angel' and 'devil' into one word, but since Anvil had already been taken decades ago, they were stuck with Dengel. At least the name bears the novelty of being 'legend' spelled backwards I suppose, but the word still looks like an unwanted bodily growth. Few things can be more irritating than itchy dengels.

Fortunately the music scratches that itch for those looking for a sort of gothic metal that's heavy on the 4AD label influences to such an extent that it's practically cranked-up dream pop. It's still a metal album in that there's no shortage of palm-muted chugging riffing and guitar solos, but the ultra-lo-fi production values wind up being its most notable curse or blessing depending upon one's taste, endowing the music with an almost post-punk sheen while neutering the heaviness. The rhythm guitar is crunchy with a bit of its own built in low-end, but it's also thin without muscle, relying on the bass for a needed boost of gravity. The drums are poorly recorded as well, specifically during heavy sections that regulate the bass drum to a distant incongruous thumping while the cymbals remain too damn loud. The oozing 80's style synths coat over everything like algae in a bog on numerous occasions, resulting in a generally hazy weird mix that would be better fitting for an indie goth rock affair than a gothic metal release.

Yet that's also part of this album's charm for me. It's a metal record that doesn't seem to give a shit about being 'metal'. The non-metal influences are as dominant as the crunchy chugging, such as the second guitarist's penchant for Robin Guthrie style chiming guitar plucks, which instinctively reminded me of some of Chinese pop queen Faye Wong's late 90's work that utilized that ringing guitar tone to great effect. The vocals are rather high in the mix, but with enough echo to give Huo Ran's vocals a spaced-out trippy vibe, not unlike the sort of slumbersome, dreamy atmosphere imbibing This Mortal Coil's lengthy roster of singers. It's pretty obvious that this gang is every bit as inspired by the goth rock and dream pop scenes in the 80's as it is the more current gothic metal scene minus any groove, extreme, or bombastic tendencies. In short, the low budget production and the emphasis on the angelic vocals results in a borderline pastoral aura, a rare genre I would coin "pretty metal" if I was describing this thing to someone while drunk.

While the music itself merges gloominess with a bit of metal swagger, Huo Ran's voice is without a doubt the group's most interesting feature, possessing a head-voice timbre that's just so sweet that by the time I finish listening to this I feel the urge to buy my kids ice cream cones and snuggle my wife. The best example of her dazzling display would have to be "Angel", a number that plods along with a slow gait but is rendered unforgettable thanks to those beautiful vocal melodies. If anything, they remind me of what was transpiring in regards to the British folk rock scene back around 1969-1972 or so. Really catchy, and really pretty. I want to give that song a big hug, and that's in spite of some sloppy musicianship, especially concerning the chugging rhythm guitarist's penchant for not keeping up with the drums at times. Hell, he could have partially ruined the tune if the keyboardist hadn't drenched the song with her swirling fingers, keeping the focus away.

Most of the other tunes are mid-paced, although "When Will Love Begin" scurries along at a slightly faster tempo, but even that song's pace hits the brakes for a gorgeous shoe-gazy bridge. The final tune is the only real head-scratcher, for despite being the most gothic sounding number of the lot, the repetitive three chord progression gets tiresome, especially since it's also the album's longest track. I also mentioned some bits of sloppiness on part of the rhythm guitarist, but to be honest, the whole album is sprinkled with little fuck-ups here and there. Even the singer hits a couple of bum notes early on during the opener, which is a bit of a shame since the vocal melodies themselves are so well designed. It almost seems as if this album was rushed out due to financial limitations. It's a drag, and the flaws in production and musical gaffes can be an annoyance, but there's also heart and passion that overrides these faults just enough that I can still enjoy this debut for the most part. They were a young band when they recorded this, and the underwhelming skill-level is quite apparent, but youth also brings enthusiasm, and I hear that in their performance as well. Pretty stuff.