All the Dead Dears

Rhode Island's premier DSBM act proves once again that doom and gloom sells: case in point - these tracks offer up some of the most heavy-hitting, despondent nocturnes in all of the genre. Through miserable distorted guitars, pounding drums, and inexplicably morose vocals, H.L. manages almost singlehandedly (a new bassist was recruited for the disc) to produce some of the finest suicidal music I've yet heard. Tracks like "Les Paradis Artificels" buzz in with a rather catchy tremolo riff before turning into a crepuscular jangle which, to its credit, manages to stake its atmosphere as an all-instrumental piece. In fact, H.L. even includes two acoustic tracks which, while at first, may seem out of place; but as a total package, the album runs smoothly and without any sense of musical grudge. The drums are tightly programmed, from the minimalistic "Methoxydine," to the chaotic but smart "Summom Bonum." Vocally, H.L. employs a high-pitched yowl nearing the sorrowful destinies of the castrato (maybe that's why the bastard's so miserable!)

While somewhat of a wonder, for H.L. seems otherwise very much capable of his instruments - at least the one's we're hearing him play - he is joined by bassist E., who by all accounts plays with the former in the band Morthylla. The bass is of important note as it sticks out clearly, like a syringe in the vein! This is especially noticeable in the closing denoument of the aforesaid "Les Paradis Artificiels." While certainly not H.L.'s first record -there have been PLENTY - "...Dead Dears" shines a particular brilliance above many of the others in terms of sheer musicianship and scope. The songwriting is fantastic, and the overall product seems to speak to the losers, the brokenhearted, the damned - what more could you ask in a black metal record?

The ever-proficient Dhampyr decided at some point in 2013 to release a slew of releases seemingly one after the other; ambient recordings, acoustic records, drone, and this: “All the Dead Dears,” a masterfully-crafted straight-to-the-point black metal album without the depressive pretenses and with not a little reference to drugs (the lyrics have not been officially released, but judging by previous releases, one can safely wager that the lyrics on this album are not too far-removed from previous recordings).ing the Lethalm’s penchant for diversifying seemingly almost every album – really, no two demos/albums/EPs sound too much alike – “All the Dead Dears” comes full-throttle with crushing guitars more suitable perhaps to an early ’00 death metal band than a depressive black metal band.

The riffs are surprisingly articulate, something not seen in much of Lethalm’s previous output, instead relying on technical rhythms and dangerously-morose arpeggios to create a formula of both hard-disciplined black metal and, too, atmospheric resonance. Indeed, the ambient tracks are ostensibly culled from a previous recording, “Vanity / Senility,” and retitled, but somehow still manage to fit perfectly into this blend of chaos and beauty.
The drums are maybe too over-loud, which detracts at times from the riffing, which is easy to appreciate for its magisterial but still sinister qualities. The vocals are not too much in the foreground, preferring to take a seat behind the storm of guitars and drums; as is usual with Dhampyr, the vocals tend to be on the Burzum-ish side with high-pitched yowls and horrifying shrieks as though doomsday were just a hedge-clipping away.

The bass, when given light, is well-played and serves to intensify the guitars and, in some places, perhaps most seen on the track “Palatine Light,” come into its own and shepherd some really fantastic lines. This album may well be Dhampyr’s best effort so far, and one can only imagine where the next full-length will take us.