Deep Desolation – ‘Subliminal Visions’ Album Review

It could all have backfired so badly for Deep Desolation, packaging their disc up with the magnificent Iugulatus album for review, but amazingly the band prove to be at the very least that band’s equal both in terms of sheer dark atmosphere and musicianship making this yet another black metal disc to add to your shopping list this month.

While both inhabiting the same genre, Deep Desolation and Iugulatus are strikingly different. While the latter opt for a more progressive feel the former, and the subject of our review today, inform their dark musings with a traditional metal feel that comes through most obviously in their lengthy and impressive solos. This is immediately apparent on strong opening track ‘Call of the abyss’ which showcases Martinous’ excellent blackened vocals and the dual guitar attack which gives the band a raw throbbing power that sets itself deep into your head from the off and stays there long after the disc has finished spinning. ‘Call of the abyss’ is a searing opening – one of those blistering opening tracks that grabs you and draws you instantly into the world of the artists. The production is outstanding – juts on the right side of raw without being muddled and it brings to mind albums such as Darkthrone’s ‘Soulside journey’ with the guitars providing a suitably grimy foil for Martinous, not to mention a truly atmospheric solo on the bridge. Second track ‘murderous lust’ has a strong driving feel to it with the guitars raging and the drums keeping everything at comparatively sedate pace compared to the raging tempest that made up the opening track. While the vocals remain firmly black metal, there’s a strong traditional metal feel to the music which sits somewhere between black metal, doom and, in this case, Sepultura’s crushing cover of ‘Orgasmatron’. Moving into seedier territory, ‘Mass murderer’s ejaculation’ is a blackened nightmare of spiralling guitars and vocals that are more rasped than screamed. Dark, unrelenting and utterly depraved it’s a standout track on an album that rarely dips below incredible and  the atmosphere is so dark and depraved that you practically need a shower at the songs conclusion.

Following on from such an impressive song, Deep Desolation remarkably up the ante with the sublime ‘Subliminal visions’ which has a strong martial feel to it and some exquisite guitar work from both Markiz and Meriath who have clearly spent years honing their skills to their current state of blackened perfection. The track itself is both dark and majestic, recalling the stately baroque genius of seminal act Emperor with a hint of Opeth’s progressive strain thrown in for good measure. It’s an astonishing, perfect piece of music that stands out in the memory thanks to the remarkable playing of all those involved. Opening with uncomfortable atmospherics, ‘Christ’s incest’ sees the band dally in blackened doom that brings ‘Gothic’-era Paradise Lost to mind more than anything else with its shimmering guitar lead and gruelling vocals. It’s far from derivative however and offers yet another string to the bands already impressive bow. ‘Infernal Hallucinations’ sees the band realign themselves with the darker, martial sound of ‘Subliminal visions’ and the music works its way into your soul with a vicious, methodical insistency rather than lightening attack of speed with the drums more akin to a pile driver than a tornado lending the band a darker, heavier feel than other bands who opt for speed over power and control. Deep Desolation’s skill is knowing when to unleash a raging tempest of noise, controlling their output so that it has maximum impact at any given point. Meanwhile the guitars continue to impress and the solos that pepper the album have to be heard to be believed, once again hinting at more than a passing interest in Doom metal from these masters of the macabre. ‘In a mouth of madness’ sees the album drawing to a close with a piece of music that recalls a mixture of Satyricon and Gehenna with its heavy riffs and pounding drums before ‘Everlasting way’ closes proceedings with  a dark, off-kilter piece of music that is as disconcerting, brutal and beautiful as anything else the band have produced over the previous forty-odd minutes.

Deep Desolation are a band to treasure. A genuinely dark and brutal band who still imbue their work with a dark beauty and majesty – a skill that made Emperor and continues to make Darkthrone so very special. Referencing a variety of genres over the course of the album but never sounding anything less than coherent and fascinating this is a strong contender, even at this early stage, for one of my top albums of the year and is thoroughly recommended to fans of black metal, doom or even open minded fans of traditional metal – there’s so much going on to appreciate that the album requires multiple listens and you’ll still be discovering new things to admire long after the initial impact has worn off. Outstanding in every respect, this is a remarkable album.