ALBUM REVIEW: Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult – Mardom

Here I review the long awaited new album from DNS, a legendary name in the Black Metal scene. Set for release on April 12th via War Anthem Records!

1. Inception of Atemporal Transition sets in with creepy soundscapes of static and some strong percussion, a terrifying start to the release, though a totally awesome one. I think this set the dark and ugly mood for a Black Metal release filled with atmosphere and foreboding perfectly. Something totally evil is coming for sure…

2. Mardom – Echo Zmory kicks us in with blisteringly chaotic riffing, intense blast beats and the truly harsh production that allows this Black Metal assault to kick in with total spite. The howled screams that quickly join the barrages of instrumentals add even more energy to the ferociously bombarding music. There is so much aggression and impacting force in this music but within the guitars there is also melancholy, a contrast that always works well in Black Metal. Atmospherically the song is just as unrelenting with cascades of bleak and raw noise coating in distortion and crashing drums hitting us in monolithic waves. We are also given some incredibly groovy sections that just add so much bite to the music. An absolutely excellent start to the album.

3. A Sweven Most Devout falls into place with more furiously fast riffing that has a gorgeous thrashing pace to it, accentuated further when coupled with the maniacal drumming. The screeches of the Onielar sound truly like a banshee over the monstrous instrumental sections. The depressive and aggressive soundscapes are interwoven so precisely with excellent songwriting and intricately skilful musicianship to allow for a balanced, diverse listen throughout that slays from start to end. Another glorious track filled with grooves and absolute debauchery while keeping the Black Metal atmosphere strong.

4. T.O.W.D.A.T.H.A.B.T.E fires out more melodic riffing, cavernous blasts and howled vocals that has a really tight old school vibe to things. The macabre grooves and sombre structures take you on a dark journey into the bands fantastic abilities with a track that truly soars. The musicianship on this piece is absolutely brilliant and really takes the album into a higher plane with driven instrumentals and hateful vocals that have so much energy and life. The songwriting is absolutely gorgeous and is also executed wonderfully. I think the use of a bass solo was a unique one that really paid off adding some groovy flare to the piece. The track features so much variety but in a way that flows smoothly throughout. Great work.

5. A Beseechment Twofold begins with some chilling ambience, adding to the ghostly soundscape of the album before grinding into slower tempo grooves. The storming drums and bitter guitar riffs accompanied by more hellish vocals sounds really gruesome and allows the momentum of the album to grow, giving more atmospherics while also pausing the total assault. The doomy rhythms of the track are catchy while also being incredibly bleak. This track unfolds and grows noticeably into some masterful Black Metal barrages that were perfectly built up and drop into melancholic ferocities with such precision and drive beautifully. I really enjoyed the coupling of more doomy and depressive sections with the huge blistering parts. Total brilliance.

6. Exaudi Domine blasts out more ferocious drumming and thrashing riffs that are decimating with intensity. The punishingly hypnotic grooves add so much punch to follow this up with the piercing vocals howls and their demonic sound. The soundscape of total darkness is obliterating and cascades the true Black Metal vision over the listener. Impressively fast yet precise instrumentals drop into more progressive, bleaker sections with an equally ferocious attack behind them but truly showing how much balance improves music. This track was absolutely wonderful and the most intense, piercing and gruesome one so far!

7. The Boundless Beast follows up with melodic riffs that are just killer, punctuated by more ridiculously fast drumming that has some wicked fills thrown in. The thunderous bass attack leads the track into battle with full force. Grisly churning instrumentals and gut-wrenching screams are the name of the game in this piece with no holding back, just unforgiving frenzied attacks from the whole band. The catchiness of the song is really enjoyable but remains to be as dark and unrelenting as ever. The momentum is put on hold for some slower atmospheric sections, breaking up the song to allow the energies to regrow. This is some dissonant and absolutely fantastic material with so much impact.

8. Widma sets in with some more ambient touches, something the band use well and thankfully do not overuse. The chilling eeriness of the howling wind and scraping sounds is very unsettling, adding more darkened vibes to the album. Spectral voices further the creepy soundscape. An excellent interval that does not detract from the monstrously crushing album, rather complementing it by adding to the atmosphere for a full package experience. Great!

9. Imperishable Soulless Gown drives us right back in with fully restored aggression. Blistering, chaotic riffs filled with groove and melody, brutal blasting drums and thunderous bass all create the foundation for the snarled vocals to coat them, creating the signature DNS sound. This is hideously dark, penetratingly evil Black Metal that ferociously grinds out morbid soundscapes with utterly brilliant execution. The song twists and turns through sections of convulsive rhythms, bleak and drawn out melancholy and spiteful assaults with total fury. The screeches over sombre guitars sound so depressive while the aggression of the piece is equally unrelenting. Another masterfully excellent track.

10. The Sphere is the finale for this album. Setting in with more furiously fast instrumentals, this is going to be one last assault of the senses for sure. The catatonically heavy guitars cast out morbidity with the blast beats accentuating them even further before the whole track drops into depravity and solitude with bleak screeches and miserable sound guitar riffs that are haunting to behold. This last track keeps up the monolithic pace of the album while also giving us a large addition of much more heart-wrenching soundscapes, a truly brilliant spectacle to end this album. It truly felt like closure, until next time…

Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult are back at the top of their game with a consistently strong, atmospheric and damn aggressive slice of Black Metal warfare. The ferocity and melody of the album are coupled beautifully with some killer thrashing and groovy sections that keep things fresh throughout. An incredible addition to their discography. -8.5/10