Ελληνικά
Genre: Progressive/Avant-Garde/Black/Industrial Metal
Country: Norway
Label: Peaceville Records
Year: 2023
I really don’t know how many out there know the term progressive and avant garde and use them properly when it comes to music. So we better use a vocabulary or Wikipedia for the younger audience of metal Invader: Progressive music is the one that attempts to expand existing stylistic boundaries associated with specific genres or sub genres. Also progressive music is the one that emphasizes ambitious compositions, experimentation, concept-driven lyrics, and musical virtuosity. Avant-garde music is music that is considered to be at the forefront of innovation in its field, with the term “avant-garde” implying a critique of existing aesthetic conventions, rejection of the status quo in favor of unique or original elements, and the idea of deliberately challenging or alienating audiences. Avant-garde music may be distinguished from experimental or progressive music by the way it adopts an extreme position within a certain tradition, whereas experimental music lies outside tradition. A prominent feature of avant-garde music is to break through various rules and regulations of traditional culture, in order to transcend established creative principles and appreciation habits. Avant-garde music pursues novelty in musical form and style, insisting that art is above everything else; thus, it creates a transcendental and mysterious sound world. Hint, metaphor, symbol, association, imagery, synesthesia and perception are widely used in avant-garde music techniques to excavate the mystery of human heart and the flow of consciousness, so that many seemingly unrelated but essentially very important events interweave into multi-level structures and forms. Dødheimsgard delivers as every now and then (approximately every 7 years or something) full length studio albums that match almost perfectly with the above description. “Black Medium Current” probably isn’t experimentally something new. Or as likely as not will bring in mind familiar paths and sounds as it doesn’t goes far from their previous effort 2015’s “Umbra Omega” and, why not, sending some Ved Buens Ende vibes. Yet it is ambitious, brilliant and brave. There for some prog parts here and there that flourishes the psychedelic sci-fi spectral, in which Black Metal stands in the background as a heavy shadow that interferes when it’s needed (yes the authentic Black with fast tremolo riffing and blast beats, yet not so Satanic though…), are combined perfectly with piano and keyboards, weeping cello, groove, trippy Pink Floyd parts, emotional melodies, some electro elements (both modern and 70’s), several tempo changes, atmospheric aura and Vikotnik’s eclectic performance. Its length has no ups and downs in terms of quality, despite the many changes in tempos and surely makes the final result more substantial. “Black Medium Current” is a deep philosophical album, a genuine masterwork, a trippy record, probably difficult but surely a grower that will win you at all costs…
