Review: DDENT ‘Feeding The Void’s Luster’
My clamour and lust for all things post-metal grows with each passing day, so the latest offering from multi-instrumentalist Louis Lambert caught my eye when I saw it on The Shaman listings. The blend of post-metal instrumental doom has a genuine appeal to me, but this release, which has five songs, goes one stage further for the Frenchman.
As he embarks upon a new journey, Lambert is joined by drummer Alain Minot, bassist Nicolas Zivkovich and guitarist Vincent Ghislian. The quartet have revived older material, bent it completely out of shape and re-emerged with compositions that invoke images of your impending death, like being buried alive or being in a spiralling plane hurtling towards the ground.
The wonderment begins with the hypnotic Dis à la lune qu’elle vienne as a slow drum beat signals an imposing bass sound over the tension-inducing guitar battle. You are then rocked mercilessly by the destructive nature of the sporadic blackened vocals from Zivkovich. This is a first for Lambert, but it doesn’t detract from the splendour of the music, and if that doesn’t get you immediately hooked into DDENT, then the savagery of Longue, obscure et triste lune will surely drag you in.
In parts, it’s entrancing and bewitching, in parts it’s angry and frenzied…
There’s a gladiatorial guitar battle emanating throughout the soul-crushing music, as it showcases the talents of the band with layered sounds adding to the mesmeric levels of apocalyptic destruction. In sections, the drums are slow and potent; however, when the vocals re-appear, it’s delivered with menace, alongside an abrasive bass. All four elements glued together as a collective means these are a force to be reckoned with, and I’m already waiting impatiently for them to begin working on new material.
Arzel is another brute of a song, full of subtlety and nuance, that each time I listen to it, I discover something new. The textured and absorbing guitar sounds lead the way before you get blasts of evil intent from the vocalist. The halfway point delivers something different and intrigues me even more as I’m imagining a dimly lit stage full of smoke, watching shadowy figures pour their hearts out through their music. It’s captivating stuff, and they back it up further on Kohol, which has a huge bass sound and crushing drums as their cathartic journey continues.
With new personnel on board, these songs have added elements of hardcore and punk, infusing the music with tension and melancholy. The final track, Noir taureau de douleur is nearly twenty-two minutes, and to appreciate it, I suggest you sit down in a darkened room and just let it permeate your heart and soul, as there’s so much creativity appearing from each band member. In parts, it’s entrancing and bewitching, in parts, it’s angry and frenzied, and when the vocals rear up, you take instant notice. It’s almost like a journey within a journey, and I’m sure that, like me, you’ll be utterly mesmerised by what you hear.
Label: Chien Noir
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Matthew Williams
