MOMM (12)

I'm not listening to much new stuff lately. I have my favourite, go-to kind of albums / songs & they still remain relevant for me in terms of appeal. Abbath & Dark Funeral  released a single each from their upcoming new releases & these got my attention.

Abbath is a formidable character in this genre of metal. He has proven his worth since going solo in 2016 & he has good stuff in the self-titled debut album. When Oustrider was released in 2019, the follow-up album, things were not as appealing music-wise not because Abbath has lost his touch but because Ole Farstad happened. That's right, Farstad was the new second guitarist in the band & the lead guitar stuff was under his purview. This guy, he's incredibly talented & telling by the way he plays, he's versed in music. However, his approach to solos with regards to the band's songs, to say the least, is unsuitable. After listening to Dream Cull, the single from the upcoming Dread Reaver, Fastad's unsuitable approach to all things lead guitars are still evident. I have no idea if Abbath realizes this but Fostad needs a telling off, so to speak. Does that mean incredibly talented guitarists have no place in black metal & their versed musicality remains irrelevant to the genre? We then need to listen to Mayhem's Charles Hedger. This is another incredibly talented player but his knowledge & technicality are well crafted to suit the music. Bad Blood from Mayhem's latest offering, Daemon, is the perfect reference. If the rest of Dread Reaver is going to sound like Dream Cull, then it will be another let down for me.

Dark Funeral's Let the Devil In has obvious changes, music-wise. Both the drums & guitars have dropped a notch in terms of tempo. The immediate effect here is an introduction to heaviness. Things still sound relevant here but kult fans would sense a move into the mainstream as things began to be more palatable when it comes to song structure & presentation.

Maybe - just maybe - it's a little far fetched to be judging the entire album based on a song. However, more often than not, the taster is a relevant model for the bigger picture.