Release Date: September 18th 2024. Record Label: Lay Bare Recordings. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Unversum - Track Listing:
1. Call of the Supervoid (6:46)
2. Nuclear Emperor (5:17)
3. Sulfur Incense (5:35)
4. At the Melting Gaze of the Origin (4:27)
5. Ode to the Dark Matter (4:59)
6. Faster Than Light (6:51)
7. Moldy Moon (5:37)
8. Wasted Life Form (6:28)
Review
Unversum is the new album from Acclaimed Psych/Doom/Sludge/Stoner Riffsters DÖ and is their third full length album with the band moving themselves deeper into the Cosmic Vortex of the Spaced Out aspect with their music. With a primal style of Progressive Metal and sometimes Death Metal growls appearing, this is a heavier version of DÖ that we’ve encountered compared to their previous releases.
Opening track Call Of The Supervoid sees DÖ’s music still has their trademark COSMIC DOOM themes that allows the Psychedelic based Stoner/Sludge Metal grooves to build up a muscular and aggressive FUZZY style of music. Warped sound effects and glitchy noises allow DÖ to play a cinematic style of Intergalactic pounding rhythms which becomes quite “out there” with the cerebral vision of DÖ’s music especially when waves of Ambient Post-Rock appear out of nowhere especially within the closing seconds of the track.
DÖ demonstrates that style of music throughout the album but they include a Pitch Black sensibility into the mix within the second track Nuclear Emperor. The music once again moves within the Extreme elements of Black Metal and Death Metal whilst retaining a catchy Sludge/Stoner Metal movement. The vocals are harsh and violent but always full of purpose that are quite easy to understand. The subtle flashes of distortion and down-tuned experimentation has always been a major part of DÖ’s creative philosophy and it’s good to hear it’s been moved up to an altogether different style of Psychedelic heaviness.
The music is always full of LOW & SLOW and Down-Tuned instrumental passages with a disturbing use of Amplifier Reverb which only adds another level of sonic heaviness with gaps of glitchy sound clips that DÖ fill with highly intricate flashes of Psych Metal with epic guitar solos along the way especially on tracks such as Sulfur Incense and At The Melting Gaze Of The Origin.
The album does feel inspired by well known Science Fiction franchises but given a unique and refreshing storytelling spin that DÖ brings a destructive quality throughout the whole album. Unversum sees DÖ taking creative cues from bands such as UFOMAMMUT, Mastodon, High On Fire and SLEEP but playing a slightly more extreme style of COSMIC DOOM spliced with extra APOCALYPTIC FUZZ METAL goodness.
Though, DÖ do play classic Sludge/Stoner Metal structures on various parts of the record where the music becomes more riff-centric with the “PITCH BLACK” metal aspect being left out especially within the stunning fourth track Melting Gaze Of The Origin. This is DÖ playing a stylish take on the Post-Doom and Post-Stoner genres but giving a highly vicious SPACE ROCK spin that also includes some of my favourite instrumental moments on the whole album.
Unversum sees DÖ conjuring dark tales of the COSMOS within the second half of the record which does become more DOOM & GLOOM with the heaviest and trippiest parts of the whole album. There’s a free-flowing Post-Rock attitude that appears within the quieter sections of the record before DÖ unleash a torrent of nasty Blackened Doom grooves before solidifying the mood with a heavy cosmic creative energy that would make fans of UFOMAMMUT extremely happy.
The final few tracks of Faster Than Light, Moldy Moon and Wasted Life Form once again allows DÖ to explore familiar sounds they created on their previous records but still creating highly original music to entice new fans with. The vocals when they appear are superbly aggressive with an unapologetic attitude with the music continuing to grow naturally with a true destructive purpose. You’ll be surprised at how melodic Unversum can actually be though that aspect is buried under a MEGATON of destructive COSMIC RIFFAGE.
Unversum is perhaps where DÖ have shown they’ve matured as songwriters and musicians which allows the album to be their most complete and technically impressive record to date. This is also my favourite album from them as it explores themes that we haven’t heard from the band before and this only adds to the overall experience of UNVERSUM which will no doubt be considered as one of the best albums of the year.
Unversum is a jaw-dropping experience that deserves your full and undivided attention.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to DÖ and Plug Music Agency for the promo.
Unversum will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Lay Bare Recordings from Wednesday September 18th 2024.
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