Deathspell Omega – Kenose / 2005 AJNA / 3 Tracks / http://www.theajnaoffensive.com / Reviewed 18 February 2006

There is thirty-six minutes of music spread out over three songs on “Kenose”; Deathspell Omega is the first band I know of that has realized that song breaks are for the most part bullshit. Death metals equivalent to a jam band, Deathspell Omega create compelling ploys to their listeners throughout different sections of each of the tracks on “Kenose”. There is no lacking of fury on this disc, as Deathspell Omega continually attack their listeners through speed-drumming, growled out vocals and shrill guitars. At some point there is a structure present in each of the tracks on “Kenose”; there is a thread throughout each of the tracks that while meandering is audibly present.

Everything else is relatively fluid, with different tempos and styles winning out at different points during the track. Of particular note is the ever-increasing tempo that ends “II”, which builds to a fever pitch a number of times during the last two minutes of the song. “III” seems to have an opening that is miles away from the previous two tracks in terms of genre. In place of death/black metal, there seems to be a slower, more experimental sound. Not quick the “dungeon metal” of Mortiis, Deathspell Omega here seem to pull some influence from “Where The Slime Grows”-era Morbid Angel. The most interesting part of “III” has to be the obscured tempo present on the track; the guitar and drums push for a faster sound but the vocals and overall ambience of the track really slow down things. This tension will rock listeners back and forth and really keep them pensive. The nuanced guitar work during the late section of “III” perhaps is the most melodic of the entire disc; it provides listeners with something to hold onto as the sludgy metal of the rest of the band washes over them. “I”, the longest track of the CD is perhaps the one track that benefits the most from the length given to it by the band.

At nearly sixteen minutes, it is no surprise that the band has a building tempo through the first half or so of the song. Deathspell Omega has made an album that is as diverse as traditional, eleven or twelve track albums without breaking up the energy nearly as often as other albums. Without these song breaks, the band has free reign to really paint listeners a detailed picture; Deathspell Omega are one of those bands that will get heads bopping even as multiple layers wash over listeners.

Top Track: I

Rating: 7.0/10

[JMcQ]