SLOW - VI - Dantalion (2019)

The highly productive Déhà is back with his Atmospheric/Funeral Doom Metal project SLOW and their latest masterpiece of sorrow with “VI - Dantalion”. Crafting monolithic atmospheres around soul crushing riffs, this release unleashes nearly 80 minutes of powerful music. Just when you think the boundaries of the genre cannot be pushed further, an album like this comes along and shatters them completely.

Warming up the listener with the bleak soundscapes of “Descente”, the album slowly gets fired up as you come across the 17-minute behemoth of “Lueur”. The slow growls lead to monumental riffs and tense atmospherics, creating a very unsettling mood. The dramatic arrangements created by the synths perfectly complement the ravaging guitar structures. However, what really captures the listener is the dramatic tempo changes and mood swings within songs like the later and “Futilité”. Alternating a ‘shorter’ song between 10+ minute pieces, Slow explores darker territories with the harsher vocals and more sinister atmosphere of “Géhenne”.

For those looking for a ray of hope in such a despair-landen territory, the opening of “Lacune” sheds a little bit of light with its somber piano opening, only to be completely crushed away with piercing guitars and more waves of harsh vocals. We particularly enjoy the chaotic nature of this song as the heavier parts envelop our speakers, you can still hear some dramatic arrangements and the somber piano notes in the background.

Closing with the more traditional “Incendiaire” and the completely desolate “Elégie”, we are highly impressed that SLOW managed to completely blow away our expectations and deliver an album that is more monumental and crushing than the previous one.

Label: Code666

Release: November 8th, 2019

Genre: Atmospheric/Funeral Doom Metal

Country: Belgium