Deathnoisefrequency - Horrid Dirge

It is hard to classify Deathnoisefrequency (a name alone that should pique interest no matter what it sounds like because it is pretty epic on that alone), a duo that hail from Saudi Arabia and present listeners in 2020 with a brief, but interesting EP titled “Horrid Dirge”. It is very cinematic and atmospheric, touching on ambient, gothic/ doom metal, and a little but death metal, but is quite a bit all over the place and an unsettling experience to listen to, much in the way that one feels when they first hear a group like Leviathan or Deathspell Omega. The tracks are both sections of a ‘Chapter III’ which makes the EP feel like an interlude or continuation of what came before, though the band claims that the work on this EP is something “new” so perhaps the whole ‘horror-ambient’ direction is something fresh for listeners to enjoy. It isn’t much, but within the roughly 12 minutes of music there is plenty to get on edge about.

The vocals are the most unnerving part of the EP and the opening ‘The Mortician’s Lamenting Dirge’ More in spoken word format and telling a gothic tale, the story is supported by shrieking guitars, plodding drums, and various horror elements whether it be dark laughter, crying children, or just very chilling guitar and bass passages. Think of the sound as a less accented and less electronic version of Disillusion shrouded in distortion that meets the clean aspects of Mourning Beloveth, known for its dismal and gothic influences. The guitar tones are very goth/ doom oriented that go for foreboding and haunting with a seat gripping atmosphere versus melodic or epic and it works well. Lots of doom/ cinematic bands aim for grandiose and “Horrid Dirge” scales back on that and sounds simple but is very complex with how they choose to present it. ‘Horrid Choirs’ really makes use of the horror elements and even adds in some jazzy moments with the horns/ sax that makes the track more atmospheric with the vocal distortion. It takes a strong ear to grind through, but those who like their music dark will really appreciate it. The only saddening thing is that there isn’t more as Deathnoisefrequency really hook listeners in with their sound and song titles, but hopefully the next session will be a longer story with a continuation of the horrifying music they present.

4 / 5 STARS 

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1. Chapter III: The Mortician’s Lamenting Dirge
2. Chapter III: The Horrid Choirs


Self released
Band: https://www.facebook.com/deathnoisefrequency
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Jul 22, 2020
Next review: Buried Realm - Embodiment Of The Divine

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