ALBUM REVIEW: Ødnis – Dødsdrift

Anonymous black metal collective DØDSDRIFT chart a bleak, mesmerising course into the depths of what it means to be human with latest album Ødnis. Theirs is a style heavily indebted to the second wave but with a distinctly more melodic flavour; it’s still distinctly wintery and frostbitten but opts for soaring, epic guitar lines.

There’s a simplicity at play that belies the emotional journey of Ødnis; it gradually descends from the surface into the innermost sanctum, the very core of what it means to be human. The ten tracks that make up the album are inspired by isolation and loss, themes that have featured greatly across the past couple of years, but also war and the forces of nature. It sets the scene for an intensely emotional listen.

Opener Fährde begins quietly, a minimalist guitar lick fading in before a swell of distortion leads into blast beats and howling vocals. There’s a cold grandeur on display, one that elevates the album’s otherwise rudimentary production. Similarly, Schattenschafott’s tremolo leads conjure visions of majestic, snow-capped mountains and cold lakes, while Ruß mainly forgoes blast beats for a somewhat more restrained style, though still at the by now expected quick tempo. Herbstluft again opts for a similar pattern, shifting between middling tempos and blast beats. Its frosty atmosphere is still laden with emotion, but by now, even only being track four, it’s a well-trodden path. 

The album seldom deviates from its course, which is unfortunate given the quality of song-writing on display in tracks like Fährde and closer Enthauptet, which has serious emotional heft and changes things up just enough. In its closing moments, drums drop out almost entirely before the album ends as it began, with a repeated guitar motif.

What DØDSDRIFT do well with Ødnis is in the grandiose, sweeping melodies that permeate throughout the record. They add an extra dimension, though the flat production – while it lets each instrument have room and keeps them audible – robs it of full impact. Ultimately, while the ideas here are good and well-executed, the relative lack of variety and dearth of ideas lets it down. With all that said, there’s a solid foundation for them to continue building their melodic black metal on that could lead to grander things in future. 

Rating: 7/10

Ødnis is set for release on October 15th via Vendetta Records.

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