ALBUM REVIEW: Etemen Ænka – DVNE

Mark your calendars, 19th March 2021, the day earmarked for the world to finally devour the new album from DVNE, a band gradually becoming integral to the staple diet of post metal fans. After what feels like an age, the Scots have finally returned with their sophomore record, an album that scintillates with the heart and soul of all the prog greats. It’s ok to feel a little overwhelmed at the first pass; Etemen Ænka is big, in all senses of the word. The riffs tower, the lengthy run times feel almost impossibly crammed with energy and creativity leaks from every corner. Ultimately, this feels like a launch pad set to spring DVNE into the upper echelons of post-progressive music.

Until now, the Scottish metallers have felt somewhat underrated, operating just under a radar that can often see the same bands looped on rotation. Etemen Ænka is their chance to become more than just a blip, and attack the scene head on. It doesn’t take them long to action that ideology as the droning introduction into Enûma Eli sets the tempo emphatically, building a solid precedent constructed of neat riffs and sheer walls of noise. Similarities could immediately be drawn, but one thing that allows DVNE to shine is simply how many can be made. It is this myriad of sound that makes them unique. From sludgy, CULT OF LUNA-esq riffs, we are shunted into manic howls that evoke thoughts of BLACK PEAKS. And so on…

Although relevant, these comparisons are also somewhat unfair. Influences aside, it’s clear that DVNE’s intention is to forge their own destiny, and it is here that they thrive. Towers is our next taste of the action, a nine-minute monster that threatens to simply never end. Bursting at the seams with creativity, potent riffs are laced delicately with synth, and the whole track stands as a foreshadowing of the artistry we will hear throughout the remainder of the album. The concern with lengthy albums like this is that there is always an inherent danger of ideas starting to run thin. Etemen Ænka is well over an hour long, and simply put, we need not have worried. Court Of The Matriach is quick to appease, changing the focus somewhat with a more ambient approach. At times the guitar work becomes much more nuanced, and a sense of spaciousness takes over. Until of course, those riffs come back to crush the life right out of us.

This much becomes the album’s theme. For example, Weighing Of The Heart and Adræden are synth driven interludes that bookmark an absolute masterpiece, Omega Severer. Although they don’t class themselves as a progressive band in the traditional sense, this is perhaps the closest resemblance. Channelling OPETH at the height of their powers, this track is a mind-warping crusade that grabs our hand and drags us along for the ride. Dancing back and forth between emotive heaviness and a more orthodox post-metal approach, emphasis is given by the way the guitars shift. Opting at times for a sharp crunch, the onus often moves towards melodicism, or else a slab of sludgy noise. Detail-driven would be an understatement, as we hear these juxtaposed styles welded together in watertight fashion.

Impressive as it may be, we are still merely at the halfway point. To come back to an earlier point, it is hard not to feel overwhelmed by an album like this. And in some ways that’s the point. A single listen isn’t enough to take in the scale, whereas a second and third visit begins to dig through the surface and reveal some of the impeccable detail. To give an example, arriving at Sì-XIV provides a great opportunity to talk about the way electronics are used. Applied in moderation, and subtly within the mix, the use of synths adds a real modern dynamic. They are largely integrated into the music rather than feeling like a separate element, becoming yet another thread woven with artisanal skill throughout the album. 

Mleccha continues to batter, while the succeeding Asphodel slows things down somewhat. It all gets a bit ambient, with the metallic vocals giving way to something of a swan song, before Satuya is handed the reins to finish the job. Scaling an eleven minute runtime is a big responsibility after such an immaculate album, but DVNE have taken on this challenge and flourished. Acting as something of a ‘tl;dr’ for the album, it could almost be a highlight reel, showcasing the best that the band has to offer. After sixty-seven minutes, it’s probably best to take a breath before diving in for a second listen, but it’s abundantly clear that with DVNE, Scotland has another musical great on their hands. Theirs is a career to watch with real interest. 

Rating: 9/10

Etemen Ænka is set for release March 19th via Metal Blade Records. 

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