ALBUM REVIEW: Through Sheer Will And Black Magic – Daeva
When it comes to releasing music, it is normally advisable to strike whilst the iron is hot and take full advantage of any hype that has been generated from the initial exposure. In this case however, DAEVA have thrown caution to the wind and have waited more than five years to capitalise on their intriguing debut extended play Pulsing Dark Absorptions with the release of their new full-length album Through Sheer Will And Black Magic. With that being said, if the material is of a certain standard, then the metal world has been known to be patient, and it should sit up and take notice once again.
The power with which The Architect And The Monument opens gives a very quick impression of what the band are trying to cultivate here. This is hard and fast black metal with a modern twist. The guitar riffs are a little more technical than most within the genre and the drums are pulverising. Yet, the vocals sound like they were recorded in a cave in the deepest, darkest corner of Norway – a fact that will likely appease the diehard fans of the scene. However, the band are clearly not a one trick pony, with the following track Arena At Dis having a more thrash metal feel about the guitar work, with a more reserved approach to the drumming (well, less blast beats) and more cohesive and well-structured guitar solos all adding up to a solid blackened-thrash effort.
DAEVA are at their strongest when they toe the lines between multiple metal sub-genres, rather than manacling themselves to the somewhat primitive and often limited black metal formula. Tracks such as Loosening The Tongues Of The Dead and Polluting The Sanctuary (Revolutions Against Fate) see the songwriters give themselves more of a free reign to go forth and explore their sound. The shift in dynamic towards the end of the former is a perfect example of the band’s willingness to explore their own sonic boundaries, switching up the high tempo onslaught for a stomping atmospheric section which offers as much in groove as it does in its haunting sensation.
At the very end of the album comes one of the band’s finest moments to date in the form of Luciferian Return. It’s a black metal opus that comes in at just over seven minutes in duration and delves into all of the different musical avenues that the band have explored throughout the course of the album in one fell swoop. Much in the way that IHSAHN has with his solo work over the years, the band have used black metal as a launching pad for the ideas of the song but have added different elements to bolster the sound and keep things feeling fresh. There is a moment of progressive, avant-garde metal in the latter stages that is used to bridge together visceral lashings of frosty Norwegian black metal and some of the finest vocal work that you are likely to hear on a release of this ilk in 2022.
Overall, Through Sheer Will And Black Magic is a masterpiece and should be treated as such. We all know that the particular demographic the band are aiming for is riddled with gatekeeping keyboard warriors. However, when it comes to an album of this kind of keen musicianship and tremendous songwriting sometimes it is ok for things to be a little out of the ordinary. Not all black metal has to come from Scandinavia and sound like it was recorded by goblins in an abandoned, frostbitten castle. Sometimes, it is written by a group of talented Americans in Philadelphia.
Rating: 9/10
Through Sheer Will And Black Magic is set for release on October 14th via 20 Buck Spin.
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