Dødsengel – Bab Al On
Release Date: 16th December 2022
Label: Debemur Morti Productions
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Theatrical, Occult.
FFO: Oranssi Pazuzu, Taake, Darkthrone.
Review By: Rick Farley
Conceptually bound within Thelemic mysticism and centred on the Goddess Babalon, in the words of Dødsengel drummer Malach Adonai:
“She is the Gate of Manifestation. Mother and Whore to All. From which we came and unto which we will return…she is associated with incarnation, with flesh and physicality, as well as the highest spiritual aspirations. She is also Babalon the Great, the Harlot of Revelations, who rides upon the Beast in the visions of John, and whom John Dee and Edward Kelly saw in their enochian workings…”
For anyone, who’s intrigued by the themes of Bab Al On, Thelema is a spiritual philosophy founded by Aleister Crowley. He claims he was dictated by a non-human entity, ‘Aiwass’, to write “The Book of the law.” The sacred text of a new religious movement, Enochian magic, which involves the evocation and commanding of spirits, is based off the 16th century writings of John Dee and Edward Kelly.
Birthed in 2007, Norway’s Dødsengel is a black metal band consisting of Kark (vocals, guitars, bass) and Malach Adonai (drums), with an adoration for all things dramatic, occult, and satanic. Their blend of dark art is a wicked cross of gut churning black metal, theatrical vocals, and several subgenres to create something uniquely authentic and extremely maniacal. The duo are completely at home with the unsettling and difficult listening experience you’re about to consume.
Bab Al On is a distressing album, careening sinuously from one extreme to the other. Craftily blending a mix of raw extremes with the grandiose and grotesque. An album to be heeded from beginning to end. Coming in at seventy-two minutes, your preparedness will be tested from this dreadful journey through dark chasms of chilling and breathtaking soundscapes. Menacing blast beats, twisting serpentine guitars, insane theatrical vocals, and drastic mood swings, all spellbinding and brutally performed. At every corner is another decayed peak or valley that Dødsengel traverses with such unhinged emotions. Ad Babalonis Amorem Do Dedico Omnia Nihilo is a guttural mid-tempo number with billowing riffs, frenzied roars, and hammering kick pedals. Traditional sounding black metal In the Beginning is a horrific example of hellish pace and shrilling vocals creating a throat cut delivery of gurgling rants of agony. The tracks second half kicks into a bouncy groove with a blackened circus vibe that just feels sinister. Waters of Unravelling is a slower paced atrocity of distorted walls of sound and devilish bellows. A simple alternate picked melody over the doomy riff fully realizes the entrancing power the track holds. Agnus Dei is a beguiling song of acoustic guitar, ominous background synth and operatic clean vocals. Sung in Latin, which is a Catholic mass chant translating to “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.” Dies Irae meaning the ‘Day of Wrath’ is a malaise spoken word poem about the last judgement. The words go from peaceful sounding to agitated by the end and continues with a haunting violin melody that truly feels apocalyptic.
I fully acknowledge that this lo-fi, very abrasive, occult-like piece of art is not for everyone. This sounds and feels like a canvas being painted depicting vile atrocities right in front of you. Fleshing out the diabolical story for you to bear witness. It flourishes in your discomfort and will stick with you for days. Give this a few spins and let it really creep in, it’s a payoff well worth it.
(4.5 / 5)
