Dormant Ordeal – The Grand Scheme of Things
Release Date: 3rd December 2021
Label: Selfmadegod Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Technical Death Metal
FFO: Decapitated, Hate Eternal, Hour of Penance, Ulcerate.
Review By: Rick Farley
Poland has been a Death Metal hotbed for many years, producing some big time names. Decapitated, Vader, Behemoth and Hate just to name a few. With a current and very healthy DM scene, there’s now an influx of newer bands at the helm however that suggest a coming changing of the guard.
With two well regarded albums already under their belts, Dormant Ordeal may soon be the newly crowned kings. The Grand Scheme of Things is a ferocious, technical, dissonant beast of an album. Savage riffing, hyper blasting drums, and brutal growls filled with airy atmospheres that are not only suffocating but also linger with emotional depth. The riffs here are absolutely menacing. Guitarist Maciek Nieścioruk combines Tech Death riffing with hints of Black Metal tremolo picking, heavy discordant chord progressions and layered melodies. With sick structured chaotic guitars and bass that ultimately build a violent and dynamic ambience, even when the album is exploring through lighter atmospheres, you’d be hard-pressed to find much time to breathe. The riffs and drums here keep a neuron pounding pace that’s just sensory levelling. Blasting his way through, founding member and drummer Radek Kowal delivers with drum machine like precision. This is truly an album that wants to attack you. The Grand Scheme of Things is every bit worthy alongside the best Death Metal albums released so far this year.
The album is filled with extreme tension, moving to and from consonance and dissonance, evoking every emotion with a sense of uneasiness and unnerving direction. The Grand Scheme of things is assiduous with how long it stays in any one area. Not allowing the listener to settle in for very long, while still being brutal, captivating, and memorable. It’s near perfect in its songwriting compositions. The discordant layered riffing brings forth the spirit of early Decapitated, with grim nods to Hate Eternal and more subtly Ulcerate. It can’t be stressed enough, the musicianship here is incredible. The vocals are powerful, beastly, and growled with such intensity they remind of the legend himself, Erik Rutan. Excellence on all levels, Maciej Proficz does a great job of maintaining sheer vocal brutality throughout the album with ease.
The production on The Grand Scheme of Things is a highlight as well, everything shines and cuts through the mix with clarity. It has a tight, oppressive atmosphere that also breathes organically. The overall mix is dense, but each instrument still has great punch and is clear and audible. Superb job of mixing and mastering.
On the surface Dormant Ordeal is labelled as a Technical Death Metal band, but it must be noted that this is not shredding Tech Death, this is complexity within atmospheres, precise highly skilled musicianship serving within the song, created dark airy undertones through intricate and intense song crafting. It’s a fresh addition to the often bloated and sometimes run-of-the-mill genre. Dormant Ordeal is a band that demands to be heard, and The Grand Scheme of Things will be on repeat for quite some time. 
(4.5 / 5)
