DEGENERATIONS

"Degenerations" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Norwegian death metal act Diskord. The album was released through Transcending Obscurity Records in August 2021. It´s the successor to "Dystopics" from 2012 although the two full-length albums are bridged by the "Oscillations" EP from 2014. There´s been one lineup change as guitarist Håvard Østli has been replaced by Dmitry Soukhinin. It´s safe to say that Diskord aren´t the most profific act in terms of output (three full-length releases in 22 years since forming in 1999 really aren´t that much), but I´ll take quality over quantity any day and the preceding releases have shown that Diskord are a guarantee for that.

Stylistically the basis of the band´s music is the same as it´s been since day one. Old school death metal influenced by early (death metal) Darkthrone and Cadaver combined with the fusion influenced technical playing of an act like Atheist. Diskord have increased their use of elements from other genres over the years though, and "Degenerations" is their most diverse effort up until now. I hear post-metal elements, noise/dissonance, and avant garde metal elements too. The use of clean guitars on closing track "Beyond the Grime" is also a first as far as I remember. The vocals are another feature, which have become more varied on "Degenerations". They are still predominantly growling, but there are different types of shouting raw vocals on the album too.

One of the great assets of Diskord´s sound is their powerful organic playing style. The trio format is fully explored here and the rawness and equal focus on every instrument work incredibly well. "Degenerations" also features an organic, raw, and powerful sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly. Every impressive detail is audible in the mix, but it´s not presented in a polished sterile fashion. This is a living, organic beast of an album and Diskord have done it again, and have released another high quality album. Personally I appreciate them most when they lean more towards the death metal/fusion influenced technical death metal part of their sound, and less when they lean towards the avant garde/noise part of their sound, but I generally think they strike a good balance here. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)