BLACK MEDIUM CURRENT

DODHEIMSGARD began in 1994 Oslo as a fairly typical second wave black metal band in the likes of Darkthrone, Satyricon and a large number of other bands taking metal into the depths of darkness but like many early players got a bit bored with the one-dimensionality of the scene and by the band's third album "666 International" went rogue by taking black metal into the world of the avant-garde with heavy doses of industrial bleakness, occasional jazzy interludes and a sense of wackiness more reserved for totally unhinged bands like Mr Bungle but somehow the band showcased an extreme discipline in crafting an album's worth of exciting musical motifs that defied logic with reckless abandon and ultimately put DODHEIMSGARD on its own trajectory of the ever-expanding black metal scene.


In the 1990s the band released a total of three albums and an EP all with the span of a four year period but in the 21st century has only released a mere three making us wonder if DODHEIMSGARD will ever release another album or just simply disappear into the past. Well luckily the band is simply more obsessed with quality over quantity and has released its sixth overall album in 2023 titled BLACK MEDIUM CURRENT, a whopping eight years since its avant-garde bombshell "A Umbra Omega." Like every album since the 1998's EP "Satanic Art," DODHEIMSGARD has once again taken its music into new territories without jettisoning the sounds that came before. Still primarily stepped in second wave black metal with the addition of industrial bleakness, BLACK MEDIUM CURRENT jettisons a lot of the brutal progressive hairpin turns and surreal nature for a much more melodic and emotional expansive release.

Yes indeed. Still experimental as ever, DODHEIMSGARD has forsaken a ruthless attack of the senses for a more easily connective style that incorporates folk music melodies along with the melodic underpinnings of the original second wave black metal scene only with a top notch production and mixing job that allows every element to live up to its full potential, an attribute that has been the band's bailiwick for well over two decades. Once again this is a lengthy listening experience as DODHEIMSGARD is very much into anchoring itself in the modern reality and has delivered a near 70-minute roster of nine tracks with the majority exceeding the 7-minute mark. Led by drummer guitarist / drummer / vocalist Vicotnik, the band finds yet another lineup with Lars Emil Måløy of If Nothing Is; "Tommy Guns," or Tommy Thunberg, of Kirkebrann; and Øyvind Myrvoll who is Vicotnik's partner in crime in Dold Vorde Ens Navn and a collaborator of Mayhem's Teloch in Nidingr.

Immediately BLACK MEDIUM CURRENT sets itself apart from it's avant-garde predecessor with a melancholic yet melodic opening "Et Smelter." While the black metal guitar heft and industrial electronic wizardry soon join in, the album remains for its entirely much more accessible than anything since the "Satanic Art" EP with super catchy vocal hooks that anchor the album's accessibility with the avant-garde black metal shenanigans that accompany. While many an extreme metal band has "sold out" their experimental principles for a go at a more accessible and commercial sound, DODHEIMSGARD successfully manages to add all the emotive heart string tugs without sacrificing the insouciant urge to sally forth into the realms of the experimental, a feat that has kept DODHEIMSGARD regarded as one of the most accomplished musical acts in the murky waters where extreme black metal, progressive rock and the experimental avant-garde meet.

Overall this is a masterful accomplishment and although each and every DODHEIMSGARD throws me off guard upon first listen, it more than rewards upon return visits. BLACK MEDIUM CURRENT is no exception in that matter. While i still find "A Umbra Omega" to be the band's most accomplished moment, this sixth album certain is not too far behind although some tracks like "It Does Not Follow" tend to meander at times in a repetitive loop that could've been trimmed down but basically all those masterful guitar licks laced with time signature excesses and hairpin twists and turns that result in high octane industrial metal to slow downtempo fueled electronic chill out moments are still found in plentitude. In essence, DODHEIMSGARD crafts music that is the absolute pinnacle of avant-garde progressive extreme metal with the added bonus of a production job that allows every element to shine like a sparkling diamond. While it would be easy to go astray doing this tightrope act, DODHEIMSGARD has proven time and time again that it was made to bring these hi brow visions of metal utopia to light.