SLIDHR - Deluge (2013)

Genre: Black Metal

Label: Debemur Morti Productions

Rating: 8/10

Slidhr, despite having a name from Norse mythology, hail from Ireland, Dublin to be specific. I reckon that they are one of Ireland's best bands right now. I will confess that this is the only release I own by them, but I'm confident enough to say that.

"Wielding Daggers," the first track, is wonderfully dark. It seems like it's over too quick, though it spans 5:45. Track two is even better, entitled "Hex." At times it evokes Deathspell Omega. There is a period of clean singing, no words, though. It is to be noted that the production on this album is great. The bass is clearly audible, the drums have nice bass and punch to them, and they guitars sound heavy despite not being detuned that far, and the guitar tone is great, as well. Anyway, the riff and rhythm pattern that go with it starting at 4:09 in "Hex" are weird, but really good. It repeats to the end.

Next we have "Earth's Mouth Opens." The riff that starts at 1:06 is very interesting. This is overall a phenomenal song. It is dark and strange and I love it. "Symbols Obscuring" features a great little solo that is also on the strange side, and is rather quiet. Mostly, however, this song is a fast affair until about 1:35. Then just the bass and some distant, clean electric guitar are heard. It does this for about a minute, and then a pretty cool distorted, tremolo strummed part comes in. Track five, "Rejoin the Dirt," is definitely my favourite off the album. It emphasises variety in rhythm styles on guitar. The mid-section of this song features what seems to be an odd time signature on the guitars. I could be wrong about that, as I've always been terrible at measuring time. At any rate, I love this song.

"Their Blood" is next, and the first half is a blastfest. Around the 3 minute mark is a very interesting riff. Make a note of it. It is in a slow period, but tremolo guitars with a really cool drum-fill repetition end out the song. "Death of the Second Sun" is track seven. This may be the darkest track on the album. The riff around 2:25 is particularly good. It goes from being tremolo strummed to strummed with emphasis. Track eight, "Unseen" starts off with a seethingly dark riff. Shortly thereafter, it's followed by a brief glimpse of clean singing. The screamed vocals on this album are particularly ferocious sounding,and I like that a lot. Song nine, "As the Dead," starts off with lower notes tremolo picked, and a flourish on the higher strings, something I've always been keen on for my own music. The final track, 10, and named "Rays Like Blades" features a somewhat deranged sounding riff in the beginning.

There is a word that sums up this band, based off this release anyway: unique. And at 49-some-odd minutes long, it's not all that lengthy, but it feels longer than it is, because so much happens. Fascinating stuff, and I urge you to support them. I was going to rate them with a 7.5, but "Rejoin the Dirt" convinced me that they are skilled musicians and songwriters, and deserve an 8. The CD can be purchased here. Digital copies can be purchased on DMP's Bandcamp.