The black metal arts have expanded into untold territories since their inception, and that evolution continues as these foremost Norwegians arrive with the latest in otherworldly exploration. Its title of Black Medium Current reflects the abundant and formless potential hanging in the void, which is harnessed adeptly by DØDHEIMSGARD to craft a work of vast elemental configurations, and new eccentric spheres are discovered in the course of its alluring progression. The unbounded arrangements are matched by vocal dynamics from Vicotnik, who has taken up those duties after further lineup shifts, and Black Medium Current ultimately soars with the patterns of minds steeped in both dark torments and liberated bliss.
Expansive planes are apparent around the acoustic lines of “Et Smelter,” and a sound verging on traditional black metal is engaged in bleak riffing and blasts, along with sung vocals incorporated with the harshness to heighten a progressive infusion with the extremity. Clean arpeggiated regions formulate a dreary and foreboding cosmos, which is soon carried in a tremolo trance up to the zenith of leadwork, and its euphoria is amplified by mesmeric synth profusions circulating in the ether. Dissonance resounds from the riffing on “Tankespinnerens Smerte,” and different vocal dynamics alternate and intersect at seamless intervals within its malign advance. Tremolos replicate their melody until reaching clear orchestral areas, where vocals are again key to an evolving concurrence of wonder and woe, and certain fret patterns strike notably as the cold blackness returns with a steady glare. It transfers to a pulsing rhythmic force on “Interstellar Nexus,” and electronic bits gleam enticingly over a galactic beat that drifts into deep starless regions. A sense of being lost in those dimensions is captured in warped string plucks, and this capacity for sound-shifting proves endless when breaking to the tripped-out techno frequencies of another transition. They coincide with vocals somehow echoing familiar spirits from past members, and some of the band’s timeless efforts are recalled here before the track is engulfed in a heavy resurgence.
A jazzy PINK FLOYD aura is contributed to the array on “It Does Not Follow,” and potent synth qualities make its psychedelia irresistible while balance is achieved through an accumulating wrath. Tremolos pursue evocative courses amid noted fret cycles and a moment of arpeggiated dread, and a bass-heavy beat lingers in the atmosphere preceding a piano interlude on “Voyager.” Its reflections extend to the prevailing gloom of “Halow,” but grand energies also rise for a dichotomous conjuring driven at points by tortuous drum patterns. Ominous strums emphasize their entrancement, along with a section of orated grimness, and arpeggiations dig further into the dissonance until a keyed outro heralds “Det Tomme Kalde Mørke.” Sharpened riffing and blasts launch a frenzied exercise here, seizing even greater appeal when electronics shoot across the escalating turbulence, and detailed rhythmic maneuvers take hold after drifting into a series of haunting encounters. They include voices and sampled effects to forward a cosmic captivation, and its impact is carried into the void of “Abyss Perihelion Transit,” where a futuristic intoxication takes lead over imposing and ethereal planes. A synchronized drum ritualism is also pronounced among its transfixed consciousness, and those influences draw hopelessly toward “Requiem Aeternum,” which is vocally matched by pianos and other despairing symphonies to bring about a terminal close.
Philosophical ideas are channeled through a dark lyrical psychology communicated in both Norwegian and English, with the former taking full precedence on the first two tracks, and rough translations reveal the obscured states and wicked urges possessing “Et Smelter.” Falsehoods are exposed around its crumbling veil, and a search for truth proceeds on “Tankespinnerens Smerte” while noting the deceptive outward appearance of things within a world of corruption. A struggle between different opposing forces is detailed, including the anxiety lurking among supposed peace, and aims to leave a lasting mark here require self-offerings to a void that is immersed on “Interstellar Nexus.” There are attempts to grasp something tangible in its endless flux, where substance is constantly morphing from one end of a spectrum to the other, and an English transference of “You can reflect, but you cannot alter” accepts the futility of this endeavor. “You showed me nothing” objects to the “Vulgar praises raised and tempered pure” on “It Does Not Follow,” along with “I am the irreducible mind” implying a resistance to those ongoing falsities, and aims to tear them down are achieved by “Deeds that come unapprised” and “Not through will,” highlighting an inquisitive glance towards ideas of free will explored throughout.
There is a curiosity on whether the yearning for death on “Voyager” might involve any symbolic meanings beyond its literal interpretation, given the multifarious nature of this work, and “Halow” follows suit with Norwegian and English alternatively conveying negative mental traits and illuminating the darkness through a new awareness. Both languages converge again for deeper free will contemplations on “Det Tomme Kalde Mørke,” where “A fate I could never resist” suggests one possibility, and other passages confirm the dead realms to be our inevitable destination. Its atmosphere is perceived through “A place so cold,” along with a certain despair in “Dreams of mine it cannot hold,” and these auras circle near the cognitive focal point on “Abyss Perihelion Transit.” It details how “We form an unbreakable bond with our own perception of reality” while deeming “Identity” as “A drug from oblivion,” and other implications are likely behind tendencies to “Live in fear” and “Then grow cold.” Perspectives between above and below, or within and without, seem distorted to where “Freedom looks like failure,” and the torment of those inescapable states is reflected drearily in “Dead black mirrors” on “Requiem Aeternum,” which portrays love undesirably alongside a “Sign of human grief rooted in belief.” The identity of a dead king remains obscured here, demonstrating how vague lyrical contexts throughout leave room for interpretation, and this quality sometimes makes them a challenge to decipher. Their inventive and profound substance is undeniable though, and its effect parallels the imaginative orchestrated currents.
Despite the extensive hiatus between releases, DØDHEIMSGARD remains a masterful force in tracing dark horizons, and time proved advantageous for composing pieces that strike like the score to an epic film on Black Medium Current. It was disappointing to see Aldrahn depart for the second time, and I wasn’t sure how the band’s identity would be affected by another vocalist change, but different complementary dimensions were decidedly brought to the music by Vicotnik’s versatility. His range of expressions harmonizes with each passage as they flow through the blackness and into diverse avant-garde enchantments, which produce acid-fueled trances and a galacticism to enhance the more hostile exercises, and a natural cooperation between those elements further affirms DØDHEIMSGARD’s penchant for evocative songwriting. Black Medium Current is an immense experience that is equally challenging and enjoyable, making it a clear highlight for this year, and we can only hope it won’t be too long until the next grand cosmoscape emerges.
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