Dysphorian Breed ‘The Longing For The Tides Of Metamorphosis’ DD 2014
Has someone sinned? Is there a judgment from on high coming down? The sounds of choruses and orchestral bells seem to denote so. I’ve heard these “noises” before and they always bring me back to that place when I hear them again: The Omen. That will give you a good idea of what I mean. Damien, the son of Satan, inspired that heavenly singing and on Dysphorian Breed’s The Longing For The Tides Of Metamorphosis, they are present throughout, throughout the three songs that make up this album. Metal, of course, make up the foundation on which they lie, a tight, riff-laden, double bass booming, enticing metal foundation. This guy (not band, for one man put this whole thing together) is good, real good. Now, if you can dig the cookie monster vocals, then alright.
The Longing For The Tides Of Metamorphosis is the debut album by David Fredriksson of Sweden under the moniker of Dysphorian Breed. It can be said that it contains your basic elements of funeral dirge metal, sludge metal, death metal, prog metal, etc. There’s elements of speed metal here also, bringing back recollections of Jag Panzer. I have to say, that Mr. Fredriksson does these all very well, very competently.
What I found most impressive, however, was this man’s ability for prose. As I mentioned, there’s only three songs on this album, with all of them clocking in at around eleven minutes each. All three are individual stories that stand alone or, when tied together, tell a bigger story. Each song speaks (sings? nawwww) of just what you think it might by the album’s and song’s title(s). Franz Kafka would be proud; another man is in the throes of a metamorphosis. Whereby Kafka’s (in his early twentieth century publishing, The Metamorphosis) protagonist initially appears already in his metamorphisized state, Dysphorian Breed’s protagonist in The Longing For The Tides Of Metamorphosis, poetically, tells of the before. With lyrical competency, the songs tell of a man on the brink of metamorphing and what that means to him and perhaps how it came to be. From what I hear, this man has been fucked with too often and is letting go of that former shell. Somehow, he knows that there is another life to go through, though unseen and unknown, and this metamorphosis is the key. It’s cool. I can very easily see these lyrics being spoken at a spoken word/poetry recital.
They words can stand on their own. Being a metaller, though, it’s intriguing to hear these words, this story, told through the trappings of mean guitars, double bass, evil choruses, topped off with Godzilla on vocals and yes, there’s keyboards/synthesizers doing some of the work here too, Personally, I am not the biggest fan of cookie monster, Darth Vader vocals, but they work here, brilliantly. I can’t help but wonder what it would sound like with a singer, like a Halford, or something of that screamsinging nature. It may fit. It may not.
All in all, this is a very impressive debut from one man in Sweden, Dysphorian Breed. I guess it can be said that this is really nothing new. There’s been funeral death metal done before, but we all know how shitty it can be. The Longing For The Tides Of Metamorphosis is well constructed. It tells a story. That’s nice. I recommend, on a stormy night (after downloading it and giving the poor guy some cash), turning off the lights, lighting some candles and incense, transferring your mind somehow and putting this on for a listen. I do recommend you have the lyrics on hand as otherwise it will just sound like a floor sander going off during church service, you need to know what is being said, it makes the album. You will then be transported to the middle of a Hammer horror movie and go through a change, a metamorphosis if you will.
Label: Self Released
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp
Scribed by: Brian Burroughs
