Review: Dopelord ‘Songs For Satan’
October 6th, 2023 will bring a brand new album from the stoner doom heavyweights of Dopelord. Their fifth full-length, lovingly titled Songs For Satan, is the next logical step for this Warsaw, Poland based four-piece, whose roster includes original members Piotr Zin (bass and vocals), Grzegorz Pawłowski (guitars), Paweł Mioduchowski (vocals and guitar), and joining in 2018 we have drummer Piotr Ochociński.
Dopelord formed in 2010, emerging with their first full album, Magick Rites, a mere two years later in 2012. Since then, they have continued to hone their craft with three more full-length albums, two splits, and an EP before announcing Songs For Satan to an eagerly awaiting fan base. My favorite of the already released albums is 2020’s Sign Of The Devil, followed closely by their 2017 effort, Children Of The Haze, though this new album could replace both as their best release to date!
Songs For Satan consists of seven incredible tracks, and it was difficult for me to pick the songs to put into this review. I decided that I should randomly pick a few to go over, so let’s jump into them now!
Night Of The Witch is the first full track, following a brief forty-two-second intro. Now, I’m gonna upset some of you with this next statement, but there is a comparison to be made with Ghost in the vocals at five minutes and forty seconds in, ‘It’s the Night Of The Witch, The Witch, The Witch’.
This Is where the comparison ends, but what it shows is that Dopelord is able to pull out all the stops in order to create lasting, memorable music. The rest of the track is pure stoner doom excellence, those fuzzed guitars are so thick and warm, wrapping their arms around you like a lover and never letting you go.
everything on Songs For Satan is first-class stoner doom…
Evil Spell, the fifth track, is my second favorite on Songs For Satan, with its ultra fuzzy riffs, and brooding atmosphere. I love the lines that say, ‘What do I have to become for you to love me? A wizard’ and ‘What will you become if you love me back? A witch.’
The melody here is very memorable, and those two lines hit me in a way that coincides with my life at the present time. The music is, as I mentioned, brooding and atmosphere inducing. Then add in a fantastic guitar solo, and you have all of the ingredients for the best Stoner-Doom you’ll ever experience.
Not that we needed another reason to love Dopelord, but One Billion Skulls will only add to that love. It’s a standout for the reasons that Night Of The Witch and Evil Spell are, but it also offers up something different, particularly during the guitar solo. If you don’t thoroughly enjoy this song, then you may want to get your hearing checked by a healthcare professional ASAP.
Even though I only brought up three of the five full tracks, you can be assured that everything on Songs For Satan is first-class stoner doom. There legitimately isn’t anything on here that is disappointing or worth nitpicking, it’s just that good from beginning to end. So, get out there and find it on any of the streaming services that you use, or go and order yourself a physical copy from their Bandcamp page like I did. No matter how you do it, do it loudly. Enjoy!
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Tom Hanno
