Back in the late-90s, a phrase would often crop up in reviews of black/death metal albums – ‘Dissection clone’. By and large, this was spot-on. In the wake of Dissection’s landmark second album ‘Storm of the Light’s Bane’, a whole host of bands followed in their wake in an effort to blend scything Swedish blackness, classic NWOBHM melodicism and snarling death metal. Generally, with pretty tepid results.
OK, some bands were unfairly lumped in with this category (Dawn and Sacramentum immediately spring to mind) but around 1997-98 it really was the case that barely a week would go by without another bunch of upstarts jogging down to Peter Tagtren’s Abyss Studio and trotting out what to all intents and purposes was a ‘Storm…’ re-write.
Those days are long gone now so it is an almost nostalgic sensation to slap on Lugnasad’s debut full-length and be confronted with a good old-fashioned Dissection clone. Yep, across this record’s seven tracks we are treated to the full gamut of Dissection’s repertoire – indeed, the opening two numbers reference so many classic moments it’s reminiscent of one of those knowing Tarantino films where he’s trying to cram in as many ‘homages’ to obscure cult classics as he can. Except I doubt this is quite as deliberate.
‘Four in the Fifth Finger’ whips out the main melody lines of both ‘Unhallowed’ and ‘Where Dead Angels Lie’ whilst the second track ‘Xerolagnia’ has that infectious 6/8 bounce typified by ‘Thorns of Crimson Death’. Even the creamy, resonant lead guitar sound is seemingly lifted from the Gothenburg legends.
The net of influences is cast a little wider as the album progresses – the title track is a little more epic in scope (and ironically, ends up sounding like a Dawn B-side) and ‘Frigid Feast’ brings out some nods to Shining with demented shrieked vocals, doleful guitar lines and morbid pacing. Still, it’s all staggeringly derivative stuff and given that there is pedigree in this French five-piece (vocalist Vestal also plies his trade in the far more interesting Merrimack), it’s somewhat puzzling that they’ve opted to go down the road of meat ‘n’ potatoes melodic death-black, Swedish style.
The whole issue is thoroughly exemplified in the song ‘Novus Ordo Seclorum’, little more than a beige hodge-podge of familiar sounding melodic black metal motifs, bereft of any real distinction. It’s only with album closer ‘Scarified’ that a riff of any real interest appears – the main passage is stirring and strident –however, the band clearly realise this and completely overplay it over the song’s unnecessary 10 minute length. This one brief moment aside, ‘Smell of Grey Sore’ is a rather uninspiring listen – unless you like playing ‘spot the Dissection riff’, I’d stay away I’m afraid.
(4/10 Frank Allain)
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