Dwellers Of The Twilight - Sycophant review
| Band: | Dwellers Of The Twilight |
| Album: | Sycophant |
| Style: | Black metal |
| Release date: | November 11, 2011 |
| A review by: | Troy Killjoy |
01. Skeptics
02. Dark Matter Lungs
03. Explorers
04. Endless Cycle
05. Fastwalkers
06. Sycophant
07. Self Conspiracy
08. Unearthing History
09. Terraformer
10. Serpents In The Sky
Dwellers Of The Twilight is a two-piece black metal band from France - unsigned and searching for the right label. Sycophant is their second full-length release, following up 2009's Grey. And the differences are more than noticeable.
Initially it seemed as though the Dwellers (by the names of Human 1 and 2) sought out to join the hordes of raw lo-fi black metal projects, but Sycophant saw them take a turn in the right direction. The direction that makes reviewers like me draw comparisons to the likes of countrymates Deathspell Omega and Antaeus, for willing to experiment within the confines of what some think of as a tired genre.
The sound isn't entirely their own, but it's not exactly a carbon copy either. There seems to be a strong focus on the psychedelic effects the guitars create, distorting their way into a mythical, occult madness - sometimes even reminiscent of contemporary Akercocke. It's not the hoity-toity type of atmospheric black metal that a lot of Alcest rip-offs are vying to emulate, it's the kind of album you absorb while simultaneously taking in the mosaic that is W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage over tea and
So you've got the psychedelia, the occultism, the all-around raw maniacal machine of a parasite that is the Dwellers Of The Twilight, but what of the spaced out intellectualism marred only by a true cynic's disbelief. That's a fancy way of me telling you that this isn't a straight-up balls to the wall anti-humanistic tongue-lashing for the weak, but a mesmerizing mix of spite and aggression with orchestrated insanity that borders on conspiratorial skepticism to go along with a time-changing propensity most progressive metal bands would be proud of.
This is both black metal for gentlemen as much as it is black metal for nihilists. See for yourself which group you belong to: http://dwellersofthetwilight.bandcamp.com/.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 10 |
 | Written on 15.12.2011 by I'm total pro; that's what I'm here for. |
Comments page 2 / 2
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Comments: 44
Visited by: 410 users
| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 16.12.2011 at 19:01 If 2012 is as good (or better) for BM, the world can end by December and I'll die a happy man.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by Slayer666 on 16.12.2011 at 19:03 I honestly can't keep up too much anymore. It's like a friggin factory: "Here comes a very good album... Listens to it... enjoy it a lot... here's ANOTHER very good album...etc." The enjoyment doesn't last that long and it's just not as enjoyable when you feel like you have to take the time to really listen to the stuff.... If I take my time to enjoy each album from 2011 that I found good... I'll be done by 2013  It's almost too good it's annoying.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Carl Berg Carl Berg Posts: 589  |
Quote: Now THAT is worth checking out.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by The Turbanator on 16.12.2011 at 09:33 Nothing MA says about them is accurate. I think I would know since the band contacted me themselves. It was finished recording in '09 and they had it ready to release, but didn't officially release it until November.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| scaesura Posts: 174 |
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by scaesura on 17.12.2011 at 03:15 If this is too processed you must really have an affinity for lo-fi stuff. The debut will probably impress you more in that case.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| scaesura Posts: 174 |
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| Evil Chip Posts: 505  |
This one and Rudra, Wolves in the Throne Room and Infestus are the best of the year for me.
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Grody2themax Posts: 240  |
Written by [user id=4365] on 17.12.2011 at 20:50 I hate it when people irrationally hate on programmed drums. I think anyone would prefer real drums, but it doesn't make that much of a difference except for it maybe being too perfect. You'd probably never even notice the drums being programmed unless it was pointed out to you or they were done poorly.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Grody2themax on 18.12.2011 at 10:20 Not to mention that sometimes they sound far better than normal ones considering the fact that some styles like industrial sound better and more natural that way.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| InnerSelf proofread free Posts: 2682  |
Sounds like something I'd enjoy, nice review 
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
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| Slinky666 Account deleted |
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| koob Posts: 367 |
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