Dormant Ordeal - Tooth And Nail - review
Dormant Ordeal - Tooth And Nail - review
Tracklist
01. Wije I Mary, Pt. 102. Halo Of Bones
03. Horse Eater
04. Orphans
05. Solvent
06. Dust Crown
07. Against The Dying Of The Light
08. Everything That Isn't Silence Is Trivial
09. Wije I Mary, Pt. 2
A review by
musclassia April 17, 2025
Poland’s legacy when it comes to death metal is beyond reproach, and yet Dormant Ordeal may be the scene’s standout band at present. When I reviewed The Grand Scheme Of Things, I noted that the band’s style on the album didn’t seem to bear all that much similarity to their esteemed compatriots in Behemoth and Decapitated, instead veering in more of a restrained disso-death direction that combined a conveyor belt of fierce riffs and percussive attacks with very effective melodic and atmospheric elements. To some degree, that description is applicable to Tooth And Nail, but in truth the band have progressed in a number of ways in the intervening 3.5 years, and the end result arguably outshines its already remarkable predecessor.
Curiously enough, however, I have found myself noting a clearer resemblance to Behemoth in moments found during the first handful of songs on the album. Ominous intro track “Wije I Mary, Pt. 1” is initially followed by a melody-tinged atmospheric opening to “Halo Of Bones” lit up by a short but stylish solo, but not longer after, it segues into a full-pelt ballistic assault of blasts and riffs that, combined with the roaring growls, isn’t a million miles away from the sound of albums such as Demigod. “Halo Of Bones”, once it gets going, is a relentless battering of intensity; “Orphans” is similarly jackhammer-ish in its approach, but while there’s also plenty of aggression during intervening song “Horse Eater”, this track also brings in steadier semi-melodic riffs, tasty atmospheric textures and stunning solos that show just how compelling Dormant Ordeal are at more measured tempos.
Even when factoring in the initial barrages from the band, Tooth And Nail is arguably a tad more accessible than its predecessor. This particularly becomes the case once the record hits “Solvent”, one of three tracks here that runs for over 6 minutes. There’s arguably something of a progressive death slant to the writing during some of these more convoluted tracks, and in turn it means that the group more extensively explore atmospheric textures, sometimes with a blackened edge, and they do it in a highly accomplished manner. “Solvent” is the album’s longest song, and it takes a while to get going as it opens first with tones reminiscent of post-rock and then warm blackened tremolo strums, each of which backed up by hectic percussion (session drummer Chason Westmoreland shows off his remarkable talents throughout the album). The song only descends into full extremity in its last quarter, but the atmosphere and tension crafted in the minutes beforehand is seriously gripping.
The album’s other longest song, “Everything That Isn’t Silence Is Trivial”, is arguably even more of a wildcard, from the jangling clean guitar chords in its opening seconds to the very dainty post-rock notes twinkling above the metallic assault of its conclusion; however, the intervening minutes are as fierce and aggressive as might have been expected from the opening tracks, with some murky dissonant buzzsaw lines amongst the chaos. Really, it’s not the lighter touches in and off themselves that elevate Tooth And Nail, but more how well everything here is assembled together. “Dust Crown” is already a hit from the off thanks to the irresistible hookiness of its frantic primary riff, but after the song detours into a captivating melodic solo, the way it so beautifully seamlessly transitions back into that opening riff in a slightly different percussive context is unbelievably satisfying.
The album is fantastic from front to back; I’ve not even had time to shine a little light on “Against The Dying Of The Light”, a song that’s almost anthemic in what amounts to its chorus while bulldozing forward with a mix of excellent fast and mid-tempo riffs, nor the fun guitar solo showcase that is the melodically-inclined final track “Wije I Mary, Pt. 2”. For my money, The Grand Scheme Of Things was close to the best that death metal had to offer in 2021, and I would not be at all surprised if Tooth And Nail turned out to be the genre’s crowning glory in 2025 as well.
Written on 17.04.2025 by
Written on 17.04.2025 by
Hey chief let's talk why not Comments
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Posts: 110  |
Posts: 110
Great review and a great band, one of the best in this technical-atmospheric death metal genre. Can’t wait for this album, and I hope they really did go in a more atmospheric direction. From what you’re saying, it sounds like they did.
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Posts: 8656 Written by Shmelevod on 17.04.2025 at 14:33 Yeah, it's more so from Solvent onwards, but yeah some really cool stuff on the atmospheric/melodic front in the second half of the record
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 Posts: 6658 |
Posts: 6658
Excellent review, had me really looking forward to it, especially as I found the previous album so impressive too. I'm on my 3rd spin so far and it's getting better with each listen, truly phenomenal beast of an album, so far I'm even finding it better than their previous imo. The best way I can describe it myself is like a blend of Panzerfaust and Ulcerate with a touch of Mgła.
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Posts: 3554  |
Posts: 3554
Haven't listened to their previous stuff, but this is an extremely good album. Great review as usual!
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Posts: 373  |
Posts: 373
If you like this try 'Hollow' by Hauntologist, all Mgła, Hate, Kriegsmaschine and Odraza albums. They all sound the same to me. 'Rzeczom' by Odraza is my favourite.
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Posts: 8656 Written by Archie 666 on 25.04.2025 at 20:41 I love Dormant Ordeal, like Rzeczom a lot, dig Mgla and Hauntologist to reasonable degrees, but I think there's a pretty marked difference between the bands that makes these guys substantially more appealing to me than Mgla and their adjacent acts
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Posts: 373 |
Posts: 373
Great. Have fun listening to their music. I am currently enjoying bands playing old school whatever the genre is called these days heavy metal(look up my 2025 list) music. Many bands play music like that. I'm hooked.
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