Band:	Diskord
Album:	Dystopics
Style:	Progressive death metal, Technical death metal
Release date:	April 2012

01. Entropic Death
02. Overseer
03. Epochal
04. Tremble
05. Woebegoneness
06. Ambisinistral
07. Psychotic Process
08. As The Circus Leaves The Galaxy
09. Rambling Words From A Sore Throat
10. Metamorphosis
11. Godsends And Hellbents
12. Primitive Doom

Genuine unique death metal: now there's a rarity. Much like the torment of Tantalus that which is heralded as innovative typically turns out to be typical, and continually out of reach of expectations. Those that proffer such "gems" usually adopt the form of egregious exaggerators, the fruit of their offerings usually bearing little more than banal, overproduced death metal standard with only a cosmetic melding of keyboards and unnecessary, wasteful technicality. True unique death metal defines itself at the core, morphing its form inexplicably. Norway's Diskord seem to be emphatically aware of this. They're devoid of the usual tacked on weirdness abound in other bands. No babies crying at the end of tracks, no electronic interference, none o' that wank. Diskord are discord incarnate.

Imagine, if you will, the bastard offspring of the backwards anti-riffs of Nespithe, the crushing edge of Obscura (the album of course, not the band) the cavorting peculiarity of Pod vládou biče and Disharmonization and the avant-garde perplexities of Ved Buens Ende and Virus. That might take you halfway there. Name dropping aside, a closed textural analysis of the structures and sounds would be of academic proportions and one that I'm unwilling and unable to undertake, but suffice to say the guitar tone is hearty but with strong regard for that which surrounds it, so much so the bass is free to travel where it pleases in wonderful "unf"-inducing interplay, occasionally rising to the surface in true Atheist style, intensifying the almost free-form jazz tendencies of Dystopics to its true potential.

Death metal is really only a component here. The transition from the blasting to the galloping to the downright unpredictable is seamless, delicious and satisfying. Structures and techniques appear almost ad hoc; when one has passed it's unlikely to be seen again, driven by drumming that can only be guessed at on a vague level. The vocal accompaniment, as you might expect, is equally varied yet similarly themed. The stabbing, gruff rasps puncture the dissonance in a variety of monotones as well as morphing itself into cavernous growls in accordance with the occasional slower, doomy lull in a fitting display of dynamism. Another of the most pleasing aspects is the delightfully old-school production values its been afforded. Mucky wouldn't be an inappropriate word to use here. A completely organic experience that doesn't hide behind spit and polish. It's difficult to overstate the effect a considered production job can have on music such as this and as it stands this could be taken right out of the early '90s.

This is quite simply a technical and curious marvel. Much like the human relationship, when one seeks it out you'll likely find sod all. Only when you stop looking does this kind of music make itself aware. Progressive-cum-avant-garde death metal music that might only appeal to a scant audience but that audience is in for something special.

Then Diskord looked over all they had made, and behold, it was weird.

Weird is good. And this is fucking weird.