DODSFERD

The guy is a friggin' black metal machine, let me tell you. Wrath is as prolific as hell and DODSFERD represents the high water mark for one-man black metal acts; at least those existing outside of the self-loathing 'n suicide realm. It is one thing to churn out a slew of releases in a short time span. It is something else entirely when each one is a black metal whirlwind. The Greek firebrand has already shocked and awed with "Fucking Your Creation" and "Cursing Your Will To Live", and those are only the full-length releases. Moribund has now released another barrel of deadly poison in "Death Set The Beginning Of My Journey" and has another in the can in "Suicide And The Rest Of Your Kind Will Follow", which is set for a January 2009 release. To state that "Death Set The Beginning Of My Journey" is mandatory if you loved Wrath's previous work would be a gross understatement.

"What makes DODSFERED such a compelling black metal act", you ask? The intensity and the honesty, man! When you read song titles like "You were talking about a kingdom; what the fuck is that!!!", it is a cinch that Wrath isn't interested in flowery metaphor or poetic odes to the forest. This is black metal that hates with all its heart and not a hint of it is disingenuous. Wrath howls, shouts, and screams bloody murder as he rides demon-winged riffs straight out of hell. And that's the other side of it. The man continues to create jagged riffs and ear spitting BM harmonies that are familiar, yet somehow fresh, and there is more power driving going on here than a fleet of big rigs careening down the highway, steered by speed freakin' truckers. Just listen to "Suicide Was Created By Your Incompetence" and "Light Is Darker In This Swamp", the latter boasting the album's fiercest groove. There is rarely anything resembling a letup on this one. Danger is everywhere.

On a whole other level, DODSFERD takes all that blinding rage and pumps it full of morose atmosphere. It's all so suffocating and choked with an alarming amount of disdain for the human race. Toss in some prime quotes from Sergeant Barnes (a.k.a. Tom Berenger in "Platoon") that actually tie into the overall theme, instead of coming off haphazardly thrown together, and "Death Set The Beginning Of My Journey" ends up another hot shot of the toxic stuff. That speaks volumes in consideration of what has already been a long line of overdoses.