#VAGABONDZREVIEW: DENIGRATE - BLACKGUARD
What's up Vagabondz! Hope you’re going well!
I know, it’s been pretty long since I last published Sonata Del Diavlo review and the band didn’t mind that I’d write the entire Blackguard album review. It took me a while to put the thoughts together, but finally here it is!
Bio
Finnish 1996 founded melancholic metal band DENIGRATE has released their third full length album. Album titled " Blackguard " is doom metal flavored and maybe the darkest album so far by the band.
Since Denigrate was found the inevitable vibe of the band was to be dark, melancholy, tormented, observative.
The quantity of albums released is really not the thing in this band. From the first released album in 2003 to the latest 3rd one in 2022 called "Blackguard", decades have changed and so has the band.
After no more than two albums released, after big-time local momentum with a Finnish cover song, after mandatory hiatus, after some line-up changes, Denigrate 2022 is at its hardest core.
"Blackguard" takes you deep, slowly, irreparably. It's the place where all beauty and evil befalls.
Forewords
The band has curious and riveting background. I don’t remember any bands for whom would it take decades to start releasing music again. When it comes to writing stuff, it’s the first band for me with such extraordinary background to review. If it has taken so great period of time for Denigrate to start releasing music again, I’m certain that Blackguard features something incredibly curious.
Let’s do it!
Sonata Del Diavlo
Having listened to Sonata Del Diavlo somewhere in the beginning of 2022, it becomes one of the biggest openings for me so far. I can describe it with the following words - this music is something I long for. The darkness initially appears with the slow and controlled intro is enlightened by outstanding melodics driving this song from the darkness to the light. With rapid but mild tempo change, the music becomes more defined and piercing.
Every feature placed in Sonata Del Diavlo makes huge impact on entire sound. Even some shadowy whispers causing great thrill should be mentioned. Additionally, it was an effective way to join song parts and transform the song from the peacefulness to the heaviness. The incredible intro melody repeats and now it's colored with breathtaking vocal part.
Among the outstanding writing skills, I need to mention top of the range Sonata Del Diavlo sound production. I would like to mention lower range section as the best possible mood builder for this song. The sound of bass taking you into eternity and the gloomy, dark vocals are something making this song truly cool. Moreover, the breaking moment when the peace is changed for action was something I couldn't possibly expect and those kinda surprises are the best to face when listening to a song. We all need those feelings. Vagabond'z Spirit: Sonata Del Diavlo review (June 13)
Objectively, it’s hard to imagine the better start of an album. Sonata Del Diavlo has everything an opening song needs – it’s progressive and longing in the beginning and incredibly teary and blasting in the end. Thrilling and intoxicating atmosphere all over the song is set by enormously deep and dark vocals and their combination – clean and growl.
The Fear and the Fever
After enjoying Sonata Del Diavlo for I-don’t-know-what-time, I’m extremely ravenous for the next song to continue the promising storyline.
To begin with, the song title Fear and the Fever is the music for my ears. Being a linguist, I find it entertaining to analyze word interplay in English. With the riveting title, I expect this song to keep the spirit of Sonata Del Diavlo and maybe broaden the horizons of Denigrate music.
Fear and the Fever has calm but same time curious and attention grabbing intro. This effect is nicely achieved by smashing drums pattern that carries on the intriguing spirit of the song in combination with gloomy guitar sound.
There's also great deal of melodics pointed out by lead guitar and the felicitous drum pattern able to support the melodic riff idea through gleaming hats. All palette of the sounds indicates peacefulness and makes the sound just intoxicating, and it can only arouse my interest in listening to Blackguard.
Denigrate is one of the bands that can surprise or even astonish. After tremendously melancholic and gloomy intro, there should always figure a shade of radiant hope that is specified in melodic and gentle acoustic guitar. It wasn’t the element I predicted to had appeared, but the result had exceeded my expectation. If you've read some of my earlier reviews, you must know how much I adore unplugged elements in heavy metal, especially melodic death metal. On one hand, they can significantly broaden the sound field filling it with lasting aftertones, and on the other - they are just beautiful and able to make the whole song shine through the speakers. It's acoustics that make the song peaceful and let a listener go deeper into it.
The acoustic melody idea is pretty simple, nevertheless it sounds sophisticated. The combination of clean and heavy guitars is my all-time favorite and it makes me listening more attentive – should vocals appear soon? Bumping up the melody level of the song, enriching it with depth and thoroughness, they finalize the entire sound. What takes my breath away is the depth and intensity of the vocals – oh yeah, it’s the vocal style I adore! Obviously, the vocalist can drive his vocals in highest degree, making them smoothly follow the melody changes and undoubtedly, extremely hard work was done on his vocal skills. The element adding up to the intensity of the vocals is shining hats that create the basement of steady and stable rhythmic pattern of the verse.
One more thing I’d like to put into consideration, is that in comparison to Sonata Del Diavlo, The Fear and The Fever expresses greater shade of hope and belief. It's especially heard in chorus implementing the dynamic lead guitar melody (it’s the means of expressing tremendous belief) with a stable basement of rhythm section.
What makes this song truly blasting is the wonderful combination of vocals, drums beat and lead guitar. Namely those elements are highlighted in sound field as they are grabbing most of my attention.
The last but not less riveting and strong part of The Fear and The Fever is the bridge. It features clean guitar, what’s making the huge impact on this incredibly touching bridge. And again, I’m bewitched with the depth of the vocals that make truly quivering.
The last breath of the song nicely shown it dynamic side with breathtaking lead guitar and vocals competing to get the foreground position of the song.
To my mind, it was another great decision of the band to imply growls to the end of the song. Completing the idea expressed earlier, it’s essential not to overuse adding controversial elements to the song structure. In my opinion, the best way to finish a song is to emphasize earlier melodies with pitch changes or applying some crazy blast beats tearing everything around.
Rara Avis
Rara Avis is a great example of the band developing inside their genre. Not only includes it the dark or sorrowful elements surrounded by heavy atmosphere, but other metal shades can also appear. The beginning of this song flourished with folk metal elements mainly expressed by lead guitar and toms. When it comes to deriving some genre peculiarities, I always noticed that folk metal songs have a formidable deal of toms as the lead drum part and of course it’s melodic guitar riff that adds to this atmosphere. Combining those two factors, the catchy folk tune appears to enlighten the darkness.
To color the rising light, the unobtrusive lead guitar riff is ready to shine through the darkness also with the aim to support appearing vocals. The entire composition sounds just intoxicating as long as the band managed to write well-balanced and dynamical song that’s able to keep a listener in suspense as if intriguing.
It takes me by surprise that growling vocals appear. But it’s damn great, thinking about the song’s dynamics and how elements-wise the song is now. To my mind, it adds up to longing with the growling vocals drifting through the song.
The next part is also riveting and surely breaking for the song. The drums, which are made in stable and firm, can perfectly highlight the brutality of vocals. When this part of Rara Avis starts, the first association coming to my mind is Finnish folk/melodeath metal band Crowen I reviewed last year. The power, sharpness and confidence expressed in this part is thrilling and incredibly attention-grabbing. As it follows, the clean vocals supported by muted guitar bridge adds up to mystical atmosphere of the song.
Then comes my top favorite element highly used in particularly melodic death metal; the combination and existing of clean and growling vocals. I adore the way Denigrate made it – the growling vocals aren’t trying to dominate on the foreground but just nicely keeping balance of cleans empowering them.
Another curious detail I picked out is psychedelic side which might seem invisible in the beginning of the song but closer to the end it becomes obvious and natural. It comes out in growls-cleans combination which is supported by lead guitar playing rapidly, I think it almost shredding.
Rara Avis is something really different after Sonata and The Fear. The song is made in riveting and curious way – the entire sound creates kinda distracted and a bit confusing mood of the song. The factors that helped me make such conclusion are the ones leading in creating this atmosphere – pensive and bottom toms in combination with sorrowful lead guitar.
Growling parts play a big role in Rara Avis empowering from the first sight calm and peaceful song. Unexpectedly appearing and slowly and mildly fading, they are able to demonstrate the brutal side of the song also adding more gain to heavy guitars (that start playing sharper as the growls appear) and need to say – it’s one of the most real metal songs I’ve ever heard. When melodies and riffs are made in 50/50 proportion – it’s more than just mind blowing – simply epic.
The end of the song is enriched with intro melody that has changed its perception having heard the entire song. And of course, the brightest way to end a song is to add a lead guitar that would fade this diversified and versatile song.
Aureole
After bland, slow but still with psychedelic shade Rara Avis, Aureole decides to open the gates of majestic power with its heavy opening riff that’s absolutely blowing up. And what I find the most attracting, is the long intro that shows the supremacy of heavy metal guitars. The tune is catchy and attention-grabbing as long as the riff idea was caught and kept by lead guitar.
I have to name Denigrate as the band of endless surprises with their ability to naturally make a song versatile adding unexpected elements to their music. I was sure the song would be kicking and heavy in the beginning with all those guitars joining the game but Denigrate decided to destroy my guess. It’s again slow, melodic and longing with those incredibly deep vocals dominating.
Something I find really special in Aureole is guitars that are smoothly catching every shade of mood reflexing it in final melody applied. Clean vocals that remain thoroughly deep are making the guitar melody more colorful and shining.
Aureole is undoubtedly progressive having really long intro (1.10 sec) and the entire song duration is a little bit more than 7 minutes. But believe me – with all song structure changes those minutes are invisible, passing incredibly fast.
Perfida
Great folk influence can be noticed right from the start with the nice combination of drums and lead guitar. The opening sounds last for a while and the verse starts so unexpectedly because I’ve got used to longer instrumental intros.
What’s the particular feature Perfida brings to the album? As for me, it’s of course versatility. It takes you from fast and sharp melodeath sounds to soft and sorrowful vibes of melancholic metal. The appearance of lead guitar melodies reflexing great deal of light and power are the best way to support dark, teary and down to earth growls. The changes in structure work smoothly making all elements able to follow the ideas the band brought to life.
One of my favorite choruses of Blackguard is featured in Perfida. Namely, I find the transition between clean and growling parts exasperatingly intoxicating.
The Dead Saluting
The Dead Saluting is mighty, willed and enormously touching. It’s directed straight to the listener, combining all album features we have heard before. Enlivening lead guitar melody that naturally takes over is the first call for the Blackguard to say the last words. Heavy, slow, growling and clean again – all the features we heard before are now more intense and calling for action. And again I’m simply captured by the way band makes their music – all the bridges and verses smoothly joined together determining clean and heavy sides of the song.
The Dead Saluting is the final for incredible record. The end of the song featuring clean vocals and relaxing instrumentals help to concentrate and do the sum-up of the album.
Now it’s time to sum the things up
It’s really hard to put all my thoughts and feelings together after I’ve listened Blackguard. But I should try.
Needless to say, Blackguard is one of the most versatile albums of its genre. I think it might be hard to define a particular influence for the band and the album, that’s why the sum variant like “melancholic metal” was chosen to describe this diversity of genres featured on Blackguard. As for Blackguard the melancholic metal including melodic (death) metal, folk metal, gothic metal and psychedelic metal influence. The core of the genre is melancholy that is perfectly expressed by outstandingly deep and low vocals supported by lively and sparkling lead guitar.
As I was saying in Sonata Del Diavlo review – the vocalist’s singing style has much in common with Jyrki 69 (The 69 Eyes), Peter Steele (Type O’ Negative), JP Leppäluoto (Charon), Jape Perätalo (To/Die/For) and similar gothic influenced vocalists. Have to admit, Denigrate make me naturally feel like I’m about 14 and listening to those bands all along. Especially, it feels great in autumn like now – you can just do deeper into peaceful atmosphere with dark and heavy music and reprocess some thoughts coming to your mind.
Blackguard is dark, gloomy dark, exhaling the lasting sorrow enlivened with a ray of belief expressed in every song featured on the record. It’s obvious for the band to have named their Blackguard as the darkest album ever written and to my mind, it’s just like that. When it comes I can build several association regarding its sound.
As for me, Blackguard is enriched with ‘95-05-decade spirit that is famous for up and coming bands like HIM, The 69 Eyes, Amorphis and Children of Bodom, To/Die/For etc. If you ask me, one of the positions among the bands I named should be proudly including Denigrate. Believe me, the band would have been at the peak of fame among those I daresay legendary ones.
I don’t really like finding drawbacks in a record, but there’s the only weakness over Blackguard. I’ve already listened to the album for several times, and when it comes to its final chapter and namely the last three songs, admittedly you might get tired of various instrumentals and melodies. It feels like the beginning of the album was more dynamic and balanced in comparison to the end. When I caught that feeling, I immediately thought that it might be the feature inherent to melancholic metal as a subgenre of metal. Maybe, it wasn’t the right state of mood to listen to that album or something…
To finalize this long post, I absolutely love the atmosphere of Blackguard because it’s able to make me reprocess the emotions I had when only started listening to melancholic metal back to 2013. The cozy and peaceful feeling Rara Avis provides is infectious and I have great intention to return to my teenage years to put some dark clothes and have a walk in a city when it rains (preferable Lahti or Helsinki) to feel the covering atmosphere of the autumn and feel that peace around… this amazing song made my memories alive again and to my mind, this is one of the most powerful things music can make.
I’ve definitely had a whale of time reviewing this Denigrate release. I would like to express my recognition to the band and their record label for the ability to make it happen. I believe there would be more incredible releases from the band sooner than 20 years. They do it really great.
DENIGRATE is:
Galzi Kallio: Vocals
Pekka Pyrhönen: Bass,
Seppo Nummela: Guitar
Tipi Toivanen: Drums
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