(c) David Stoecklin
Back at the front line with full force: many years following “Ethic Of Radical Finitude” are in the ring Downfall Of Gaia back with a new record. And she rides on a mighty powder keg. Guitarist Peter Wolff, who left in 2015, is back, which had a direct impact on the songwriting process. The familiar mix of crust, d-beat and (post-)black metal comes across as a bit more compact and focused, without closing itself off to new ideas. „Silhouettes Of Disgust“ marks the return to top form.
The way “Existence Of Awe” immediately leads into the thicket of this album is fun. Angry post walls with dark undertones meet equally angry drums and no less drooling vocals. Dominik Goncalves dos Reis vomits with hoarse, emotional precision and dissects everything. The painful screams provide variety, drive cold sweat down your forehead, and at the same time introduce the subtle but skilful use of synthetics. This new musical aspect suits Downfall Of Gaia well, condenses the events and fires up the dramaturgy, which surprises once more in the meditative middle part with harsh, reduced catharsis.
A lot happens in just those five and a half minutes, and that’s just the beginning. The hesitant, slightly doomy roll of “Undeemable” heralds the explosive apocalypse and constantly increases, while “Bodies As Driftwood” develops a brutal and subtle epic from a similar reduction. Something like post rock resonates here and creates spectacular contrasts. If that’s too ‘good’, “The Whir Of Flies” uses poison and bile in a rapid descent. Here, too, the second half changes, taking on epic traits following another instrumental middle section – a facet that Downfall Of Gaia shows well.
Suddenly the quartet sounds as intense and concentrated as ever, accompanied by a few newer elements. Synthetics and occasional female vocals (Lulu Black, who maintains the duo This Is Oblivion together with drummer Michael Kadner, does her job damn well) meet a more compact and at the same time much more extravagant appearance. In this renewed contradiction, “Silhouettes Of Disgust” emerges as Downfall Of Gaia’s best effort since the thunderous “Suffocating In The Swarm Of Cranes”. This majestic, rough hussar ride surpasses itself and is already one of the heavy metal highlights of the still young year.
Rating: 9/10
Available from: 03/17/2023
Available through: Metal Blade (Sony Music)
Website: downfallofgaia.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DownfallofGaia
Slider-Pic (c) David Stöcklin
Category: Magazin, Reviews
