Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (#6779)

traptunderice · **Posted:** Sun Nov 21, 2010 5:43 am

They sound fucking evil. As a teenager, I thought Ihsahn and Corpsegrinder were really evil with their vocals and that kinda dissonant or aggressive sound which everybody else just doesn't like. Transylvanian Hunger might be a good example of just something that seemed "evil" when I first heard it. But DsO really is fucking evil. Comparable to like Portal or Axis of Perdition's vibe, DsO can just give me the creeps listening to it. People have told me they don't feel comfortable listening to it or wouldn't at least by themselves. I don't know there is something that is so jamming yet epic in their work that just puts you somewhere else.

The Evil Dead · **Posted:** Sun Nov 21, 2010 4:46 pm

cry of the banshee wrote:

Haha, this is the most over-hyped, overrated and underwhelming black metal in recent memory.
I am a firm believer in not following the herd; 100,000 voices of praise means nothing if it is annoying and/or mediocre to my ears and brain.

If you don't like them, you don't like them.
What else is there to say?
I find it amusing how this band is pushed so hard by everyone, as if those that don't care for them haven't given them a proper listen or something.

Exactly. Thanks. I'm not saying this is shit or anything, it's just not my cup of tea.

rio · **Posted:** Sun Nov 21, 2010 6:06 pm

The Evil Dead wrote:

rio wrote:

Yeah I hate to agree with Ken and all his stuff about people not appreciating music properly any more but you're making me think he has a point, Evil Dead...

One album I can't really bring myself to actually get through and it's the end of the world. I'm sorry I have yet to make it further than halfway into this disc but I don't really have much of a desire to.

I have every Deathspell Omega album because you guys have taken a shit over the band since I've been here. I don't really like them. Every now and then I've tried to give them another shot, including with this album. What more would you like me to say?

It's nothing to do with liking the band or not, it's that you were complaining about the album having clearly just downloaded it and then barely listened to it. And black metal as a whole, and this band in particular, isn't something you can really do that with if you want to get the most out of it.

rio · **Posted:** Sun Nov 21, 2010 6:07 pm

traptunderice wrote:

They sound fucking evil. As a teenager, I thought Ihsahn and Corpsegrinder were really evil with their vocals and that kinda dissonant or aggressive sound which everybody else just doesn't like. Transylvanian Hunger might be a good example of just something that seemed "evil" when I first heard it. But DsO really is fucking evil. Comparable to like Portal or Axis of Perdition's vibe, DsO can just give me the creeps listening to it. People have told me they don't feel comfortable listening to it or wouldn't at least by themselves. I don't know there is something that is so jamming yet epic in their work that just puts you somewhere else.

Yeah, you are right that this sounds as much like Portal as it does normal BM. And I guess Portal is kinda an acquired taste...

The Evil Dead · **Posted:** Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:41 pm

rio wrote:

It's nothing to do with liking the band or not, it's that you were complaining about the album having clearly just downloaded it and then barely listened to it. And black metal as a whole, and this band in particular, isn't something you can really do that with if you want to get the most out of it.

I don't see what me downloading an album has to do with anything. I still listened to half of it, and a few tracks here and there. If you're thinking I just listened to half of it on a whim or something that's not the case. I didn't want to listen to more than half of it and stopped. I just don't have a desire to go back.

I'll listen through most of an album but if it doesn't catch me then I don't like it. Don't know what else to say, really.

If that's the case then I guess I'm just not going to get the most of out Deathspell Omega. I'll live.

Anyway, here's some fuel for fire:

http://metalreview.com/reviews/5949/dea ... paracletus

Quote:

Deathspell Omega has been operating “ahead of the curve” since Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, a groundbreaking if overblown introduction to the band’s new modus operandi. While Si Monumentum was a strong release, the band really peaked with lengthy EP Kénôse, a brilliant middle-ground between the more digestible pacing of Si Monumentum and the manic progressive nature which they would soon pursue. After that, the band released Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum and my infatuation waned, for in the interest of being as complex and impenetrable as possible, Deathspell Omega had ventured into something of a musical dead zone. Anyone who doesn’t completely have their head up their own ass knows there was about five to ten minutes of actual worthwhile music on that album, but because its Deathspell Omega, the legions of bewildered fans had to pretend to like it, or risk looking stupid in the eyes of the more intelligent, philosophical metalheads. In shrouding themselves with as much anonymity as possible and bumping up the philosophical mysterioso-factor of their music and image, the band has effectively shielded themselves from any criticism of their work. It’s the classic “get people to like your art by making them feel stupid if they don’t” motif.

My point with all of this is, Deathspell Omega have achieved such a high rank on the elitist food chain that actual discussion of their music has become secondary. People shrug off any crappy moments on their CDs as just a failure to “understand” their greater significance, or chalking it up to the band being “purposely” bad because they’re just that damn smart. Thing is, following the headache-inducing Fas and the convoluted Chaining the Katcheon EP, Deathspell Omega’s mask has slipped, and I now feel confident in my appraisal that Paracletus is simply a mediocre album, not some mind-shatteringly brilliant masterpiece that I’m “not getting.”

Skartasis · **Posted:** Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:56 pm

The Evil Dead wrote:

Anyway, here's some fuel for fire:

http://metalreview.com/reviews/5949/dea ... paracletus

Quote:

Deathspell Omega has been operating “ahead of the curve” since Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, a groundbreaking if overblown introduction to the band’s new modus operandi. While Si Monumentum was a strong release, the band really peaked with lengthy EP Kénôse, a brilliant middle-ground between the more digestible pacing of Si Monumentum and the manic progressive nature which they would soon pursue. After that, the band released Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum and my infatuation waned, for in the interest of being as complex and impenetrable as possible, Deathspell Omega had ventured into something of a musical dead zone. Anyone who doesn’t completely have their head up their own ass knows there was about five to ten minutes of actual worthwhile music on that album, but because its Deathspell Omega, the legions of bewildered fans had to pretend to like it, or risk looking stupid in the eyes of the more intelligent, philosophical metalheads. In shrouding themselves with as much anonymity as possible and bumping up the philosophical mysterioso-factor of their music and image, the band has effectively shielded themselves from any criticism of their work. It’s the classic “get people to like your art by making them feel stupid if they don’t” motif.

My point with all of this is, Deathspell Omega have achieved such a high rank on the elitist food chain that actual discussion of their music has become secondary. People shrug off any crappy moments on their CDs as just a failure to “understand” their greater significance, or chalking it up to the band being “purposely” bad because they’re just that damn smart. Thing is, following the headache-inducing Fas and the convoluted Chaining the Katcheon EP, Deathspell Omega’s mask has slipped, and I now feel confident in my appraisal that Paracletus is simply a mediocre album, not some mind-shatteringly brilliant masterpiece that I’m “not getting.”

Very true.

Goat · **Posted:** Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:10 pm

Eh. No doubt some people are all too happy to pick up the 'empty elitist intellectual nonsense' tag and run with it, but just because *some* people don't consider something music doesn't mean that people who like it are wrong. That's very lazy reviewing, you could say the same for a number of bands who do complex stuff that's not universally popular. I mean, this -

Quote:

Anyone who doesn’t completely have their head up their own ass knows there was about five to ten minutes of actual worthwhile music on that album, but because its Deathspell Omega, the legions of bewildered fans had to pretend to like it, or risk looking stupid in the eyes of the more intelligent, philosophical metalheads.

is as elitist as what it's trying to criticise. 'Look at me, I've seen through the illusion!' No-one outside of the reviewer's imagination really thinks like he says people do, pretending to like stuff. Not the band's fault if he gets a headache from their music.

huskerc7 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:58 am **Posts:** 17365

Deathspell Omega is brilliant. Case closed.

Goat · **Posted:** Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:39 pm

Well, it's not, necessarily. People don't like things or dislike them just because 1) other people do and 2) they're complicated, is what I'm saying. Both that review and the 'listen harder!' people are wrong. You have to appreciate the avant-garde in the first place to listen to its music. There's not always a 'getting it' moment.

rio · **Posted:** Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:56 pm

Quote:

Anyway, here's some fuel for fire:

http://metalreview.com/reviews/5949/dea ... paracletus

Quote:

Deathspell Omega has been operating “ahead of the curve” since Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, a groundbreaking if overblown introduction to the band’s new modus operandi. While Si Monumentum was a strong release, the band really peaked with lengthy EP Kénôse, a brilliant middle-ground between the more digestible pacing of Si Monumentum and the manic progressive nature which they would soon pursue. After that, the band released Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum and my infatuation waned, for in the interest of being as complex and impenetrable as possible, Deathspell Omega had ventured into something of a musical dead zone. Anyone who doesn’t completely have their head up their own ass knows there was about five to ten minutes of actual worthwhile music on that album, but because its Deathspell Omega, the legions of bewildered fans had to pretend to like it, or risk looking stupid in the eyes of the more intelligent, philosophical metalheads. In shrouding themselves with as much anonymity as possible and bumping up the philosophical mysterioso-factor of their music and image, the band has effectively shielded themselves from any criticism of their work. It’s the classic “get people to like your art by making them feel stupid if they don’t” motif.

My point with all of this is, Deathspell Omega have achieved such a high rank on the elitist food chain that actual discussion of their music has become secondary. People shrug off any crappy moments on their CDs as just a failure to “understand” their greater significance, or chalking it up to the band being “purposely” bad because they’re just that damn smart. Thing is, following the headache-inducing Fas and the convoluted Chaining the Katcheon EP, Deathspell Omega’s mask has slipped, and I now feel confident in my appraisal that Paracletus is simply a mediocre album, not some mind-shatteringly brilliant masterpiece that I’m “not getting.”

That review is completely dependent on a useless stereotype of the self-indulgent and pompous DSO fan to make a platform for equally as self-indulgent and pompous rephrasings of the same old same old. So yeah, what Goat said.

Any band that sticks their head above the parapet and does something a bit more ambitious than the norm will get these kind of comments, particularly in black metal which is full of people that haven't enjoyed any new music whatsoever since 1996. I'm not suggesting that we all have to fall in line and worship those bands, far from it. However, simply caricaturing the people that do dig it and making no attempt whatsoever to engage with the actual sound itself is pretty weak and totally irrelevant.

It also misses the very fundamental point that I tried to make in my review. Excepting the lyrics, DSO have as much in common with techy/avantgarde DM bands like Ulcerate as they do the BM scene nowadays. Calling Ulcerate, for example, 'impenetrable' would be to kinda miss the point, and IMO the same applies here.

There is one part where the guy has a point: DSO shroud themselves in a load of 'philosophical' bullshit about Satanism as if this gives them some kind of wondrous gravitas. Incidentally, you will find the same point in my review here, just not milked to cover two paragraphs. And sadly, this kind of idiocy is hardly uncommon in black metal.

noodles · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:50 am

no man you listen to music to feel smarter than the internet

cry of the banshee · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:03 am

rio wrote:

Quote:

Anyway, here's some fuel for fire:

http://metalreview.com/reviews/5949/dea ... paracletus

Quote:

Deathspell Omega has been operating “ahead of the curve” since Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, a groundbreaking if overblown introduction to the band’s new modus operandi. While Si Monumentum was a strong release, the band really peaked with lengthy EP Kénôse, a brilliant middle-ground between the more digestible pacing of Si Monumentum and the manic progressive nature which they would soon pursue. After that, the band released Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum and my infatuation waned, for in the interest of being as complex and impenetrable as possible, Deathspell Omega had ventured into something of a musical dead zone. Anyone who doesn’t completely have their head up their own ass knows there was about five to ten minutes of actual worthwhile music on that album, but because its Deathspell Omega, the legions of bewildered fans had to pretend to like it, or risk looking stupid in the eyes of the more intelligent, philosophical metalheads. In shrouding themselves with as much anonymity as possible and bumping up the philosophical mysterioso-factor of their music and image, the band has effectively shielded themselves from any criticism of their work. It’s the classic “get people to like your art by making them feel stupid if they don’t” motif.

My point with all of this is, Deathspell Omega have achieved such a high rank on the elitist food chain that actual discussion of their music has become secondary. People shrug off any crappy moments on their CDs as just a failure to “understand” their greater significance, or chalking it up to the band being “purposely” bad because they’re just that damn smart. Thing is, following the headache-inducing Fas and the convoluted Chaining the Katcheon EP, Deathspell Omega’s mask has slipped, and I now feel confident in my appraisal that Paracletus is simply a mediocre album, not some mind-shatteringly brilliant masterpiece that I’m “not getting.”

Any band that sticks their head above the parapet and does something a bit more ambitious than the norm will get these kind of comments, particularly in black metal which is full of people that haven't enjoyed any new music whatsoever since 1996. I'm not suggesting that we all have to fall in line and worship those bands, far from it. However, simply caricaturing the people that do dig it and making no attempt whatsoever to engage with the actual sound itself is pretty weak and totally irrelevant.

.

What was that about "caricaturing"?
Beyond that, what an arrogantly self-righteous thing to say.
Why is it so fucking difficult to wrap your minds around the fact that not everybody salivates like a dog over this pseudo-intellectuallized pseudo-Satanic pretense to black metal, no matter how strident the bleating?

huskerc7 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:58 am **Posts:** 17365

cry of the banshee wrote:

rio wrote:

Quote:

Anyway, here's some fuel for fire:

http://metalreview.com/reviews/5949/dea ... paracletus

Quote:

Deathspell Omega has been operating “ahead of the curve” since Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, a groundbreaking if overblown introduction to the band’s new modus operandi. While Si Monumentum was a strong release, the band really peaked with lengthy EP Kénôse, a brilliant middle-ground between the more digestible pacing of Si Monumentum and the manic progressive nature which they would soon pursue. After that, the band released Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum and my infatuation waned, for in the interest of being as complex and impenetrable as possible, Deathspell Omega had ventured into something of a musical dead zone. Anyone who doesn’t completely have their head up their own ass knows there was about five to ten minutes of actual worthwhile music on that album, but because its Deathspell Omega, the legions of bewildered fans had to pretend to like it, or risk looking stupid in the eyes of the more intelligent, philosophical metalheads. In shrouding themselves with as much anonymity as possible and bumping up the philosophical mysterioso-factor of their music and image, the band has effectively shielded themselves from any criticism of their work. It’s the classic “get people to like your art by making them feel stupid if they don’t” motif.

My point with all of this is, Deathspell Omega have achieved such a high rank on the elitist food chain that actual discussion of their music has become secondary. People shrug off any crappy moments on their CDs as just a failure to “understand” their greater significance, or chalking it up to the band being “purposely” bad because they’re just that damn smart. Thing is, following the headache-inducing Fas and the convoluted Chaining the Katcheon EP, Deathspell Omega’s mask has slipped, and I now feel confident in my appraisal that Paracletus is simply a mediocre album, not some mind-shatteringly brilliant masterpiece that I’m “not getting.”

Any band that sticks their head above the parapet and does something a bit more ambitious than the norm will get these kind of comments, particularly in black metal which is full of people that haven't enjoyed any new music whatsoever since 1996. I'm not suggesting that we all have to fall in line and worship those bands, far from it. However, simply caricaturing the people that do dig it and making no attempt whatsoever to engage with the actual sound itself is pretty weak and totally irrelevant.

.

What was that about "caricaturing"?
Beyond that, what an arrogantly self-righteous thing to say.
Why is it so fucking difficult to wrap your minds around the fact that not everybody salivates like a dog over this pseudo-intellectuallized pseudo-Satanic pretense to black metal, no matter how strident the bleating?

Brilliant point.

rio · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 8:11 am

cry of the banshee wrote:

rio wrote:

Quote:

Anyway, here's some fuel for fire:

http://metalreview.com/reviews/5949/dea ... paracletus

Quote:

Deathspell Omega has been operating “ahead of the curve” since Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, a groundbreaking if overblown introduction to the band’s new modus operandi. While Si Monumentum was a strong release, the band really peaked with lengthy EP Kénôse, a brilliant middle-ground between the more digestible pacing of Si Monumentum and the manic progressive nature which they would soon pursue. After that, the band released Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum and my infatuation waned, for in the interest of being as complex and impenetrable as possible, Deathspell Omega had ventured into something of a musical dead zone. Anyone who doesn’t completely have their head up their own ass knows there was about five to ten minutes of actual worthwhile music on that album, but because its Deathspell Omega, the legions of bewildered fans had to pretend to like it, or risk looking stupid in the eyes of the more intelligent, philosophical metalheads. In shrouding themselves with as much anonymity as possible and bumping up the philosophical mysterioso-factor of their music and image, the band has effectively shielded themselves from any criticism of their work. It’s the classic “get people to like your art by making them feel stupid if they don’t” motif.

My point with all of this is, Deathspell Omega have achieved such a high rank on the elitist food chain that actual discussion of their music has become secondary. People shrug off any crappy moments on their CDs as just a failure to “understand” their greater significance, or chalking it up to the band being “purposely” bad because they’re just that damn smart. Thing is, following the headache-inducing Fas and the convoluted Chaining the Katcheon EP, Deathspell Omega’s mask has slipped, and I now feel confident in my appraisal that Paracletus is simply a mediocre album, not some mind-shatteringly brilliant masterpiece that I’m “not getting.”

Any band that sticks their head above the parapet and does something a bit more ambitious than the norm will get these kind of comments, particularly in black metal which is full of people that haven't enjoyed any new music whatsoever since 1996. I'm not suggesting that we all have to fall in line and worship those bands, far from it. However, simply caricaturing the people that do dig it and making no attempt whatsoever to engage with the actual sound itself is pretty weak and totally irrelevant.

.

What was that about "caricaturing"?
Beyond that, what an arrogantly self-righteous thing to say.
Why is it so fucking difficult to wrap your minds around the fact that not everybody salivates like a dog over this pseudo-intellectuallized pseudo-Satanic pretense to black metal, no matter how strident the bleating?

First part: Let's rephrase: black metal is full of people who, if they do like something released after 1996, like it because it's a deliberate attempt to sound like something released before 1996. Boo fucking hoo.

You may accurately detect that I am not being 100% serious. Look, you might have a point if I'd said that in the official review. I didn't, because to do so would make for a shit review, a bit like the one Evil Dead links to.

Second part: Nobody is having difficulty wrapping their minds around the fact people don't like DSO. The fact that you would leap from me saying "that negative review is a bad one" to "I can't understand why anyone would dislike this band" is kinda frustrating and... yeah, not really worth discussing it any more.

rio · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 8:39 am

GeneralDiomedes wrote:

It's good obviously, but I found myself liking the slower more atmospheric moments the best. My list of killing songs would be completely different.

I found the atmospheric bits to be a bit frustrating here. I think they are some of the best parts on Kenose and Fas, but this album seems to be embracing the brutal side to the band's sound and I wanted them to go with that more instead of mixing things up.

cry of the banshee · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:05 pm

rio wrote:

cry of the banshee wrote:

rio wrote:

Quote:

Anyway, here's some fuel for fire:

http://metalreview.com/reviews/5949/dea ... paracletus

Quote:

Deathspell Omega has been operating “ahead of the curve” since Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice, a groundbreaking if overblown introduction to the band’s new modus operandi. While Si Monumentum was a strong release, the band really peaked with lengthy EP Kénôse, a brilliant middle-ground between the more digestible pacing of Si Monumentum and the manic progressive nature which they would soon pursue. After that, the band released Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum and my infatuation waned, for in the interest of being as complex and impenetrable as possible, Deathspell Omega had ventured into something of a musical dead zone. Anyone who doesn’t completely have their head up their own ass knows there was about five to ten minutes of actual worthwhile music on that album, but because its Deathspell Omega, the legions of bewildered fans had to pretend to like it, or risk looking stupid in the eyes of the more intelligent, philosophical metalheads. In shrouding themselves with as much anonymity as possible and bumping up the philosophical mysterioso-factor of their music and image, the band has effectively shielded themselves from any criticism of their work. It’s the classic “get people to like your art by making them feel stupid if they don’t” motif.

My point with all of this is, Deathspell Omega have achieved such a high rank on the elitist food chain that actual discussion of their music has become secondary. People shrug off any crappy moments on their CDs as just a failure to “understand” their greater significance, or chalking it up to the band being “purposely” bad because they’re just that damn smart. Thing is, following the headache-inducing Fas and the convoluted Chaining the Katcheon EP, Deathspell Omega’s mask has slipped, and I now feel confident in my appraisal that Paracletus is simply a mediocre album, not some mind-shatteringly brilliant masterpiece that I’m “not getting.”

Any band that sticks their head above the parapet and does something a bit more ambitious than the norm will get these kind of comments, particularly in black metal which is full of people that haven't enjoyed any new music whatsoever since 1996. I'm not suggesting that we all have to fall in line and worship those bands, far from it. However, simply caricaturing the people that do dig it and making no attempt whatsoever to engage with the actual sound itself is pretty weak and totally irrelevant.

.

What was that about "caricaturing"?
Beyond that, what an arrogantly self-righteous thing to say.
Why is it so fucking difficult to wrap your minds around the fact that not everybody salivates like a dog over this pseudo-intellectuallized pseudo-Satanic pretense to black metal, no matter how strident the bleating?

First part: Let's rephrase: black metal is full of people who, if they do like something released after 1996, like it because it's a deliberate attempt to sound like something released before 1996. Boo fucking hoo.

You may accurately detect that I am not being 100% serious. Look, you might have a point if I'd said that in the official review. I didn't, because to do so would make for a shit review, a bit like the one Evil Dead links to.

Second part: Nobody is having difficulty wrapping their minds around the fact people don't like DSO. The fact that you would leap from me saying "that negative review is a bad one" to "I can't understand why anyone would dislike this band" is kinda frustrating and... yeah, not really worth discussing it any more.

That review was pretty spot on, except I'd say all of their material is a waste of time. It just doesn't gel with your pov, so it's a "shit review".

Quote:

in the interest of being as complex and impenetrable as possible, Deathspell Omega had ventured into something of a musical dead zone

That is as apt a description of their music as I've come across.

You're right, though. It's really not worth discussing anymore.

Legacy Of The Night · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:19 pm

That review is a good reason why I always make sure to put an "s" at the end of my URL.

traptunderice · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 5:31 pm

cry of the banshee wrote:

That review was pretty spot on, except I'd say all of their material is a waste of time. It just doesn't gel with your pov, so it's a "shit review".

Minus all the kinda unfounded bashing of it as too elitist there wasn't much left in the critical section.

The Evil Dead · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 6:44 pm

rio wrote:

First part: Let's rephrase: black metal is full of people who, if they do like something released after 1996, like it because it's a deliberate attempt to sound like something released before 1996. Boo fucking hoo.

I don't think you should really have to rephrase anything. You're absolutely right. With both statements really. :lol:

rio · **Posted:** Mon Nov 22, 2010 7:19 pm

cry of the banshee wrote:

That review was pretty spot on, except I'd say all of their material is a waste of time. It just doesn't gel with your pov, so it's a "shit review".

Yes... of course it is... you got me... literally the only problem I have with that review is that it has a different point of view to my own.

.................

Anyway, moving on.

Quote:

Minus all the kinda unfounded bashing of it as too elitist there wasn't much left in the critical section.

The two paragraphs quoted by Evil Dead are pretty weak and ass-like but in fairness the guy makes some reasoned points in the link as a whole. Just... I don't really understand where he gets those points from. E.g.

Quote:

Much of the band’s blistering riffwork and drumming has been replaced with lots of mid-paced, limp-wristed progressive/jazz melodies that effectively strip the songs of the furious momentum and sinister energy this project was known for.

I must have listened to this album 100 times and honestly can't recall a single 'mid paced jazz melody' within the entire thing.

I do actually agree with his first paragraph, excepting the last line of it.

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Deathspell Omega - Paracletus (#6779)

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