Dismal Euphony "Dismal Euphony" Cassette

Hailing from Stavanger, Norway, Dismal Euphony recorded and self-released their first three-track demo “Spellbound” in 1995. The demo attracted the attention of Austrian recording label Napalm Records who signed the band and, in the following year, re-released the demo as this self-titled EP. The three tracks on the demo/EP offer an interesting preview of the sound that Dismal Euphony will develop on their subsequent couple of albums. It’s a melodic form of symphonic black metal based on the dualism between the ethereal soprano vocals of female singer Keltziva and the grim male growls of guitarist/singer Falkvor (aka Ole Helgesen). Indeed, Dismal Euphony, together with a few other bands from the Stavanger area (Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania), were one of the first-movers in the so-called “the beauty and the beast” genre that will become very popular in the second-half of the 1990s and in the early 2000s. Dismal Euphony, however, stand out relative to other bands in this genre in that their style is much more rooted in symphonic black metal than in doom/death metal, as for instance in the case of Theatre of Tragedy. The guitar riffs are epic and icy cold, in the best Norwegian black metal tradition. There are also subtle folk influences that sometimes surface through delicate acoustic passages, further strengthening the link with the black metal scene (for instance, bands like Enslaved and Ulver). Moreover, Falkvor’s growling style is also much closer to black metal than doom/death metal.
Of the three songs, the first two (“A winter’s tale” and “Spellbound”) are the strongest – and in fact they will be re-recorded and re-released on the band’s subsequent full-length album, Soria Moria Slott. Both tracks are complex, multi-part mini-suites that take several twists and turns throughout their duration, including tempo changes, acoustic breakdowns (there are excellent acoustic guitar arpeggios on the album), and elaborated instrumental passages with overlaid keyboard and guitar leads. There is a strong classical music component to the music, both in the arrangements (Elin Overskott’s keyboards are ever so tasteful) and in the melodies. Indeed, the opening line of “Spellbound” is a spectacular black metal interpretation of a melody taken from Italian baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni’s “Adagio in G minor”. The shifts between epic classical motives and furious black metal blast beats are very well-constructed, they do not feel forced at all, and are quite engaging in terms of keeping the listener’s ears perked up the whole time. The alternation between female clean vocals and male growls is also very effective. It is really a wonder that Dismal Euphony managed to compose such an accomplished debut demo, especially considering that the band members were about 16/17 year old at the time.
Soundwise, the quality of the demo/EP is not fantastic (the drums are very thin and low in the mix, the guitars at times are little more than a background buzz), although this fits in with the general lo-fi production aesthetics of the genre. And, anyhow, what the EP lacks in sonic purity, it is certainly more than compensated by the quality of the music. Overall, this is a very solid debut for Dismal Euphony and an EP that fans of the earlier incarnation of the band (till 1997; they will later develop into a sort of not-so-good black/gothic act) should find of great appeal.

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