Dakhma - Passageways to Daena (The Concomitant Blessings of Putrescing Impurity)

DAKHMA - Passageways to Daena (The Concomitant Blessings of Putrescing Impurity) (GODZ OV WAR Productions CD 2016)

Some weeks after reviewing “Astiwihad-Zohr” EP of Helvetia beasts called Dakhma I am torturing my whole useless neighborhood with another piece of morbidity and violence from this band. And this is their debut album titled “Passageways to Daena (The Concomitant Blessings of Putrescing Impurity)”. This CD version, packed in very nice black / red coloured digipak, was unleashed by Godz Ov War Production and yeah… I think that all those who enjoyed the EP of Dakhma will surely like “Passageways…” as well. But in case you’re not so much into chaotic, totally obscure and vicious, rough sounding black / death metal, then don’t even waste your time on reading this review, as Dakhma will not interest you at all.

Normally I would say that I am surprised that something so fuckin raw and chaotic, so insanely vulgar and violent even had a chance to get released on a record label. And that somebody would bother to listen to it! But damn, it looks like such pieces of disgust and abhorrence are getting quite a lot of attention these days, so I am not surprised anymore that such Dakhma was also able to come from their bunker with a full length album.

“Passageways to Daena” is insanely vicious and bestial record. And even if I would wish that the production of it was a bit better and more powerful, I need to admit that Dakhma was able to kick ass with some killer riffs and songs. Every now and then you’ll hear something that will impress you massively. And the fact that everything is shaped into such brutal and chaotic forms only increases that morbid, bestial aura of the music. If you worship this sort of black / death metal, then you can really feel multiple orgasms when hearing “Passageways to Daena”. But it won’t be pleasant feeling, as bands like Dakhma should not be treated as entertainment or fun, this should be a spiritual and also physical, aggressive experience.

From the strictly musical point of view, I mentioned that I am impressed with some of these riffs and shit. I truly think that Dakhma had some killer ideas for this album, especially that it’s not constantly the same sort of guitar ripping or whatever. “Passageways to Daena” sometimes progresses even into sick, doomy, slow parts, other time it’s insanely fast… so, when you listen to it carefully, you will hear something more than just one dimensional bestial black / death metal. Take the truly fantastic “Ascension II (The Light Eternal)” and “The Silent Tower (Gather Ye of Life)” for instance. On the other hand I have to say that there are some weaker songs as well like “Where Shattered Minds Collide (The Immortal March)”, but that is just my opinion. That diversity is even bigger when Dakhma adds some noise / dark ambient passages, like “Chinvat (Ascension III - Agony)”, to create even deeper darkness and more horrifying aura. Let me also say that between all that black / death metal harshness I managed to spot some strong Morbid Angel influences, like in “Consuming the Nasu (of Shredded Impurity)” and that’s something what makes “Passageways to Daena” even more worthy for me personally.

Obviously this album is not without its faults. I mentioned some weaker songs. Another one would be the length of “Passageways to Daena”. In its first, digital, version this album was already fifty minutes long. For this CD is was extended into long seventy minutes, with additional two tracks (one of which is pretty useless Bathory cover). Damn! Believe me, even though I’ve been spinning this shit multiple times, not always I was able to focus on it entirely, sometimes around 30th or 40th minute my mind was wondering away, not really staying in contact with the music. It’s not easy thing to do when you’re dealing with this wall of harsh noise that Dakhma recorded. I would almost wish that Dakhma picked up the best pieces of this album and shrank it into 40 minutes killer beast. It is what it is though. Good album anyway.

Standout tracks: “Barashnûm (Defiled by Dead Flesh)”, “Ascension II (The Light Eternal)”, “Consuming the Nasu (of Shredded Impurity)”, “The Silent Tower (Gather Ye of Life)”

Final rate: 65/100