Mondocane - Dvala

MONDOCANE - Dvala (FALLEN TEMPLE - CD 2021)

I just love such surprises. I got an album by a completely unknown band, which I doubt if I would ever hear if I didn't get a copy... I give it a listen and it blows my mind off. They say that you should never judge the book by its cover, but this is probably what I just did. But man, there's just an owl there, right? Ohhh bollocks. I know now that it would be a great mistake if I let this album pass me by. The bigger pleasure is then to give it a positive review.

But let's start from the beginning. This is Mondocane from Stockholm, Sweden, a new entity, I suppose, although I know absolutely nothing about them - I know no line up nor anything else. But"Dvala" is a great album for sure (honestly, it may be the best thing, which Fallen Temple has released so far).

The music combines the harshness and viciousness of Scandinavian black metal with a lot of melodies and a heathen atmosphere. It has that trademark Scandinavian feel, which you will recognise immediately. Songs are well diversified, with a good balance between fast, blasting black metal and slower, more epic stuff - there's always something fantastic going on, I love the riffs, harmonies, and how they sometimes have that mesmerizing feeling... And on top of it all, I love these dry, inhuman shrieks of the vocalist. These vocals remind me of two other vocalists - Andreas Nagy from Sear Bliss and Sanrabb from Gehenna... which is probably why I hear these bands in Mondocane music too (but without brass from Sear Bliss for instance). But just give a listen to "Blinding" for instance - I do think this song has a lot in common with the bands I just mentioned. And it's an amazing song too.

Basically, what makes "Dvala" so great is that the album is so complete. It has everything you desire and from start to finish this album never sounds boring or tiring. I'm not saying it is a perfect piece of music - I would never go that far... But damn, for sure it is one of the most impressive and exciting releases I have listened to recently. Oh, and did I mention how memorable and easily listenable (for black metal anyway) "Dvala" is? It's almost shocking how quickly it stacks in my head. And did I mention these more "experimental" tracks like "No Signal" or "Mythe"? I just love what Mondocane did here.

Standout tracks: "Blinding", "No Signal", "Daeth", "Mythe"

Verdict: 90/100