siLLy puPPy This is where things really got weird for DØDHEIMSGARD. After two second wave black metal by the numbers albums they shifted gears and released their transitional EP “Satanic Art” which still found the band firmly in black metal territory but also added the additional elements of industrial metal which signaled an abrupt change in their sound within the ever growing newbies in the second wave black metal cult. The risk paid off and it proved to be a sound that not only set them apart from the pack but packed a punch of industrial black metal fury. On 666 INTERNATIONAL the band continued this newly discovered niche and developed it even further. Other black metal bands had sampled with industrial and electronica such as Ulver who would go this route as well but abandoned the black metal aspects altogether in favor of the sonic possibilities of synthesized sounds. Also on board was fellow Norwegians Arcturus who developed their own style of space metal but it was DØDHEIMSGARD that kept the adrenaline, punk attitude and ferocity of the second wave of black metal in tact.

The album begins innocently enough with a piano tinkling away but after a mere second becomes accompanied by blastbeats and guitar riff fury for a few measures and then totally changes into a Nine Inch Nails industrial rock sound soon to be joined by Aldrahn’s clean Skinny Puppy type vocals. The electro rock style plays on for a while and it becomes easy to forget that this is a metal album at all until about seven minutes in when the black metal kicks back in only instead of blastbeats we get some simple industrial drumbeats and background vocal “hoys” that remind me of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” Such is the sound of the new DØDHEIMSGARD, a veritable smorgasbord of electro rock, industrial metal and still enough black metal on board to please any of the skeptics. As the album giddily trots in the avant-garde pastures there are many other styles that make their way into the mix. While the main percussive gist falls into the industrial metal realm with black metal blastbeats interpolating themselves sporadically and intermittently, it is the black metal that dominates the guitars and bass but they often drop out all together and are replaced by softer dreamier jangled passages as well seemingly in battle with industrial electronica and

The album is generally very frantic but there are also totally out of place instrumentals that add contrasting styles to the mix. “Carpet Bombing” is simply a jazz piano piece that instils a spooky vibe with slightly dissonant notes slowly lulling the listener into a sudden serene state before “Regno Potiti” jumps back into black industrial franticness once again followed by the similar “Final Conquest.” Next up another piano ballad with “Logic.” Not jazzy but more classical lasting a mere minute before “Sonar Bliss” ferociously bombards the senses with full jangly dissonant black metal riffs and speed-of-light blastbeat percussion. After dominance is well established it seems to have a break down of style and become some oddly timed progressive industrial workout with jangly arpeggios churning out strange time signatures, angular rhythms and tempo freak outs. There are periodic passages where the keyboard dominates with wild and innovative timbres that add a whole new layer to the avant-garde feel of 666 INTERNATIONAL.

While the theme is purported to be of science fiction, i can’t really find any rhyme or reason to the whole thing. This is a true trip down the avant-garde rabbit hole which could possibly be the soundtrack for a Salvador Dalí painting as random sounds callathump rhythmically ahead taking turns bleating out their unexpected matchings of percussion, distortions and vocal styles. I would probably characterize 666 INTERNATIONAL more in the industrial metal field than black at this point. There is a lot of attention paid to an industrial feel even when black metal bursts on to the scene. Aldrahn’s vocals remind me most of Nivek Ogre from Skinny Puppy whose tortured painful screams of anguish punctuate the cacophonous din and electronically imbued atmosphere. Overall, this is one weird album but a kind of weird that i love! Personally i prefer the following “Supervillain Outcast” because of the better bringing to order of all of the elements but 666 INTERNATIONAL is still one sick wild ride! I dig the entire scene with the exception of the lame use of silent tracks at the end. Tracks 10 through 65 are pure silence averaging about ten seconds each and then at track 66 we get a rather unnecessary and uninteresting bonus track followed by a psytrance beat with blackened Skinny Puppy type vocals. End the album at track 9 and all is good.

Warthur At first listen I wasn't too impressed with Dødheimsgard's 666 International. The opening seemed to me to combine not particularly compelling industrial metal with not particularly compelling black metal, with poor vocals over the top of it. But over the course of listening to the album, these disparate elements got drawn together closer and closer, until a proper fusion was achieved by the time the magnificent Sonar Bliss and Completion were reached. On the whole, I respect Dødheimsgard's achievement here and think overall this is a very good album, though I do still kind of feel that the opening track is a little weak and off-putting.

Conor Fynes '666 International' - Dodheimsgard (7/10)

With their third album, the Norwegian black metal outfit Dodheimsgard vastly changed up their sound. Dabbling with experimentation on the 'Satanic Art' EP, the stage was set for the band to achieve a very distinct sound; one that would merge industrial music and orthodox black metal in a style that had never been heard before. In this case, '666 International' is certainly a historically relevant album in the development of black metal, but as a musical listening experience, it can be a bit of a bumpy ride. Now over a decade old, Dodheimsgard's work here still sounds as bizarre as it ever has, but as befalls most pioneers, their experimentation isn't a complete success all the way through. No matter though, because for what its worth, what does work for the band is absolutely incredible.

'Ion Storm' is a fine example of what '666 International' is about; entering with a shout, an industrial beat, and about as generic of a black metal riff as they come. Hearing black metal paired with other, seemingly alien sounds is a bit jarring at first, but by the end of the first track, there is a feeling that it is certainly more than a gimmick, although multiple listens are required for it to really sink in. This grand experiment between the harsh percussion of industrial music and black metal is broken up by a couple of jazzy piano pieces, which ironically turn out to be the best composed pieces of work on the whole album. While I am no stranger or detractor to metal or experimental metal, Dodheimsgard's piano pieces are so well done and beautifully arranged, that they are more enjoyable to listen to than the somewhat mixed impression that the avant-garde aspect gives. 'Carpet Bombing' is about as beautiful as jazz piano gets, and I would love to hear an entire album that sounds just like that.

Dodheimsgard's heavy aspects isn't as simple as merely pairing industrial and black metal; there are nuances here that really help the somewhat lacking flow. The band works some magic by throwing in Opeth-esque mellow breakdowns and sometimes even danceable electronica right next to crushing black metal riffs. The contrast is- once again- rather disconcerting for a first timer, but it is indeed excellent. The avant-garde parts sometimes use some electronic aspects that feel a little out of place (even taking to heart the experimental nature) but the only real weakness here are the vocals, which are often layered with strange phaser effects and mixed far too highly in the record. This can lead to the flimsy sprechzegang performance becoming irritating, especially due to the fact that it is almost working against the really interesting instrumental aspect of the album.

'666 International' must still be lauded for its great ambition, although it cannot be said that all of the aspects that Dodheimsgard works with here work entirely well. All the same, a very refreshing album, especially when put into its context.

Xaxaar Criminally underrated masterpiece of experimental black metal.

This album is the turning point in Dodheimsgard's musical career; before this album, they were just fairly raw black metal. Why others would say Satanic Art would be this turning point, I have to say this is when they started to really shine. THIS is when the music came out of the stone age into something intelligent and unique. This is the album people should look back on and realize just how damn good it is.

Just calling this album "black metal" is very misleading. It's mix of black metal, avant-garde, industrial, and even some thrash thrown in. This being said, it's a tough pill to swallow. I know it took me 10 or 20 listens to realize how good it is and every listen it just gets better and better. All of the separate elements of the album are mixed perfectly together to get an excellent mix of complexity and musicality. This album really has so much to offer and I hate to see people turn it aside off the first listen. I can't help but think that they just didn't really give it a shot; I'm not sure how you can dislike this if you are a fan of intelligent and experimental metal.

Shiva-Interfere - What a start this is. Starts off with piano in the first few seconds (calm enough, right?), but then the blast beats just come out of nowhere. It's such a new experience that when I first heard it, I kinda laughed; not because I thought it was stupid, it was just THAT COOL. Then afterwards it just stops, kinda reminding me of the calm after the storm. The ambience they add is a nice touch. It then comes back in to show its more industrial roots as the effect they add that makes the snare drum sound like an anvil adds a certain power to it. Along with Aldrahn's vocal performance, this song creatures a dark, tortured mood, but yet it is still very powerful. Beautiful song.

Ion Storm - A bit more straightforward than Shiva-Interfere as it seems the whole song is blast beats with small breaks. But if anything it shows the stamina of the drummer, I mean my god! That is some fast blast beating. But what makes this song amazing are all the small things. I won't list them all, but there are just so many, such as how they use the piano, that you will miss if you don't pay attention that really make the song that much better.

Carpet Bombing - A nice piano piece to give your head a break after all that blast beating and noise. Not only is it a nice break, but it's nice to keep a constant theme to the album. The haunting piano comes back every so often and I just love when artists do stuff like this. Great small addition that adds to the whole album.

Regno Potir - The epic centerpiece of the album. All of the effects they do to the drums just add so much. Not one feels forced, maybe just attempting to be weird, they all feel like they blend in to the song. Also all of the industrial elements added just make this song awesome. This goes for every song on the album, but especially this one: listen VERY carefully. I'm telling you, you cannot comprehend everything this on the first listen, not even the second. There are just too many things that can go over your head. The song fades out of its industrial influences and then is slowly greeted by the haunting piano...just to smack you across the face with this next song!

Final Conquest - I think I like this one more than most. It's one of the more "sound good" songs on the album, and does it sound good! It's also one (reached 666 words! how fitting...) of the more heavy songs on the album. And yes, of course it has to have the return of the haunting piano. Typing this review is just reminding me of how much I love this album. It's really THAT GOOD.

Logic - Another piano piece like "Carpet Bombing," but a bit shorter...by that a mean it's only a minute, but still very good. Retains to the feel of the album. And yes, the next song does smack you in the face again...

Sonar Bliss - Another gem. It's another song on the album that has a lot to offer along with the others. It has some more very original electronic sounds, and yes, the piano! I'm sure you get the whole "piano" point by now, but still, I love it.

Magic - The last piano piece on the album and probably my favorite. This one just really sets you up for the mood which is the last song on the album...

Completion - This one is just crazy. This song makes the album go out with a bang. I think it's safe to say this is the most experimental song on the album. Just let me get this over with: there's a piano part! But moving on, the electronics on this album are just so exciting and innovative, it really is an excellent closer to an album. As Completion pt. 1 is quite crazy, the much shorter Completion part. 2 just kinda comes back that haunting mood and plays the album on it. Both of them representing two very different sides of the album. Excellent.

I said enough - I adore this album.

...Piano.