DØDHEIMSGARD — 666 International (review)

DØDHEIMSGARD — 666 International album cover

Album · 1999 · Black Metal

4/5 · 2011-07-03
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.

more than 2 years ago
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Xaxaar wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Oh, I know, I'm not talking about this site. I am quite pleased where it is on this site, but anywhere else it's quite underground.

Wilytank wrote:

more than 2 years ago

"Criminally Underrated" is the number one black metal album on this site. :/

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Yes it really is that good. One of my favorite extreme metal albums. The most essential listen if you like your black metal with experimental industrial and avant garde elements. Very unique but as you mention also very much an aquired taste (you used the words "hard pill to swallow").