WHAT'S IN A NAME?

In my line of work – again, the actual “real” sorta-career that makes me Actual, Real Money, and is still henceforth known as That Which Must Not Be Named – I’m privy to a lotta peoples’ hopes, dreams, and ambitions, only to see them dashed. Some of the time Most of the time, it’s for good reason: most otherwise-unreleased music seeking a label should stay unreleased. Now and again, however, I find that proverbial Diamond In The Rough and start lobbying to get that record-in-question released by the appropriate label. And then it’s my own hopes/dreams/ambitions/some-abstraction-thereof dashed…“karma’s a bitch” and all that.

One Record-In-Question that I became quite smitten with and thus lobbied extra-hard for was Dizziness’ now-forthcoming debut album, Offermort Heritage. Yes, that moniker. But before we address that, a bit more backstory.

This was, in fact, the second time Dizziness had contacted me to solicit a record for release. That first time was a split with fellow Greek band Lykauges, which, at the time, was gonna come out on cassette, and both bands were seeking a CD release through a certain label. Seeing that that label didn’t release splits by bands who weren’t already signed to the label, naturally, we passed. But considering my hardly-secret fetish for Greek black metal, just as naturally, I was actually curious to hear what was on offer. (Which, if it wasn’t obvious enough, means that the majority of What Is On Offer is so hopeless from the start that I don’t even bother to listen. There’s only so much time in the day, y’know.)

So, I listened – and I heard that it was good. Well, half-good, because there was another band involved (do the math). Anyway, I felt it warranted some ink, so in issue 047 of Zero Tolerance, I reviewed the tape version. Here’s what went down, to spare myself a bit of redundancy:

DIZZINESS/LYKAUGES

AT THE WHIRLWIND OF OUR STORM

AZERMEDOTH

The second, more Nordic-inspired generation of Hellenic black metal spearheaded by Stutthof and Nocternity et al continues to bear sweet fruit, at least in the case of newcomers Dizziness. Strangely ingratiating moniker aside, Dizziness are all yearning and stargazing, their pulse nevertheless gritty and even nuanced, while comparative veterans Lykauges – now RIP, as it were – are structurally more varied but texturally blander, occasionally stumbling upon a triumphant pagan moment; the former remind of a more muscular Noughties Kawir while the latter remind of a less-dissonant, same-era Legion of Doom. Hardly essential, but worth it for the Dizziness tracks…and of course, it’s all Greek to me.

3.5/6

Funny, in retrospect, that I compared Dizziness to Kawir, as the former covers the latter’s “Nyx” classic on Offermort Heritage, which, as of this writing, is slated for release sometime in 2013 on Apocalyptic Art Records. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves…or myself. Whichever.

DIZZINESS. What a fucking WEIRD moniker for a black metal band. Really, think about that one for a moment. Think some more.

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…or is it really all that weird? (What is “weird,” anyway?)

Greek black metal, by its very nature, has always been a very windblown style of black metal. Whether it’s the first generation (Varathron, Rotting Christ, Necromantia, Septic Flesh, Nightfall, Zemial et al) who pulsed with a sulfurous, sandstormed duskiness or that more Nordic second generation (Legion of Doom, Nergal, Order of the Ebon Hand, Stutthof, Nocternity, the first Astarte album et al) who surged through icicle-choked castles – and, over the course of their long, luxurious career, Kawir have done both – wind, that ever-underestimated element, has always played a prominent textural role in the blackest Hellenic arts. It’s a vertigo like no other, one paradoxically of sumptuousness and splendor.

Now, have you ever rushed headlong into the wind? How ‘bout whilst cycling your psyche through the pulse of Hellenic black metal? It’s a very real and tangible euphoria, a certain psychedelic exhaustion that has little to do with “evil” constructs or passive “ritualism.” Rather, it’s a ritualism of the earth, sea, and sky, an elemental force that you try to grasp but allow to grasp you. At least that’s what I feel when I’m walking through the forest, getting outta my mind using my mind, stone-cold sober, being One and also Nothing with the music.

Or: that’s dizziness, and that’s Dizziness.

To that, there’s an opening instrumental entitled “Uplifting Touch,” and that is something I could get used to within black metal (but will save for some other post). There’s plenty of other evocative song titles here – “For Glory and Pride,” “Unveiling the Truth of the Universe,” “Mortuus Spes,” “The Age of Darkness”…and, um, the title track – all of which help this head head headlong into the wind (and my mind outta my mind, mind), and “Triumph of a Superior Idea” says a lot with very little and, at least titularly, possesses just enough Vague Sketchiness to get me excited in a vague way.

More specifically, Offermort Heritage possesses more personality than the first-mentioned split, or at least is a stronger, more concerted assertion of that original personality. For one thing, they’re allowing more space and spaciousness – or air? no, WIND – into that First-Gen-unto-Second-Gen Hellenic pulse, that duality of stoutness vs. litheness that similarly earmarks so much mid ‘80s synth-funk (I know: some other post), which, in this twisted, mostly-sober mind of mine, is equally underlined with a black- or maybe purple-velvet-draped mysticism. Or maybe just blackness. (I’m white, by the way.)

For another, like the best Greek black metal, the album possesses a strong heavy metal backbone without being overly obvious about it (another redundant construction there, I know) nor without it devolving into some stupid party music for Metalloid Scum. (Trust me, I know how to party, and have partied plenty in the past, and still do – hard – from time to time. There’s nothing wrong with partying to heavy metal, either, but make sure it’s FUCKING HEAVY METAL. Y’know, something with hooks or melodies or a vocal you can sorta sing along with. Whether that’s Priest or Pretty Maids, Ratt or Razor, Hellion or Heavy Pettin’, whatever – but seriously, no mongoloid When Comes The Vinyl Version? crap. Do that and I’ll blast my boogie 12”s that much louder and prance that much faggier and, er, ingest substances that will encourage an earnest exaggeration of same. And I’m NOT talking about Sausage Parties, either: that’s pretty much implied when Your Goal Is To Cult.)

I’m rather disappointed that this isn’t coming out on a bigger label – I tried my best, and I tried some more – as it’s likely gonna drown in a sea of obscurity. (Is that an element?) Then again, the last thing I wanna do at this point in my life is run a fuckin’ record label. But you’ve made it this far, so why not check ‘em out here and here? Hopefully, ya’ll will feel their “Uplifting Touch” soon, too.