Review: Dordeduh – Har

Style: progressive atmospheric black/folk metal (mixed vocals, Romanian lyrics)
Review by: Sam
Recommended for fans of: Enslaved, Agalloch, (late) Nokturnal Mortum
Country: Romania
Release date: 14 May, 2021

One of the most unique albums I’ve ever come across to is OM by the Romanian band Negura Bunget. It’s a haunting, atmospheric black metal record with lots of Romanian folk and progressive song structures that really transported you into another dimension of a Transylvanian vampire thriller, best served at candlelight. It somewhat lacked in the emotional catharsis department for me, but the atmosphere was so well done I didn’t care. The album has become a cult (or should I say, kvlt) classic at this point, and rightly so. Unfortunately, the band disbanded in 2017. Fortunately though two ex-members went on to form a new band which is the subject of this review.

Dordeduh is a band that very much continues the spirit of NB. This record is filled with similarly sprawling song structures, an emphasis on folky atmosphere, and a very hypnotic guitar tone that sounds like it could have come straight out of OM. However unlike NB, Dordeduh actually make an effort to please the listener instead of just being abrasive all the time, introducing many soothing elements as clean vocals and melodic synth patches. In fact, I’d hardly call the band abrasive at all. The polished production really smooths out the unsettling vibe that NB had. Har sounds very warm and spacious. The record is an excellent example of how black metal can sound great with higher production values without sacrificing its core identity.

Something I also find Dordeduh to be much more successful in than Negura Bunget is the general songwriting. They don’t settle just for compelling atmosphere, but also add in more visceral, immediate elements to connect with the listener. There are some colossal riffs on this album that just grab you by the gutter, with a matching intensity in the vocal performance that wouldn’t be out of place on a death metal album. The atmosphere is also a bit more epic and cinematic in nature, mostly thanks to the background synths. Not in a cheesy way. It’s more dreamy and inviting than in your face. All in all it’s an added sense of drama that really elevates the music for me beyond what NB accomplished. The singing is also very soothing and heartfelt, evoking romantic images of nature and pagan traditions, and also giving an extra emotional dimension to the music. This album is more so a campfire ritual with psychedelics than a sense of vampires lurking around every corner to kill you and drink your blood out of fancy wine glasses, if that makes sense.

But Negura Bunget comparisons aside, this album is just stunning in its own right. Something I always really appreciate is when a band can make an album feel like more than a sum of its songs, and Har does that in spades. Not that these tracks are lacking in their own right (far from it!), but the overall sense of narrative in the music is stunning. Har really feels like you’re watching a movie with how the songwriting ebbs and flows in intensity. Be it the atmosphere, the riffs, or the proggy parts, it’s all super captivating. It has the journey and the big payoffs. Time flies by whenever I listen to this record, both for background and for active listening.

I feel like this review is a bit short, but there’s nothing more for me to say really. Har is just a stunning work of art. It starts out already great, and gets even better with every subsequent listen. Due to its lighter nature and smooth production, it’s accessible for black metal and non black metal listeners alike. It’s a wonderful cinematic, atmospheric journey, and honestly would also be a very solid black metal introduction for those put off by the genre’s more abrasive aspects. This album does everything I ever wanted from Negura Bunget, and more. It remains to be seen where it’ll end up on my personal list, but as far as musical objectivity is a thing, this is the best album I’ve reviewed all year. Well done fellas.

Recommended tracks: Timpul Întâilor, Desferecat, De Neam Vergur
You may also like: Negura Bunget, Sur Austru, Maladie
Final verdict: 9.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Lupus Lounge – Website

Dordeduh is:
– Hupogrammos (vocals, guitars, keyboards, mandola, tulnic)
– Sol Faur (guitars, keyboards, hammered dulcimer)
– Flavius Misarăș (bass, backing vocals)
– Putrid (drums, percussion, toacă)