Review: Dessiderium – Aria

Style: Progressive/Technical Symphonic Death/Black metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Zach
Country: AZ-US
Release date: 10 December 2021

You know what’s so funny about death metal? How insanely diverse the genre has become. Wormhole and Dessiderium are both considered death metal, and sound nothing alike aside from growls and blast beats. If you were to go back in time and show Chuck Almighty what the genre he pioneered has become, I think he’d be proud. 

But we all know that one person. “Metal is just screaming and banging on drums!”. Granted, a person who says that has probably only been treated to one Corpse song when they saw Ace Ventura. And you could throw on the beginning of Aria and they’d probably think it’s nice until the growling starts. They’d probably turn it off when they saw the first song is fifteen minutes long, though. Maybe not the best intro to death metal. Have you tried Cryptopsy, instead?

So, why am I getting so bloody serious over death metal? Because Dessiderium’s previous endeavor, Shadow Burn, is so beautifully composed. Sure, you could call it technical black metal, but let’s not get too hung up on genres here. There’s something about that album that evokes a feeling of reaching out into the abyss and hoping to come out unscathed. An album that perfectly conjures the image of a protagonist longing for compassion in a lonely world. Alex Haddad, the man with three brains who runs Dessiderium, is such a master of creating these dreamlike worlds with very grounded ideas for his listeners to latch on to.

Initially, with Aria’s announcement, I assumed it would be an EP. And I worried it would be too short for Haddad to get his ideas across. But, because Haddad is a complete madman, Aria is a five-song album totaling an hour in length. And I daresay it’s even more sprawling and grandiose than Shadow Burn is.

Aria just throws you into the thick of it with a fifteen-minute journey of a song. ‘White Morning in a World She Knows’ pulls you right into the dreamlike journey that is Aria, with a beautiful clean section driving the first 4 minutes of the song, before launching into a big, Ne Obliviscaris reminiscent symphonic section. The black metal releases after each clean buildup in this track is nothing short of outstanding, and it gives the track some room to breathe instead of being a 15-minute riff onslaught.

Something that became immediately apparent upon first listen was how the symphonies contrast with the black metal riffing. This is less Dimmu Borgir and more Native Construct in that the symphonies have their own place in the songs and aren’t just there for show. And how weirdly upbeat they sound. This album is not quite as tonally dark as Shadow Burn, much to my shock, as indicated by the symphonies, clean guitars, and major scale leads.

But, just like Shadow Burn, Haddad’s lyrics are once again a shining focus of the album. I’d encourage everyone to read along with them on your second or third listen, because they elevate the album to new heights. Most people probably don’t care about the lyrics of a death metal song because…well, it’s all screaming anyway. But Aria’s aren’t the abstract ramblings one would find in many a progressive metal song. They once again touch on Haddad’s obvious fascination with isolation, and his imagery almost makes me believe that this album continues where Shadow Burn left off thematically.

If I had a single nitpick with the album, it would be that ‘Moon Lust Delirium’ didn’t grab me as immediately as the other songs . It feels like the only song on the album that meanders slightly, despite it being the shortest. However, with each replay, it grows on me a bit more, even if it feels a bit more “typical” black metal than the rest of the album has to offer.

Aria was an album I needed right now. As much as I love my broody, melancholic prog-death, every now and then, I need something hopeful. Despite this album being a nice slab of melancholy, there’s also a clear ray of optimism with the instrumentation. Almost like Haddad is trying to balance his ups and downs in life, so too it shows in his music. Sometimes, we need a bit of that in this gloomy genre. I sure as hell did.

Recommended tracks: Pale, Aria, The Persecution Complex
Recommended for fans of: Ne Obliviscaris, Opeth, Native Construct, Wilderun
You may also like: Hands of Despair, Epiphanie, Cormorant, Aquilius, Enfold Darkness
Final verdict: 9/10

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Label: The Artisan Era – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

<band in question> is:
– Alex Haddad (Everything)
– Brody Smith (Drum Programming)