Style: Power metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Mercenary, Pagan’s Mind, Dream Evil
Review by: Francesco
Country: Belgium
Release date: 17 April 2024
It’s rare that an underground power/prog band really resonates with me when all too often their arrangements seem lackluster and uninspired; the lyrics trite, campy drivel. Yet against all odds, Dyscordia managed to take hold of my interest and keep it for (most of) an album. Their fourth release, The Road to Oblivion, with its absolutely abysmal cover artwork, proves the age-old adage of books and covers: it’s dramatic, indulgent, and theatrical, and a worthwhile listen for fans of the genre who are more into huge choruses and less-so the speed-metal-influenced shred style common in other bands of the same ilk. In general, The Road to Oblivion doesn’t try to reinvent the genre, but Dyscordia do expertly blend more extreme styles to keep the listener engaged throughout.
Musically, The Road to Oblivion displays a variety of influences in the riffing, notably melodic and progressive death metal, and usually strays far from the tremolo-picking into one-chord-per-measure of many other power metal outfits. The songwriting effortlessly incorporates different moods and nowhere is this clearer than the tracks “Hell”, “Oblivion”, and my personal favourite – the instrumental “Interlude”. Without ever going over the eight-minute mark, Dyscordia proves their prog metal chops without overindulgence, clearly delineating the different movements that make each song sound unique while maintaining a cohesive sound from start to finish. One thing I think they stumble with is the slower, more melodramatic parts which highlight the vocalist and attempt to express a gravitas that they don’t really achieve. For example, the opening to “Hell”; the sudden loss of momentum at the twenty-seven second mark sounds forced and unnatural and sometimes these sections can break the flow of the album. However, I lay praise on their use of synthesizers to provide subtle background atmosphere, notable in “Toxic Rain”.
Lyrically The Road to Oblivion’s focus is mostly on the human condition and less about fantasy or mythological elements that prog-power outfits may sometimes choose to focus on. I think they can often be more relatable, and an interesting conceptual choice for this style of metal; for instance, the passage “… you wake up in the morning, and you wonder what you’re livin’ for …” in “The Demons Bite” is a type of morose sentiment I don’t usually hear expressed in power metal, but again, it’s an interesting diversion. The clean singer, Piet Overstijns, sometimes has a voice that is reminiscent of Ozzy’s, while the harsh vocals provide a welcome variance to the sound, complementing the clean vocals and definitely underscoring the melodic/progressive death metal influence in exemplary fashion. I wouldn’t mind more harsh vocal passages, or even entire songs with harsh vocals in the next release. I think it works really well with what Dyscordia are doing here, and in such a manner that wasn’t strictly the cliched call-and-answer style, so I do laud them for it.
Although Oblivion won’t make my regular rotation, Dyscordia did things a bit differently on this release that I was surprisingly taken in by. Their inclusion of harsh vocals, the clearly defined movements in each track, and the cohesive nature of the album contributed to a captivating listen that I was pleasantly surprised by. Still, I might hope for a bit more complexity on the next release. Maybe some true eighteen-minute epics that’ll really enhance my commute to work. Maybe bring in a keyboardist and throw in a shred battle or two. Is that too much to ask? But I digress. Well done, Belgium. Well done.
Recommended tracks: Toxic Rain, The Demons Bite, Oblivion
You may also like: Anubis Gate, DGM, Morgana Lafey
Final verdict: 6.9/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
band in question is:
– Piet Overstijns (vocals)
– Stefan Segers (vocals, guitars)
– Martijn Debonnet (guitars, backing vocals)
– Guy Commeene (guitars)
– Wouter Nottebaert (bass, backing vocals)
– Chevy Mahieu – (drums)
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