Style: avant-garde/black metal/trap/noise/grindcore/afrobeat (harsh vocals)
Review by: Josh
Country: Kenya
Release date: 07-08-2020
As you could probably guess from the genre tags, this isn’t a metal album in the traditional sense. However, it’s not exactly a breakcore album either, nor is it really industrial, nor hip-hop. Instead of trying to make an album in any particular style, Duma pick up bits and pieces from disparate genres like tools from a toolbox, grabbing bits and pieces from whatever’s appropriate for helping them do what they’d like to do.
Naturally, the sound of this album is quite varied. At its base, though, under everything else, are the drums. The percussion takes a leading role throughout the album, taking up the role that the guitar tends to play. Instead of riffs, you have fills. To compensate for the lack of tonality in the rhythm section, producer Sam Karugu brings together sounds as diverse as trap hi-hats to blast beats to jackhammer samples, creating a sound that’s more diverse tonally than harmonically. Through this, you’re kept on your toes throughout the album’s entire runtime, as it’s impossible to anticipate just exactly what will happen next. It’s an approach I’ve rarely seen taken within the metalosphere, and it makes for a unique listening experience.
The rest of the album’s sonic palette is composed of industrial, metal and dark ambient sounds, backing up the leading drums with atmospheric tones that transport the listener into the landscape of a fever dream. Eerie tones lead into sharp blasts of noise, gradually teaching the listener that no calm moments will last. As such, even the quiet parts are tense, similarly to in a horror movie where the monster is present, but not visible. The vocals lend a face to that monster, howling in syncopated rhythms over the frantic drumming, switching wildly between grindcore squeals, metalcore shouts, and black metal shrieks. Tonally they’re a great fit for the music, embodying the aura of uneasiness that it carries.
All of this, though, is marred by the mixing. While everything’s well-produced, the mixing is downright bizarre at times. The drums are generally up-front, but it’s a crapshoot with everything else. The vocals in particular change in volume seemingly at random. At times it feels like I’m listening to a concert from several blocks away. I can’t fathom what they were going for with this production style, as in my listening experience at least it only served as a distraction. On top of this, the songwriting is quite odd at times. While some tracks, such as the excellent “Omni”, proceed coherently and have a clear sense of direction, others seemingly lack one at all. This, though, I accept may be due to me not fully getting what they’re laying down, so my opinion will probably change with more listens.
While it’s got its flaws, this record’s pretty damn spicy, so if you’re looking for something more out there, give it a few spins and see how you like it.
Recommended tracks: Omni, Kill Yourself Before They Kill You
Recommended for fans of: Suicide, Atrocity Exhibition-era Danny Brown, Whitehouse
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Spotify | Instagram
Label: Nyege Nyege Tapes – Bandcamp | Soundcloud | Facebook
Duma is:
– Martin Khanja aka Lord Spike Heart (vocals)
– Sam Karugu (guitars/production)
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