ReView: Dusk – RETHRENODY0

Dusk
Album: RETHRENODY
Category: Industrial / Metal / Ambient
Label: Self-released
Release Date: 2023-05-05
Author: Colin Andrew MacDougall (VexationsandtheVile)

Trying to merge black metal with ambient is a tall order; the inherently busy often doesn’t make a good bedfellow for the intrinsically pared down. Building off 2019’s THRENODY, RETHRENODY remixes its past iteration and adds a slightly more electronic and ambient flair, all the while retaining the same percussive flourishes of its black metal infusion. The blend of ambience and distorted guitar licks atop blastbeats is interesting and not often seen in the scene. However, in terms of the differences between the two albums, RETHRENODY does present as a somewhat milder version of its predecessor. The guitar and drums are much less front and center, and as a result, it doesn’t differentiate itself well from its more attention-grabbing forerunner. Listeners who prefer a more ambient experience may appreciate this variance, but in terms of curb appeal, something is definitely lost. The remix of Metallica’s “Blackened” is an interesting exception to this; diehard fans of the band may not appreciate the liberties taken, but for the more electronically inclined, the discordant and fractured sampling and noise interspersed in the remix actually adds a certain gritty panache. Overall, RETHRENODY is an interesting listen, but perhaps less than likely to command listener’s attention. Those interested in the genre fusion it undertakes would be well advised to check out the earlier release to see it in its initial fierceness.
 
Track list:

1. RETHRENODY I
2. RETHRENODY II
3. RETHRENODY III
4. RETHRENODY IV
5. RETHRENODY V
6. REBLACKENED

 
Dusk
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