Style: Black metal, doom metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: Philosophical, literal satanism
Thoughts: Deathspell Omega have hardly ever been content to rest on their laurels. They have constantly evolved, except for a few notable moments in their career. The Long Defeat is merely the band's next evolution.
Where to start with this one? Do I start by saying that the band seems to be moving on from their long time vocalist? How about discussing how the band has taken their signature sound and slowed it down to the point where it could be considered black/doom metal? How about discussing how the band has taken the brief ambient moments from the previous albums and expanded them to become a core part of their sound?
All of those are equally good places to start, but the fact remains that the band has had a fundamental shift in style. I don't know if this is a one off effort or if this is signaling the new direction that Deathspell will take with future efforts as well.
They have used the same vocalist since 2004 for all of their releases. The first pivot for The Long Defeat shows the band bringing in multiple other vocalists to support their art. This has a few interesting consequences. The music takes on an entirely new character. Mikko's vocals have been synonymous to Deathspell's sound as long as they have been of international relevance.
While the music itself is recognizable as Deathspell there is a bit of cognitive dissonance with a vocalist other than Mikko Aspa performing. The music fits but the grating voice just isn't there to match. It's hardly bad, it's simply odd. It's like a part of the Deathspell identity sound has been forcibly replaced by other equally competent - yet different - replacements.
The music itself has also undergone a dramatic shift. It has been slowed down to a crawl by Deathspell standards. While the band is still content to blast throughout the album, the focus has shifted off of the blinding speed of the past. The major focus is a slow brooding atmosphere. This is extended by the expansion of the bands dark ambient experimentation. It's a significant change in style for the band, yet it still comes across as uniquely Deathspell.
The Long Defeat is a curious album for me. On one hand it feels like a huge leap forward, and on the other it feels like regression. Deathspell have inadvertently abandoned their core sound with this album while evolving it further. I know that makes absolutely no sense when spelled out like that but it's the closest approximation that I can offer through text.
The riffs are still unmistakably by the same band but the pacing and vocalist changes make for quite the oddity. The band continues to evolve and create music for no one but themselves. This is the best possible way to make music: no compromises.
Written January 29th 2023
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