Despot tries its own thing but feels the pressure
With bands like Sarcófago, Vulcano, Sepultura or Mystifier, Brazil should ring a bell with any fan of extreme metal. Attempting to pick up the heavy mantle, B.A.V. created Despot in 2008, a militant and crude black metal project with three demos behind it before the release of the full length Satan in the Death Row in 2013.
Within a short time, Despot gives off a somewhat schizophrenic vibe with the vividly colourful and vibrant cover artwork being contrasted by savage black metal tunes. The use of electronic ambience leads thoughts towards Europe rather than the project's Brazilian ancestry, but at the very core of it all resides a bulk of raw black metal coarseness more reminiscent of what you would expect.
Within a short time, Despot gives off a somewhat schizophrenic vibe with the vividly colourful and vibrant cover artwork being contrasted by savage black metal tunes. The use of electronic ambience leads thoughts towards Europe rather than the project's Brazilian ancestry, but at the very core of it all resides a bulk of raw black metal coarseness more reminiscent of what you would expect.
"The weirdness and ambiguity of Satan in the Death Row, however, doesn't end with the perculiar choise of artwork or the ambient intro."
True to his roots, B.A.V. brings thrashier notes into his black metal riffs, turning songs like Purified by Fire into something more ferocious and Sodom-esque. The weirdness and ambiguity of Satan in the Death Row, however, doesn't end with the perculiar choise of artwork or the ambient intro. The title track, too, seems oddly out of place with its melodic solo and far-reaching aftermath, while the closing track ends the experience in much the same way it started.
For what it is worth, all these elements - though strange on their own - serve to detract the often egocentric sense of self-importance and self-righteousness that plague the scene. The commanding beats of the programmed drums to which B.A.V. plays his militaristic riffs and rasps his belligerent lyrics grants Despot's music a disciplined and vigorous sound, and the ever on-marching compositions could well have fallen back into mediocrity without a little detail.
Satan in the Death Row feels like an ambitious endeavour. The guitar riffs are not completely without merrit, but at the same time they feel lost in a hostile environment where drum machines ferociously pound away from every angle. Classical elements and computerised choirs adds melody, but sacrifices the grand overview instead. The tide of battle is not always followed by Despot's compositions, but the solo project does attempt to put its own spin on a genre ripe with third-rate imitators and wannabes.
For what it is worth, all these elements - though strange on their own - serve to detract the often egocentric sense of self-importance and self-righteousness that plague the scene. The commanding beats of the programmed drums to which B.A.V. plays his militaristic riffs and rasps his belligerent lyrics grants Despot's music a disciplined and vigorous sound, and the ever on-marching compositions could well have fallen back into mediocrity without a little detail.
Satan in the Death Row feels like an ambitious endeavour. The guitar riffs are not completely without merrit, but at the same time they feel lost in a hostile environment where drum machines ferociously pound away from every angle. Classical elements and computerised choirs adds melody, but sacrifices the grand overview instead. The tide of battle is not always followed by Despot's compositions, but the solo project does attempt to put its own spin on a genre ripe with third-rate imitators and wannabes.
6/10
Released in 2013 independently
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