Dunnock - Promo 2014

Raw and experimental black metal bands are a dime a dozen these days, and most are so generic and boring that people avoid that spectrum of the genre altogether.  Some classify it as useless noise or bad music recorded with bad mics, but for others, it is hidden beauty.  Dunnock is a band that has so much to offer within the wall of noise that they create.  There is anger, hate, and countless other emotions all bundled up within 4 short tracks that once the music is fully understood, it sounds like some of the best damn black metal you’ve ever heard. 

Black metal nowadays is based around atmosphere.  No matter what that atmosphere is, it is the only genre that actively strives to pull it out of you and make you feel the music instead of just hear it, and that is exactly what Dunnock does.  While the music consists of distorted vocals, fuzzy guitars and heavy synths with a few drum tracks thrown in, it still sounds and feels like any dark ambient/black metal release.  Melodies are unclear, vocals are impossible to understand, and it is hard to hear every aspect of the music but in a strange way, that’s what makes it stick out and sound really good.  The thing that really excited me is that every copy of the tape comes with a 100% unique ambient track on the B-side of the cassette.  No two tapes are alike in what they have on the backside, which is such a cool idea.  Judging off of the ambient track I have, it is a very lighthearted and happy-sounding piece of work, maybe meant to lighten the mood of what you just encountered on the other side of the tape. 

Dunnock is not for everybody, that’s for sure.  Only those brave enough to make it through this dark and creepy demo will see the true beauty and potential within their music and see how great it actually is.  I am not sure of what is to come with them, but I hope to hear something soon!

9/10

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dunnock/302498556520398

http://dunnock.bandcamp.com/