Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Dekadent
Release: 2011
Runtime: 53:35
Rating: 4.5/5
After the megalomaniac project that Ljubljana black metal outfit Dekadent’s previous record, The Deliverance of the Fall, certainly was, the question was how Dekadent would carry on their musical journey. Where to head after the deliverance of the fall was probably a question for the band themselves too, and above all for the mastermind of the group, Artur Felicijan. The right way to keep pushing Dekadent up the throne of avant-garde black metal is probably exactly the somewhat more intimate atmosphere of the new album Venera: Trial & Tribulation, which still holds all the unmistakable elements that make Dekadent so authentic and unique.
And the first thing that points that out is the monumental wall of sound, built on a dirty, at times almost chaotic production. But that raw-sounding production has become Dekadent’s trademark and signature… and with it, the charm of this band. This production is also a kind of explanation for the two words that, in my opinion, best describe the essence of Dekadent’s music – beautiful brutality. On one side, raw guitars cut into the flesh without mercy, cannon-fire “blast beating” comes from the hands and feet of Dani “Garghuf” Robnik, and Artur Felicijan’s vocals are aggressive and tormented, while on the other side, phenomenal guitar solos gently caress your eardrums, sounding timeless and ethereal. The symphonic elements are pushed into the background this time and mainly serve to deepen the sensory experience, since they aren’t as dominant and clichéd-sounding as with bands like Dimmu Borgir. The symphonic keyboards and pompous, almost cinematic orchestral elements are first and foremost a (co-)builder of the album’s fantastic atmosphere, mostly underlining the brilliant guitar lines. This duality is the key carrier of the atmosphere that the album’s title already describes – the trial and tribulation of love, and with it of life, with Venus, the goddess of love, watching divinely over it all like a kind of deus ex machina, played out so well through the mysticism and ethereality of the majestic, mighty guitar melodies. Dekadent’s rich, almost baroque sound swaggers in places so much that it sounds like it’s about to burst out in a mighty explosion of fiery passion and be torn apart by hurricane winds (the crushing Thralldom Decree, Raided), while at other times Dekadent turn things completely upside down and drift into the eye of the storm, into the waters of sensual, introverted intimacy (the breathtaking piano intermezzo Trial & Tribulation). In moments like these it really isn’t hard to close your eyes and float off somewhere far away. And despite all this darkness, Venera: Trial & Tribulation has plenty of moments that are positive, optimistic and uplifting – from behind even the darkest cloud, the sun eventually shines through.
Venera: Trial & Tribulation is an album that manages to stop time. With its unmistakable Dekadent atmosphere it sucks you in instantly, and even though (on first listen) it may not offer songs as strong and instantly recognizable (and some of them could even be written off as “filler”), like Vigred or Dissident Dream from the debut, you can’t stay indifferent to Thralldom Decree, Raided, Craven, In Pulchritude Adorned and the rest. Venera: Trial & Tribulation is a mighty “black metal musical” and a new peak for the Slovenian metal scene.
Lineup
Artur Felicijan: guitar, bass, fx, vocals
Dani “Garghuf” Robnik: drums
Production
Artur Felicijan and Matej Grginič
Tracklist
1. The Wound
2. Thralldom Decree
3. Raided
4. Paramours in Vain
5. Beautiful Fire
6. Craven
7. False Endearment
8. Providential Love
9. Sunday’s Lament
10. In Pulchritude Adorned
11. Trial & Tribulation
12. Day of Solace
