There isn’t much to say about this band, which isn’t a bad thing- letting your music speak for itself is generally a better introduction than tomes and tomes of what each of the band-members has done, wants to do, thinks about their music, etc.
So without any ado whatsoever, Dö present “Black Hole Mass”, their sixth release in as many years following “Astral Death Cult” from 2019. Dedicated to the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize, “Black Hole Mass” is the latest from this Finnish trio with new guitarist Teröid (formerly known as Tarbuck) joining J’andrömeda on bass and vocals (previously Deaf Hank) and Kristös (fka Joe E. Deliverance) on drums in this celebratory mass for the astral forces.
When the extended intro finally gives way to the actual body of the work, we get Young Gods/Strangel-styled vocals that tend toward the death end of the spectrum. Chunky, metallic, industrial, and definitely doom-laden, Gravity Sacrifice feels like the sort of dirge that would accompany a ritual sacrifice, be it Aztec, Satanic, astral death cult, or for the hell of it! A celebration of all things dark and unholy.
Plasma Psalm kicks it up several notches with more chunk, more death-growls, more melody, choral backing vocals in, well, the chorus, and a Matt Bellamy-on-steroids guitar-solo!
Radiation Blessing rounds things out with a 10min homage to … all things dark and unholy. Whereas Gravity was a theme-based work, this is more an opus in movements. We’re rewatching Buffy The Vampire Slayer and this would work beautifully behind some of the demon parties that feature the undead just before they’re slaughtered by the central heroine.
“Black Hole Mass” is being sold as an album, but is only three tracks of just over 22min in duration. But don’t be confused with quantity and quality. Many acts put out an album of ten or more songs and are struggling to provide more killer than filler. Not Dö! They may not be the happiest of campers but they’ll teach you a few things about rocking out on the darker side of metal! And the release on Black Friday is not something this punter missed, either!