The release of Dogma earlier this year marked the return of Belgian black metal outfit Panchrysia, a group adamant on proving that Belgium is just as capable of producing metal as terrifically evil-sounding as their northern counterparts. Panchrysia have proven this time and time again and Dogma, the fifth full-length release from the quintet, has shown that there is still a lot of fight in the band yet. The album has come a full seven years after Massa Damnata (2011), leaving enough time for fans’ appetites to be sufficiently whetted, hungry for the deliciously villainous music contained within Dogma.
This is usually the point in the review where the validity of the album is put in to question, but not this time. Rather than create a kind of faux-cliffhanger, I would personally rather have readers know from the forefront that Dogma is an absolutely fantastic album. This review will not be one of judging how well an album has done, but rather how it has done what it has so well.
Something almost immediately noticeable from Dogma is the fact that it draws heavily on the aesthetic of the second wave of Norwegian black metal. In fact, you could easily slot this album next to the likes of Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994) and not realise that there is over two decades of difference between the releases. This classic black metal sound is created through the use of heavily distorted guitar riffs, having the songs adhere to the minor key, creating a harsh melancholic feeling, throaty, shouted vocals, and a general thin sound surrounding the percussion.
While all of the traditional tropes of the black metal genre have more than been adhered to, with introductory track “Each Against All” immediately informing listeners that all of those tropes will be present within Dogma, the album itself is more than just a note-for-note redo of classic northern metal. There is personality infused in to Dogma, enough to set it apart from anything which could ever be held in comparison. Perhaps the prime example of the pinpricks of individualised style are the spoken word elements sewn in to various tracks. On both tracks “Salvation” and “Gilgamesh” are moments of quiet, where the music subsides to become something of a backing track, allowing a straight spoken word segment to take center stage. A strange addition, though something that works better than you may think, and acts as a method for Panchrysia to clearly and unmistakably speak their message to the listeners. These segments seem to be taken from films or other forms of media, yet slot effortlessly in to an extreme metal background.
While Dogma has more than its fair share of rampant, unchained madness, with “28 Steps” proving this rather effectively, there is a surprising amount of melody buried within this album. These more ‘melodic’ segments usually manifest in a slower, angrier style, as if someone has turned down the speed on a track. With this slower pacing, listeners are able to hear the intricacies which would usually not appear in such an album. The delicate and complex riffs within these melodic sections act like rivers; they flow free and wild, dangerous to be caught up in, yet beautiful from a distance.
Dogma appears on the surface to be an homage to classic black metal of years past. However, once the surface is scratched away, fans will notice the subtle differences and the unique temperament which defines the album. It can be vicious and unstable sounding, but all of the best black metal albums always are. A brilliant new tweak on a classic style of extreme metal, and one that cannot be recommended enough.
Dogma is out now and is available to buy.
