Perfectly crafted doom is a thing of beauty. Poles Dopelord have been doing this for over a decade, and with their fifth long-player once again demonstrate that when it comes to crashing riffs, they stand alongside the best.
They aren’t the first and they won’t be the last to theme an album around the devil, but they do what they do exceptionally well. It’s been a long journey, beginning with debut album Magick Rites in 2012. They’ve rumbled the earth ever since, and starting with Night of the Witch, they do more of the same here. “Night of the Witch” is a corker of an opener, crafted and built carefully before ascending to a dramatic climax which leads on to four more seven-minute explorations.
There isn’t a lot of originality here; it’s worship in part at the Sabbath altar, but what they do is performed magnificently. They pummel with their fuzzed-up approach, drawing deep on those influences from the occult, history, movies, and of course, the many other bands who dwell in this particular dimension. The quartet move without urgency, their often-sludgy drive proceeding at exactly the right tempo. Vocals are shared by Piotr Zin and Pawel Mioduchowski, and they hit exactly the right level of haunting delivery for the crushing maelstrom that unfolds around them.
The riffs are both refreshing and stifling at the same time, the hooks that sit in each song infectious. The band evidently don’t worry about timing, for each track introduces expansive, enjoyable sprawls that blur lumbering plodders with higher intensity speedsters. The outcome is an album that appeals wider than those whose taste in all things bone crushing is first.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
But at the heart of this is a magick ride into the occult. Dopelord draw deep from their country’s Catholicism for subject matter. “One Billion Skulls” sees a lumbering plod, the prehistoric herbivore in motion, as the band demonstrate their defiance to the still dominant religion and cultural dominance. You can sing along, chant, or simply allow the flowing riffs and chopping rhythms flow over you. It’s all good. Such is the intensity of the Dopelord, that one can feel the ground shake with each powerful chord. Immerse yourself in the penultimate track “Worms”, allow the aural abuse flow with an organic intensity which simply cannot be beat. Harrowing, visceral vocals provide a different approach, and give the song a different edge to others within this opus. It’s verging on the blackened scheme that the band have tinkered with for many years.
Well executed and perfectly played, Songs for Satan is a blistering riff fest that explodes the skull. It’s something that needs to be experienced. A triumphant fifth release and a reminder that Dopelord remain very much in the top tier.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Songs for Satan is out on October 6th
Check out all the bands we review in 2023 on our Spotify and YouTube playlists!
Dopelord: facebook | instagram | bandcamp | spotify | youtube
