Louis Lambert and Marc Le Saux’s project, under the name DDENT have released their debut album, ??????, (ektiheb), which roughly means melancholy, or depression. It was recorded in Skyhammer Studio, Liverpool (known for Conan, Electric Wizard, Napalm Death) by Chris Fielding. The artwork itself, designed by Mohammed Yacoub, was inspired by the marble tombstones that can be found in some Middle-Eastern countries. It features eight instrumental songs which are guided by enigmatic words that detail the melancholy of a horseman, and poet.
The album opens with ‘Habouz’ which progression delicately into the first song proper, ‘Arzel’. This latter song begins softly, with a gentle overture, before wrestling a slab and throwing it down onto the ground. The groove is infectious and the riffs are fantastically simple, whilst the chorus sections open up the song and allow each instrument space to breathe in this heavy melody. ‘Ghazel’ expands even more with a beautiful chorus melody that truly evokes melancholy, before ‘Kohol’ unleashes the brooding guitar patterns again.
‘Houri’ begins the second half of the album, and it begins as if it truly is another half to the album. This song starts very slowly, but towards it, latter stages incorporate near black metal influences with the speed of instrumentals. ‘Almée’ is the biggest song on the album, with the most elements incorporated, and some of the best passages, especially with the choral sections before the huge riff at 6-minutes 40-seconds.
‘Julep’ and ‘Azahar’ end the album similarly to how it began. A long introduction of the former, but this time ‘Azahar’ smashes through the speakers straight away and progresses into a spiralling, dark, void that crushes vehemently before rising once again towards the end.
This is a strong post-metal release, especially for a debut. It has some great, low, crushing riffs, but these are sometimes juxtaposed with other melodies which provide the aforementioned melancholy. There are two sides to this coin, crushing riffs, and poignancy in melody; this album is about to show you both sides, and despite its hour-long length, the time flies by.
