Dreich describe themselves as purveyors of “depressive, suicidal black metal” and hail from the north east of Scotland.
The “dreich” that is characteristic of this area of the UK is a pervading, engulfing gloom that can drain colour and the spark of life itself from the environment. In Aberdeen, when the weather is dreich the city’s granite-stoned walls assume a dead, grey pallor in the grip of moisture-laden air. “Haar” (think John Carpenter’s “The Fog” afflicting everything….) drifts inland, often hanging in place to impose its chilling drain on the world. Aberdeen is Scotland’s capital city of dreich.
Voted “most iconic Scots word”, dreich has its origins in Old Norse (“drjugr”, meaning enduring or lasting) and this association dates back to the 15th century in middle English. Its latter-day transition to common association with miserable weather renders its use entirely fitting as a band name for an outfit whose themes dwell on depression and suicide.
Music historians typically trace black metal’s genesis to the 1980’s and bands such as Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost but it’s the Norwegian scene of the early 90’s – church-burnings, murder et al – that is associated with ground zero in the eyes of many genre aficionados. Angry, rebellious young artists created a sub-genre with a unique aesthetic and an attitude that embodied misanthropy and rebellion. Since then, black metal has been, arguably, heavy metal’s most vibrant subset with the style appropriated, mutated and crafted into forms often far removed from its origins. That change annoys and alienates many fans of the “Old School”. Many seem to desire a comfort blanket of shallow, treble-overloaded production and sounds of primitive rawness.
How, then, do Dreich fit into the lexicon of black metal? Edicius features five tracks and clocks in at around 36 minutes, but those minutes provide a rich offering that should satisfy all but the most narrow-minded of old school adherents.
Opener ‘Cold’ is a mid-paced number overlaid by a melancholic refrain and howling, tortured vocals that convey an atmosphere of despair. ‘Sharing Death’ commences with a picked, minor key melody and barely ventures into rapid-paced territory but is undoubtedly true to the ethos of black metal. ‘Aperta Voulnera’ is built upon a tremolo-picked core but remains true to the general mid-paced nature of these songs. On ‘Tower Of Sorrow’, the evocative, tortured vocals mine a depth of anguish that is painful yet majestic. Again, the pace is never frenetic although the song’s denouement dips a toe into speedier realms.
‘Propria Manu Mori’ (to die by one’s own hands) is the longest track and that which lies farthest from black metal’s template. It is a dark, ambient composition whose centrepiece is a narration of the suicide note of author Virginia Woolf. Her words are a juxtaposition of despair over her depressive condition interspersed with loving tributes to her “dearest”. Anyone having familiarity with the engulfing, all-pervading darkness of mental health impairment will recognise parallels with the draining, spirit-sapping effect of all that is “dreich”.
Regardless of the musical manifestation, black metal’s core philosophy has always been rebellious and misanthropic. In that respect, suicide – the very rejection of life itself – stands as the ultimate misanthropic, rebellious statement.
In Edicius, Dreich have crafted a black metal album which is a majestic piece of work and an articulate exposition of their aesthetic of darkness and negativity. Highly recommended.
