Review Summary: I wish all Black Metal was like this.
There's nothing known about these guys, simply that they;re signed to Christhunt and that they have released 3 full lengths. The newest is entitled Stille (Silence), and is a bit of trip back into the early 90s, even though it was released 2006.
The music benefits greatly from the anonimity of the band. No pictures, no names, no lyrics, no pre-conceptions about the band. Just plain music. In a genre where bands tend to spend time creating their image rather than work on the music this is a commendable achievement on behalf of DTKWMDW. There is only one thing that matters here and that is the music. It's also great that you don't associate this with people,it has a very natural and imaginative feel.
The production is rather sloppy but fitting. The vocals are loud and coarse with very apparent reverb, the guitars are thin and mixed a little low, and the drums dont fill quite enough space giving the album a very empty and open feel. This is appropriate for an album where the songs are titled mostly "Dust" and "Silence". The mix again shows that these guys worked on creating the atmosphere by working on all aspects of the music, and creating an empty feel not through some depressive cover (this is plain black) or suicidal band pics. It's all music here. The band also employs keyboard at very tasteful times. Near the ends of some songs the keyboard, using some very empty sounds, creates an even more dim and sad atmosphere. The use of keyboards reminds me of Kaeltetod's use of them. Very sparing but employed very effectively and thoughtfully.
Musically there is nothing groundbreaking, but rather it's a step back in time (which these days means a step forward). The music pays homage to the old acts like Bathory and Burzum who had a similar thin sound in their early works and demos. The songs are simple, very basic drums, and steady tremelo guitars for the most part with some mid paced riffing as well. The more you listen the more you enjoy the simplicity of it all. It's another accomplishment that the good bands in this genre do, and that's make basic songs still sound good and interesting. There are also a few improvised parts in some songs which are hit and miss, the end of Staub I for instance is pure atmospheric bliss, but a bluesy style solo in another song is a complete mood changer and very awkward.
Definitely a band that will be overlooked and forgotten, yet a prime example of some good basic black metal. No heavy mid-filled sound here, nothing remotely close to heavy mixing, it basically sounds like a well recorded live performance. If you like your black metal polished and pre-chewed for you then forget this. If you like something that provokes your thoughts and gives you a chance to escape reality for a while then this is for you.
