Review Summary: If Hvis lyset Tar Oss is the Yin of minimalism, this is the Yang.
Dissection is another one of those Black Metal bands where their reputation precedes their music. They basically went on hiatus for seven years and left their fans hanging desperately after the other classic that was Storm of the Light`s bane before Jon (finally) popped out of jail in 2004 to reclaim the throne.
It should be noted that upon the release of Reinkaos, they did not play black metal anymore. Instead, Jon offered up what In Flames should have looked like after Subterranean with the sampling of Maha Kali and then gave us an minimalistic and melodically beautiful and triumphant set of songs to burn the world by in Reinkaos.
The songs in modern Dissection are purely rock oriented now, but this is by no means constructed of bluesy quasi-metal interpretations that flounder about like Carcass' Swansong. Instead, the simplistic and structured format of the songs give way for strutting and soul lifting melodies manifested mainly through the lead guitar and the slightly echoed keyboards, leaving nothing to the listener's imagination as the razor sharp melodic hooks lead the songs in a steady march beyond death.
The beauty of the album lies in its ability to construct the songs solely on the minimalistic melodic riffs and ambient sounding drums. If one looks at it discreetly, this album could be considered Storm of the Light's Bane stripped down to the bare essentials- the baring of Jon Nodtveit's soul, so to say. All the naysayers that say Dissection 'sold out' simply aren't putting to mind the fact that at that point in time, Jon was simply writing music for himself, and ONLY himself, finally churning out a work of art that reflected the culmination of his beliefs and emotions.
The naysayers that dismiss this album as a 'dumbed down' piece of melodeath are gravely mistaken. Jon simply took the best parts of Storm of the Light's bane, added a heavy dose of an uplifting feel, and stripped it down into a focused and lean album that goes for the listener's throat right away, no questions asked.
Reinkaos is Jon Nodveidt's standing legacy, and it is highly recommended for any self respecting Dissection fan or simply anybody who's a fan of metal in general.
