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Dagoba
What Hell Is About


4.0
excellent

Review

by Metalstyles USER (130 Reviews)
March 19th, 2010 | 60 replies


Release Date: 2006 | Tracklist


The scream at the start of "The Things Within" is probably one of my top 10 favorite moments in music ever. The way Shawter holds his abnormally strong and loud scream for about ten to eleven seconds without losing any momentum is magnificent to hear. With chugging machinegun riffs and fierce double-bass drumming backing up the scream, the start of the song is absolutely deific. The rest of "The Things Within" delivers too - amidst the mechanical chaos, a beautiful chorus arises and when the song is closed off with a sweet acoustic passage, shivers of joy will most likely run down your back. Listen to "The Things Within" once, and you already know you want this album. Why? Because the rest of the album is just as great.

The intense, industrialized, brutal sound, also courtesy of bands like Strapping Young Lad and Fear Factory, has been pushed to the max by Dagoba on their second LP What Hell Is About. Straight from the get-go the listener is introduced to a thick wall of sound that mostly comprises of chugging rapidfire riffs and double-bass drum madness, coupled with all kinds of different cymbal blasts. All this results in a cacophonic musical chaos, that is only penetrated by Shawter's tough screams and yells. There aren't many breaks from this kind of formula (there's only one slower and cleaner song, titled "Cancer", plus a light interlude "042104"), but when the music is so good, who really needs breaks from it anyway?

There is a slight setback to What Hell Is About, though. People who specialize on this kind of music will not be bothered by it at all, but others might. Namely, the question lies in slight repetitiveness. What Hell Is About is a 45 minute ride that doesn't exactly let up, and while the rapidfire riffs are very well done, the vocals kick ass, and next to double-bass there are also some excellent drumming patterns, What Hell Is About isn't an album that can be listened to back-to-back countless times. Loud guitars and a very heavy overall sound, while enjoyable, will eventually wear the listener down. What Hell Is About isn't an easy album to listen to, but after you get used to the continuous assault on your senses, it is a very rewarding one.

Dagoba seem to have a real knack for choosing album titles, as their 2008 effort Face The Colossus actually sounds like you are facing a colossus, and What Hell Is About really gives the listener an idea what it might be about (if we cut out the satanic bull*** which is not found on this album). With this one, Dagoba have delivered an all-out onslaught on your senses, and what's best, the album actually has good replay value (mainly because Dagoba's riff structures are more diverse, compared to the above-mentioned bands Fear Factory and Strapping Young Lad). With two great records behind their backs, Dagoba are one of the more promising up-and-coming bands in the modern brutal metal scene.



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user ratings (64)
3.8
excellent


Comments:Add a Comment 
Willie
Moderator
March 19th 2010


20311 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

This is a great album, but I think I like the next one just a bit more. Excellent review.



The intense, industrialized, brutal sound, also courtesy of bands like Strapping Young Lad and Fear Factory, has been pushed to the max by Dagoba on their second LP What Hell Is About.
That's true, but I think these guys are more diverse than most of what those two bands do (although it depends which SYL song you're thinking of).

Metalstyles
March 19th 2010


8576 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

hmm I guess you're right. I think I'll add in somewhere how Dagoba's riff structure is more diverse. And thanks man



EDIT: added that fact to the conclusion

Willie
Moderator
March 19th 2010


20311 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

"above-mentioned" or "previously mentioned" would work better. Anyway, it seems that anyone that would actually check this out is gone for now.

Observer
Emeritus
March 19th 2010


9471 Comments


Great job, magnus. I really liked this one a lot.

Not too much of a fan of industrial things as you know, but it seems cool.

bloozclooz
March 19th 2010


1770 Comments


The scream at the start of "The Things Within" is probably one of my top 10 favorite moments in music ever'

i do hope that the 25 sec scream in Open Face Surgery makes up the other 9

Metalstyles
March 19th 2010


8576 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

seems so Trey. I've concluded that I always manage to pick an extremely crappy time to post a review haha





Thanks Jared, you could actually give this a go as it only has an industrial undertone. It's just balls-out brutal metal basically.



EDIT: @ bloozclooz



care to give me a link to that? 25 seconds sounds impossible. But otherwise it really isn't about the length of the scream. It's the overall start of The Things Within that I really dig (plus, the scream is fucking terrific)

bloozclooz
March 19th 2010


1770 Comments


sure, i'll get you a link. i'll edit this post when i find one

here is the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOjyQ9h1re8

start at 3:20 to get a feel for the song. scream starts @ 3:46, and ends at 4:14.

Fugue
March 19th 2010


7371 Comments


Nice review here Magnus. Album sounds like it could be pretty cool, just youtubed The Things Within and loved it.

Metalstyles
March 19th 2010


8576 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

The Things Within and loved it.
Well, I did say that will most probably happen so... haha



And thanks man

Metalstyles
March 19th 2010


8576 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

@ bloozclooz

k, so that was impressive, but somehow I'm not entirely sure that scream was made with one breath. At 3.56 it kind of seems to die out, but 2 seconds later it continues as a new, powerful wave. I'm feeling like they mixed that scream together to make it as long as it is, but I'm not denying I might be wrong also.

Fugue
March 19th 2010


7371 Comments


No problemo. Will get this album now.

bloozclooz
March 19th 2010


1770 Comments


maybe, but if you're looking for some good metal that you don't have to take a chance at, download "whisper supremacy" by "cryptopsy". it's not really brutal death, and it's a hell of a lot better than none so vile, in terms of riffing quality and depth.

Willie
Moderator
March 19th 2010


20311 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Can I just throw it out there that the same people that like this should look into a band called D Creation. Their album, "Silent Echoes" is awesome.

Metalstyles
March 19th 2010


8576 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

lol, you and your D Creation repping Trey. You should've also addressed that by sound, Dagoba and D Creation haven't got too much in common ;)





Thanks for the rec bloozclooz, I'll get that one at some point.

Willie
Moderator
March 19th 2010


20311 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Yeah, that's true but it seems that most people seem to like both even though they don't sound the same. I have to keep reccomending it because you still haven't reviewed it ;)

Metalstyles
March 19th 2010


8576 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I have to keep reccomending it because you still haven't reviewed it ;)
got me there haha [although you were *supposed* to review it too/originally ;)]. My weekend will be a one huge party rollercoaster, but after that, maybe I'll give that one a review if I'm feeling like D Creation.



bloozclooz
March 19th 2010


1770 Comments


what the fuck why is my avatar squished.

LG
March 19th 2010


3050 Comments


I'd like to see him do that scream live, seems impossible.

Metalstyles
March 19th 2010


8576 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Dagoba's vocalist is quite the beast, so I wouldn't really be all that baffled if he'd pull it off in a live setting too.

BallsToTheWall
March 20th 2010


51613 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

Never liked this band. Good review.



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