Djinn-Ghül – Opulence (Brutal Ethereal Death Metal)
This is almost something I wouldn’t have reviewed based on how it was introduced in the promo. The whole brutal death metal and slamming brutal death metal (is there a fooking difference, really?) is one of the most standardized concepts in the history of anything played with a guitar (heavily). And talk about redundant. Don’t both forms slam? Does the one really slam more than the other? Please, don’t try to justify it to me or explain, they’re the goddamn same. As I’ve said countless times, for any form of music to truly differentiate itself it has to do it by virtue of how it sounds, not what it’s called. Actually that’s the first time I said that, I believe. Either way, few can do it.
Djinn-Ghül are slightly different in that respect. Their name seemed a desperate attempt to sound otherworldly by picking some random folklore and/or myth most people know only a small amount about, if anything. Even their track titles follow this line of thought. But, I said forget the calling and look at the sounding. Where these guys differ is their overall approach. Opulence is ethereal as shit. Bizarre glitching atmospheres in the background, cryptic, electronic lead-ins, obtuse samples too scrambled to sound human, and mystical keyboards combining with grinding, machine-like power is totally where it should be. After a medieval-punk intro, the true slam begins, and damn, did these guys effectively merge pig vocals into this shit? How even? That’s usually a minimum full point drop around these parts, but Djinn-Ghül have gathered their thoughts homogenously. As long as some of these bands do more stuff like this, I’ll listen, and so must you.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Djinn-Ghül – Opulence
Vicious Instinct Records
Cover Art: Guang Yang
4.2 / 5
