Final Dose – Under the Eternal Shadow (Dungeon Punk)
I thought this band was obsessed with drugs or something, because how else are you supposed to read “Final Dose?” Apologies, but I didn’t see the art yet and that was just in the email’s subject line. Well, I found out pretty quick it was a final dose of punishment. It became clear I was mistaken in my first summation because the lurking terror, holding a goddamn axe, in the shadows on the cover had other ideas in mind. This is DIY pain, suffering, and bludgeoning with medieval weapons. So toss on your chainmail, slither into an enclosed space of ultimate darkness, and begin slashing at foes you can’t see with Under the Eternal Shadow, a new benchmark in dungeon punk! I kind of made that genre up just now.
Did you say dungeon punk? Yes. Combine the raw, anti-establishment street energy of punk with chainmail, blunt chopping weapons, dark, murky spaces, and a vicious bite, and it’s exactly what you get. Final Dose are largely successful in their style, assaulting the listener with unexpected pummelings that push the limits of punk into spaces not quite black metal. What they do well is combine that DIY, underprivileged, angsty, lower-income rashness that was a hallmark of original punk leading into the hardcore era, fusing it with the rimy domination of black metal. There’s also an unexpected mix of noise and keyboard elements in spaces that serve as minor interludes between the rest. Honestly, other than a moment of too where the vocal approach leans too far to the side of the silly, Under the Eternal Shadow crunches bones.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Final Dose – Under the Eternal Shadow
Wolves of Hades
Cover Art: Bruno Fusco
4.3 / 5
