DESULTORY - Bitterness (1994)

                                                          Death Monument - The Continuation

After releasing monumental masterpiece “Into Eternity” Desultory needed only one year to unleash the successor. His name is “Bitterness”. This time there are new songs written just on this album exclusively. Again nine tracks, the same line-up, producer and Sunlight Studio. The main question is: did Desultory achieve this masterly level just like “Bitterness” predecessor?

I remember some announcements in the metal press. Prepare for Desultory forthcoming with the new stuff – the answer for My Dying Bride! He, he… don’t believe it, this advertising lies!!! Or somebody lived in kingdom of anacousis. Comparing to the first cd everything is different here: sounding, way of creating music and vocals. There is no thrash influences, in turn the band put a bigger accent on melody. Don’t worry, this Big Four of metal genius perfectly refreshed their music. It brought completely another journey to undiscovered metal music area. Contrary to the great and more famous bands like Entombed, Dismember or Unleashed, Desultory with their “Bitterness” freshens up the music with every second I have a big pleasure to listen to. And this I call an exceptionality. Yes, that’s right, each of these bands added more melody in their second and/or third albums, but nobody was able to do this in the way like Desultory did.

The Swedes created five bestial death metal firecrackers: “Left Behind”, “Taste of Tragedy”, “Among Mortals”, “Enslaved” and “Cold Bitterness”. But album is opened by “Life Shatters” (by the way, great synopsis of album lyrics) and Thomas mightful drumming. This is a real devastation, then guitars hold down to the wall. There is no escape. After few seconds you can hear the difference comparing to “Into Eternity” – more powerful sounding, haunced bass lines and vocals – Klas strengthened and intensified his singing, I can define it: powerful screams he, he… I can clearly see the band’s vision to create such a masterpiece, conscious step ahead, beyond the rest. All in frames of death metal music but enriched by vast, spatial and monumental work of art.

I would like to write about three other songs. About opener I mentioned above – no one can do it like Desultory. Life Shatters… no! Your brain shatters during listening to it. Stefan and his guitar amaze me once again, that’s obvious that he developed his uncommon skills. In addition heavy-duty bass bruises. The next song entitled “A Closing Eye” has a calm keys introduction, but the guitars… delicious! This is an epic, monumental song with outstanding guitar melodies played by Stefan and two solos (one of them ends the song). This kind of song structure is something new for the band, maybe the beginning of “Forever Gone” from the first cd. And the last one, I think a kind of culmination… “Enslaved”! Brutal, energetic, fast track, with exploiting beginning. Admiring sharp, juicy guitars I ride till the chorus. Seemingly chaotic melodic guitar work becomes again death metal tornado. The “Enslaved” acme is slowdown lasting more or less two minutes. The light keys make an incidental music, but there is only one master: Stefan Pöge and his solo… And the cutthroat Klas screams:

“I can see right through you
You’re not in harmony
Not in harmony with life
Just like me

Alive but dead
Alive but dead!”

After these words the song turns to death metal storm. Again…

The last track on the album is “Cold Bitterness”, which shows all force of real death metal band. Then silence reigns in your troubled mind… but my finger push the button ‘play’ once again. The death metal feast starts off one more time…

To cut it short: by the second album Desultory proves the debut wasn’t any kind of throwaway effort. The band has matured and accomplished the sound, mental and psychical devastation. Together with “Into Eternity”, “Bitterness” has a special place in my life. To put it briefly, these masterpieces of metal music are my favourite death metal albums till now. This condition has lasted since 1993/94. Nothing is changed today. Nothing will change in future…

Unfortunately one tragic day came to me. It was releasing date of the third album “Swallow the Snake”. I was a passenger on board of Desultory train. Sadly to write, it was off the rails while his engine-driver Stefan Pöge had gone before the catastrophe. But this is completely different story…

100/100

-Tlacaxipehualiztli

(previously written for Encyclopaedia Metallum, on August, 2010, now modified a bit)