Dialectic Soul - We Are Born from the Pain

Let’s not beat around the bush here, melodic death metal has spent the past thirty years descending into a pit of monotony. It is a genre that has become so stale and mouldy even the pigeons are turning up their nose; so bland it’s become a joke. The endless recycling of Gothenburg riffs has led to a demise so monumental in scale artists are getting recognition for ‘not quite sounding identical to At the Gates’, whose only notable development has been to polish the production a little. When other genres sense they’re beating a dead horse, they give it a rest thinking it cruel to continue, perhaps reviving it a few years down the line (as has happened with 70s retro psych rock) but this is a genre that just keeps taking a beating, it’s last saving grace coming from the likes of Whispered and Blood Stain Child and their successes in bringing Japanese folk and trance into the fold.
Then there’s Dialectic Soul. Unknown, unsigned, under the radar, and unwavering in their decision to come out middle fingers flying high in the air. A trio from Belarus—I don’t even know where that is on a map—that have taken the bold decision to engage in battle with the genres most feared foe: creativity. The old tropes of Gothenburg riffs and mid-range growls remain, but what they’ve brought along for the ride is a renewed sense of experimentation. The folk melodies and trance backgrounds are not the only new elements they’ve brought to the table, coming up with funky slapped bass melodies, stoner rock grooves, shredded neo-classical tapped passages, symphonic and choral backing work and even a Wintersun-inspired mysticism. They’ve not only managed to incorporate so many different elements and have it sound coherent, rapidly progressing from one to the other to keep the most ADD metal fan’s attention, it’s that throughout all the twists and turns is a genuine sense of excitement at the prospect of what could possibly come next; of a genre with infinite possibilities. Melodeath. Infinite possibilities. Now that’s something I never thought I’d say.
It’s not just their overall sound that is eclectic, but the tracks themselves often find themselves delivering a distinctive flavour; from the early-Amorphis-gone-trance of the title track, the Clutch-meets-Children-of-Bodom entry in “The Road of Life”, and the unbelievable everything-but-the-kitchen-sink absurdity of “Everyone of Us”, each track retains a certain element that distinguishes it from the others. The pacing varies from the hyperspeed entries to the slower death/doom moments, even taking is briefly to periods of pure jazz/funk and ambient electronica. It dares to go further than any artist I can think of that preceded them, bold in their risk-taking experimentalism, and rarely do those risks fail to pay off.
Sadly, it just begins to fall apart by the album’s closing moments. As densely packed with ideas as the album is, I can’t help but shake the feeling that it really begins to tail off in the final two tracks. The ideas stop coming so thick and fast and whilst not lacking for content ideas and riffs, what would otherwise have rapidly transformed into another passage feel stretched out to make up for the otherwise short run time (as it is, the album is just 37mins long). The backing vocals, too, feel particularly weak but fortunately only really become notable enough to become problematic on a single track. It all just screams of an artist that ran out of steam and tried to run with whatever they had left, instead of trimming the fat and releasing a short but sweet entry of unbridled creativity. Because the creativity on show here simply leaves other contemporary artists in the dust, hurtling forward in their attempt to make up for all those years the genres wasted treading water. That would be impressive for an established act. To have it emerge from nowhere is nothing short of astounding.