Decoryah

Fall-Dark Waters (Metal Blade)
by Scott Hefflon

If you’re a sucker for dark, ominous metal, Decoryah is a treat. Using more atmospheric mood swells and shifts than most in the genre, this young Finnish band neither “ruins” the build-up with Dead Can Dance-esque poppy synth sounds and beats, nor with, say, My Dying Bride’s gruff vocals. While each of those bands (obviously) are great in their own right, Decoryah seems more earthy, tribal, and subtly forceful. While the distorted guitar may strike pop/Goth aficionados as a cursed “metal” technique, the layering of sound, and the oceanic movement of that sound, are pure beauty. Aeons beyond last year’s Wisdom Floats, and a refreshing kick in the pants to an esoterically complacent style, Fall-Dark Waters still suffers from occasional jagged elements. Unlike the intentional guitar shredding that dive-bombs your senses like a swarm of blood-thirsty mosquitoes before disappearing back into the twilight, there are a few clunky moments of missed notes, too-loud vocals, or tinny production in an otherwise glorious recording. By the end of the nine songs of Fall-Dark Waters, you will feel you’ve experienced a lifetime: true bliss, gut-wrenching sorrow, tearful regret, primal savagery, terror of the unknown, love of pure, almost unearthly beauty, and a oneness of the senses. Serenity is not a thing to be trifled with – listen at your own risk.