“No rules and no respect for none!” These wrath-filled words of wisdom give me the impression this Greek band of misfits like their metal the same way that they take coffee, straight up, black and nasty as hell. I’m new to Dodsferd, but from what I can gleam on the interwebs, it’s the principle project of Wrath, frontman for the likes of Nadiwrath, Kampf, Grab and ex-Drunk Earth (now adopting the moniker NunOnBong!). Over the past 11-years Dodsferd have delivered an endless slew of demos, EP’s, splits and full-lengths, with their style progressing from misanthropic, slow-paced, fuzzed-out black metal with abrasive lyrics and vocals in Desecrating the Spirit of Life. Picking up a mid-paced, atmospheric, spiteful edge in the likes of Fucking Your Creation. And finally shifting pedal-to-the-metal in the trilogy release starting with Suicide and the Rest of Your Kind Will Follow. The Parasitic Survival of the Human Race, Dodsferd’s ninth and ugliest bastard child yet, attempts to follow in the footsteps of this mighty, morphing discography, dishing out more insight into Wrath’s hate of human parasites and their weak theories – let’s have at it shall we!
From the opening strains of The Parasitic Survival of the Human Race, you’re berated with Dodsferd’s brand of crusty suicidal black metal, including vocals that punch you in the gut, bearing similarities to the wretched, gurgling high notes and fury that I associate with Maniac’s (Skitliv and Mayhem) howl. Each track comes tightly wrapped in unnerving samples of the Greek riots of February 2012, which adds a gritty violence and chaos to the hateful, turbid instrumentation. This is not a new course for Dodsferd, with the monotony of Cursing Your Will to Live broken up by samples from the ‘ironic snippet of Southern preacherman’s sermon.’
“Creator of Disease” and “Stupid Worthless Sheep” gallop along with the speed, familiarity and viral voracity of Vreid. Despite Dodsferd’s heavy misanthropy, instrumentally they contrast their raw black metal ideals with oddly rocking, devilish black-‘n-roll riffing. Standout moments on the album include the audible thrumming, bassy riff in the front-end of “Stupid Worthless Sheep” and the tribal sounding drumming, the backbone of “Doubting your Worth,” that has me craving the weekend, a roaring bonfire, the sandy coastline and near naked fire dancers under the full moon so badly I can taste it [What do fire dancers taste like? Burning? – Steel Druhm].
The Parasitic Survival of the Human Race follows on with the production style of Spitting with Hatred, The Insignificance of Life and makes a worthy follow-up to this, one of Dodsferd’s more well-received and dynamic releases. The production style keeps the bass audible, gives focus to the misshapen drum patterns and at the same time gives an authentic feel to dissonant guitar solos mid-way in “Creator of Disease,” and brings to the fore the chaotic riffing in “Stupid Worthless Sheep.”
Dodsferd have shied away from the overburden of bloated tracks on this release, keeping all neatly under eight minutes. They’ve certainly hung onto some recycled riffs, but at the same time they’ve expanded on what proved popular on their well received albums, all while staying away from the cut, copy and paste black metal ingredients that dragged them down on their very early releases. While initially I wasn’t convinced by the final track on the album, the addition of “We are 138,” a very raw and lively rendition of The Misfits track, closes off the album well and leaves you contemplating violence and the notion that humans are becoming nothing more than clones. A fitting end me thinks. The Parasitic Survival of the Human Race is a top-notch release in Dodsferd’s discography, second only in terms of creativity to Spitting with Hatred, The Insignificance Of Life. Check out “Creator of Disease” and “Doubting your Worth” if you haven’t already.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Label: Moribund Records
Websites: Facebook.com/Dodsferd
Release Dates: EU: 2014.03.17 | NA: 03.18.2014
