Having welcomed Norwegian Doomsters DWAAL into the fold two years ago, Dark Essence Records have revealed that the band’s debut full-length album, “Gospel of the Vile”, will be hitting the streets on the 6th March, and, as a taste of what to expect, the label have released a single from the album.
Titled “The Whispering One”, the single can be streamed or downloaded at https://darkessencerecords.fanlink.to/Dwaal_TheWhisperingOne
Formed during 2014 in Norway’s capital city Oslo, DWAAL’s lineup of Bjørnar Kristiansen on vocals, Rikke Karlsen on Guitar, Eigil Dragvik on Guitars , Stian Hammer on Bass, Siri Vestby on synth, and Anders Johnsen on Drums, assaults the listener with a dense wall of sound that lies somewhere at the intersection of Doom and Post Metal. The atmosphere they create is one of slow motion, laden with heavy, sludgy, gloomy riffs, punctuated alternately by despairing vocals one minute, and minimalistic, melancholic melodies the next. Or, as the band like to put it: “A punch in the throat followed by a soothing caress, followed by another punch in the throat“.
Of the album itself, DWAAL has this to say:
“The making of “Gospel of the Vile” has involved an intense process of members leaving, new ones coming in, while slowly building a monolith. We feel the struggle has been worth it.
Our producer and engineer, Morten Øby from Taakeheimen Studio, has been patient through all this, and never gave up on the vision. Helping us give life to the material and always focusing on bringing out the best in us.
The music is definitely rooted in Doom Metal, bearing also clear inspiration from Post-rock, traditional Metal and the ambience of Black Metal. Resulting in a massive sound, with moments of both brutality and beauty.
The album concept is based on depicting humanity’s embracing of its inner darkness and the decline into a more primal state – With songs like “Gospel of the Vile” and “Obsidian Heart Burns” at the center of the lyrical universe.
“Gospel of the Vile” is an album that challenges you to endure its every movement. That’s a pretentious statement of course, but we truly feel it will be worth it when the last notes of “Descent” fades out.
We hope that the album reaches everyone who is willing to give it a chance. 2020 will hopefully be an amazing year for Dwaal. With upcoming concerts already booked, and more to come, it carries the hope of lifting us to another level.”
With artwork by Anders Johnsen and band photos by Endre Lohne, tracklisting for “Gospel of the Vile” is as follows:
- Ascent
- Like Rats
- Gospel of the Vile
- Obsidian Heart Burns
- The Whispering One
- Descent
“Gospel of the Vile” will be available in CD, Digital and Double Vinyl formats, as well as T-shirt bundles, and is now available to pre-order from:
Bandcamp: https://dwaaldoom.bandcamp.com/album/gospel-of-the-vile
Dark Essence Records Webshop: https://www.darkessencerecords.no/shop/
DWAAL’s next live appearance will take place in February, when they are set to appear at the by:Larm Festival in Oslo.
More information about DWAAL can be found on the band’s Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dwaaldoom/ or on their website at https://dwaal.no
A video of DWAAL performing live at Blitz, in Oslo, during 2017 can be seen below an at https://youtu.be/UX4h12QKkQc
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Additional Information
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwaaldoom/
Website: https://dwaal.no
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwaaldoom/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChG4LJSy4t3GVJDwTXWq0wg
Bandcamp: https://dwaaldoom.bandcamp.com
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/dwaaldoom
Band Contact: dwaaldoom@gmail.com
Dark Essence Records: www.darkessencerecords.no
Dark Essence on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/darkessencerecords
Dark Essence Records Bandcamp: http://karismarecords.bandcamp.com/
Dark Essence Records YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DarkEssenceRecords
Dark Essence Records Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkessencerecords/
Dark Essence Records Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarkEssenceRec
Dark Essence SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/dark-essence-records
Dark Essence Records Webshop: https://www.darkessencerecords.no
Dark Essence Records North American Webshop: http://darkessence.aisamerch.com/
Dark Essence Records Australian Webshop: https://www.heavymetalmerchant.com/bands/d/dark-essence-records/
