Review of Destinity - Under the Smell of Chaos

Perhaps something got lost in the translation from French to English, but doesn't "Under the SPELL of Chaos" sound like a better fit for an album title? I'm just gonna bite my tongue and hold in any remarks about smell and the French for the sake of the review. Destinity obviously hail from France and they are another entrant into the realm of symphonic black metal bands, by their own description. I'll conveniently skirt around the true/false black metal issue because I don't have their lyrics, and I can't translate "blarghhh" into usable English, so any underlying ideology is a mystery to me. Take note of the album cover, which is totally metal. A band will never catch flak for combining fire, pentagrams, spikes, and the crucifixion of Christ. Their take on this subgenre is more bombastic and atmospheric than the norm, sounding akin to a latter-day Cradle of Filth. Gothic and atmospheric keys play a major role in Destinity's sound, giving the songs a more mystical and dynamic feel. Counteracting this element are the ugly vocals of lead singer Mick. He conducts business in a vile, hoarse tone. Imagine someone afflicted with throat cancer trying to scream. Not my thing, but thankfully, guitarist Zephiros backs him up with a hearty death growl. Rounding out the tri-vocal attack are the competent clean vox of Morteus. Destinity get props for being so varied, as this multi-level approach is seen in the music as well. Haunting acoustic passages appear in the song "As the Disease We Should Spread". Eerie synths punctuate the epic track "Evil Moon". The songs have a tendency to blend together into a big jumble of blasts and haunted-house keys, with the most moving tracks being the short but intense piece, "Hymn for Minas Morgul", the Borgir-like voyage of "An Astral Travel", and the rollercoaster ride of "Daemonity". The mix on Under the Smell of Chaos is the inverse of what I like to hear, with the drums and keys taking center stage, while burying the guitars. Although, that can be successful in this style of metal where those particular instruments are the driving forces. The overall production is also a bit dull. Destinity have delivered yet another album of capable, symphonic black metal that shows promise for the band's future. Musically, they're not slouches, although I'd like to see the vocals toned down a bit, with more focus on the death growls. The gothic sound they've strived to combine with the black is generally successful, even if it's not too memorable. If you dig this style, then here's another log to throw on the fire.

Release Details

Destinity

Under the Smell of Chaos

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