Supervillain Outcast

Eight years after their last release, 666 International, set a few new standards for combining black metal with industrial techniques, Norway's Dodheimsgard (which loosely translates to "Mansion of Death") finally ended their unexpectedly long vacation with 2007's Supervillain Outcast. And here, again, the eccentric quartet goes to great lengths in their attempts to bend, twist, and distort the accepted boundaries separating those two genres, boldly framing their tortured howling and jagged guitar riffing with superhuman barrages of computerized drums and all manner of electronic noises and effects. Like fast-frame anime audio, instead of visuals, the end results often sound forced and unnatural; jarring, synthetic and claustrophobic, as though rendered in by a half-human, half-cyborg -- but then, that seems to be Dodheimsgard's goal, exactly! Somewhat easier to digest are more deliberate tracks such as "Foe x Foe," "Apocalypticism," and the positively stunning finale of "21st Century Devil"; all of which at least feign accessibility, camouflaged behind relatively linear progressions and more repetitious digital or vocal hooks. Even so, there's really no easy entry into Dodheimsgard's parallel multi-verse (lest you think that haunting, unaccompanied vocal interludes like "Secret Identity," "Chrome Balaclava," and "Cellar Door" might qualify), and it goes without saying that analog enthusiasts simply won't be into any of it. On the other hand, industrial music could very well benefit from Supervillain Outcast's considerable shock to the system. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia