Where did Jenna Kohtala go? That’s the first question that came to mind once we fired up Dimman‘s newest piece, Consciousness. On Songs and Tales of Grievance, she provided this perfect female counterweight. A much-needed feature to offset those male Neanderthal urges, maniacally roaring about the soundscape in search of a few mammoths to hunt.
The fact that Dimman morphed into a 4-piece all-male act was the second surprise. This may severely limit the possibilities this band has to improve on their sound and to take things to the next level.
So, the RMR crew is donning its body armor, fortifying itself with a draught of mead, and awaiting the onslaught of brutal metal shards howling our way. A flood seems to be roaring toward us, judging by the album cover. So, where are them damned safety vests?
And sure enough, Consciousness takes no prisoners. The band landed squarely in the brutal section of Melodic Death Metal, where melodic isn’t writ very large. Fury, shock, and awe, that seems to be the purpose of this here record. And with no clear voice contribution in sight. Apart from Insomnium-esque angry monologues thrown in for good measure. The acid-laced leads and rusty-sounding solos for sure went well with the mix of metalcore and deathcore that often appears amid some musing or other.
Tracks such as The Acrimony or Infinitum did impress us with their fervor and almost manic energy. Where the former is, well, acrimonious and the second excels more in the melodic chapter of things. And both of them come with a truly lusty pace and a few scratchy leads and solos that resulted in some headbobbing over here. But no more. The rest of the tracks provide some middle-of-the-road Melodic Death offerings that – somehow – we came across somewhere already. And nothing the brand does in the ‘core or melodic department will make this slightly sickening feeling go away. Except – perhaps – tracks like Amass Them. Those kick things up a few notches near the realms where tech death dwells.
But apart from that one interesting experience, there wasn’t much on Consciousness to get really excited about. Fans of Death Metal savagery, of alloy ferociously delivered with a sneer and a mighty bang, will find a lot to like on this piece. And we fully understand that Dimman varied their sound for pretty much every record they issued. There’s real blood, sweat, and tears in these nine tracks on offer. A furious release of brutal vox with all axemen on fire and energy to spare. Delivered with gusto and outstanding musical prowess to boot. And that allowed the record to just about make it over the ‘good’ threshold.
In the end, Consciousness‘ watery album art turned into an omen of sorts after all. This record somehow sounds like an afterthought of a band lost in the Baltic Sea. The metal is sturdy, and the fury seems to be the real deal. But even with all those melodics thrown in for good measure, the unforgiving metal hearts of the old geezers at the review desk remained stone cold and emotionless.
To reach the next level(s), a band needs to find its very own sound in a seriously overloaded genre. A genre where even revered old ‘n’ established bands, such as the aforementioned Insomnium, struggle to get enough oomph and novelty into their productions to avoid falling into the Abyss ov Forgotten Dreams. Slicing pieces off elements that worked well with other bands and rehashing and inserting them into this here production won’t get them there. Just sayin’.
And in this sense, Consciousness somehow saved its bacon with a short and crisp playtime of some 37 minutes or so. There’s only so much of the same, same, but similar offering the metal brain can inhale all over again. Because we’ve been in these realms before. Somehow.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Inverse Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 28 February 2025