Album Review: Dampf - "The Arrival"

 

It’s a little embarrassing that this is as good as it is.

Not because of anything to do with the talent of musical acumen of Martin Erikson better known by his stage name E-Type (and who has taken on the moniker A-Tron here,) who has had a successful career in his chosen genre, but just because it doesn’t feel right that a man who has never spent much time composing heavy music can roll in and achieve something many artists never approach.  And just to add context, to read the press surrounding the album, it was composed practically on a dare.

There will be those who will dismiss Dampf outright, because of E-Type’s admission that he wanted to explore the possibility of combining pop melodies with dark music.  As soon as the word ‘pop’ enters the conversations, close-minded purists will shut their ears and turn their backs.  Markedly to their detriment in this case.

Several years ago, we had occasion to speak with Spider from Powerman 5000, who addressed this very issue – we’re paraphrasing, but the upshot of the conversation that was Spider had been summarily accused of forsaking much of his supposed roots in an attempt to write metal pop songs.  To which he confessed that he was, and that it was in fact damn hard to do so.  The challenge of trying to write melodies that will appeal to a broad base, particularly in more aggressive styles, is not one to be taken lightly.

We told you that story to tell you this one: Erikson, and by extension Dampf, has succeeded in this unlikeliest of attempts, and in the process composed a record, “The Arrival,” that makes an alloy of many of the best parts of Rob Zombie, Emigrate/Rammstein and Turisas.

Dampf is not without its own more established metal chops, as “The Arrival” is colored in the margins by the appearance of Tommy Johansson, guitarist from Sabaton, and…one of the bassists from Bathory…though it neglects to mention which one (and honestly, does it matter?) but in any event lends the proceedings a certain authenticity.  The steadying presence of Johansson is evident in the timely, chugging riffs of many of the album’s songs, from the break of the opening “Winterland” down through single “Who Am I.”  As much as we have taken Sabaton over the coals on this site, the contribution here works, as it never ventures close to the preening grandstanding of Sabaton’s monotonous drama.  

While all of the songs offer a little something, there are a few where the synthesis of elements truly stands out, beginning with the under-the-radar track “The Other Side.”  The burst out of the gate is ever-so-slightly reminiscent of Rob Zombie’s “The Great American Nightmare,” and while Dampf never sends both feet down that road, it’s a refreshing call back to a style of sludgy metal that is underutilized in the modern milieu.  Meanwhile, the whole thing cascades into an oversized sing-along chorus, which accentuates the juxtaposition of the big riff and the big vocal.

Now, if there’s fault to be found here, it’s one that all supergroups tend to fall into, particularly on a debut record – that the musicians are feeling each other out, and often writing and recording on a limited and conflicting schedule, so on and so forth.  To that end, once “The Arrival” find its formula, it tends to largely re-arrange similar pieces into seven or eight more songs.  Which is not necessarily a bad thing, and that’s where the ‘pop’ comes in.

All of these cuts, plus or minus a couple, are highly enjoyable and easy to listen to, which is rarely something we get to say in metal as a whole.  “The Arrival” is a pleasant ride, even as beats and guitars are blasting past you as loud as your sound system can handle (and take it as advice – this is best listened to very loud, just to soak in the fun of it all.)

Then, almost at the end, we get “From the E-ternity,” and for almost four minutes, we get a real, transcendent taste of what the amalgam of electro-dance and heavy metal might look like.  Nine Inch Nails and CueStack and Static-X and dozens of others have bitten at the fringes, but rarely if ever with as much pop sensibility.  On an album that shines brightly, this is the brightest star.

Don’t be scared away by the dance history of the man at the center of the project.  Moreover, don’t limit your in some kind of misguided personal stand against popular music.  Spend some time with Dampf’s “The Arrival.”  It’s a fun record.