The one-man Iceland-based funeral doom band Dauðaró returns with another incredible release. “Ylur” is one 47-minute-long song that unfolds in a very special way.
Inspiration
The story behind the album’s inspiration is nothing short of amazing. Basically, Dauðaró saw the eruption of a volcano, an incredible event he witnessed from the balcony of his own home. To create music like this on the spur of the moment is nothing short of amazing in itself.
Obviously, the artist himself and even other fans might interpret this differently. But the beauty of music, especially the sprawling, emotive doom of Dauðaró, is that it can be different things to different people. When I listen to this album, I can hear two perspectives. Obviously, one is of the musician, but another is the volcano itself.
The Power and Trepidation of Nature
During the Bandcamp listening session he conducted for this album’s release, he did say he was never in any real danger from the volcano. Be that as it may, this is a force of nature that is inherently dangerous in its default setting. Even without imminent danger, it is something to be feared on a basic level and respected. I get both those feelings here. Perhaps not true fear but definitely trepidation on some level. Dauðaró was on a break from creating music, but the very power of nature’s groans and pains inspired him to create this. That is a powerful gesture.
Musically, the album unfurls very smoothly, despite the subject matter and the style in which it is presented. That’s the perspective of the volcano. Silent, patient. Then it is loud and on the move with rumblings and lava flow. But still patient. There isn’t a need to rush because there isn’t a real sense of time. Nature will happen when it happens, and it will unfold as it unfolds. There is no right, wrong, good, or evil. What is… is. It must be embraced as such because that is, quite simply, the only option.
An Explosive Journey
The album represents this journey in a way that makes for both a challenging and fun listen. Dauðaró’s brand of doom is always atmospheric and slow, but it is dead-on perfect for an album like this. Clean and ambient textures begin the journey to the epic eruption. The first few minutes are very organic, a very natural flow that is never boring. Soft, almost gentle, tones can be as interesting as heavier moments, and Dauðaró nails that aspect down.
Around the five-minute mark, the tone grows darker as the guitar and death growls make their presence known. The music has purpose, much like the volcano: to release this long-dormant, pent-up energy in the only way it knows, the only way it can.
The tension grows, the danger reaching toward an ever-approaching climax. By the time the twenty-minute mark has been reached, the volcano has exploded, spewing forth its deadly nature. The music now is violent, explosive, and the pace picks up just enough for a very uneasy feeling to permeate around the dense, layered music.
The album’s end is very interesting and just as engaging as anything that came before. The music winds down as easily as it was built up. As the chaos gives way to drone, ambient tones, I can feel the sense of release as the danger recedes. However, bubbling uneasily under the surface is a feeling that will never go away. It is one of nervous calm, the knowledge that none of this is, or ever will be, truly over.
With “Ylur,” Dauðaró takes a concept that most bands or musicians would have trouble building into such a musical tapestry. Not only is this a highly successful release, but it is one that touches on a variety of emotions, a music that reaches down into the very nature of what makes the planet, and us, tick.
Orginally published at Doomed For Metal
