Straight outta nowhere comes the Norwegian duo of Dodesmaghird featuring Dødheimsgard vocalist Yusaf “Vicotnik” Parvez and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, Camille Giradeau. Not since the legendary Nordic band Solefald (the duo featuring Borknagar‘s Lazare and the eclectic musician/philosopher, Cornelius Jakhelln) have I been this intrigued by a musical duo of the extreme variety. With the release of Dødheimsgard’s 2023 magnum opus, Black Medium Current, an album that, by all accounts, has entered the hallowed halls of cutting-edge Nordic extremity as one of the best avante-garde black metal releases to ever see the light of day, one might think that Vicotnik and co-hort had reached the pinnacle of engaging, thought-provoking, and vertigo-inducing black metal. Well, apparently not. If you thought Black Medium Current was liberal with its innovation and progressiveness, then Dodesmaghird‘s debut album, Omniverse Conciousness, is sure to induce temporary psychosis.

In contrast to modern day Dødheimsgard, the origin and process of Doedsmaghird was intentionally driven by instinct without over-thinking; to give flesh to something very real and honest sounding in its unfolding chaos and spontaneity. There is a sense of almost raw urgency that weaves itself through the album’s nine tracks. Lead-off track, ‘Heart Of Hell’, begins with a soul-enveloping soundscape emanating from, quite literally, the heart of hell. It quickly transitions to a no holds barred black metal riff that is embued with a tinge of melody. Vicotnik, himself, begins the proceedings with a slightly melodius vocal inflection with a reverberation and effect applied that recalls, suprisingly, American black metallers, Nachtmystium. Like a whispered secret from a nefarious spirit guide, the guitars fade into a sci-fi inspired electronic passage accompanied by a lone blastbeat. Jarring? Yes. Incredibly mind-boggling and cool? Fuck, yes! At about the midway mark of the song it transitions into a fist-pounding, headbanging 4/4 groove punctuated by a stunnigly catchy electro beat, while Vicotnik barks out industrial-tinged, blackened vocal bars with the cadence and execution of a corpsepainted Al Jourgensen. If your hips aren’t shaking by now, then there is no hope for you.

The first forty seconds of ‘Sparker Inn Apne Dorer’ (translated to: ‘Kicking Your Doors In’) is nearly inexplicable. After several rewinds, I was unable to put into words what I was hearing. The best way I can describe it would be to take the more obtuse dynamics of Mayhem and play it backwards. Once the head-scratching calamity subsides, the song takes on a slightly more structured tone, with Vicotnik lyricizing (in Norwegian, I believe) over a luciously subdued electro beat. Just as the ears become accustomed to the melodius, hypnotic rhythm, the song erupts into a viciously second-wave sounding black metal passage. The central riff of this section has an incredibly vigirous complexity to it that extends all they way to the final few seconds of the song, where it transitions to an ominous-sounding fade out. ‘Then, To Darkness Return’ begins as a savage display of blackened disequilibrium that, again, makes the headspin. Things get back to some normalcy with the guys infusing some of the primal grim symphonius elements of Emperor‘s Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk, more specifically harnessing the beautifully dark keyboard passages that permeated songs such as ‘Thus Spake The Nightspirit’. This isn’t simple mimickry, as the duo have managed to refine this early Nordic essence and reflect it back into the modern age under a new mask.

The only thing holding together the first two minutes of ‘Endless Distance’ is the barely discernible blastbeat, which is buried under a mountain of discordant extremity sprinkled with grandiose piano sweeps. The song completely switches course at just under halfway in, entering what could loosely be described as free form jazz, where all rules are completely thrown out of the window. This section is absolutely devoid of fixed harmonic structures and predetermined chord progressions. It is the musical equivalent of abstract artist Jackson Pollock and his famous ‘Convergence’ piece from 1952, where the rule of the day was: It can be what you want it to be. There are rules and no rules. ‘Endeavor’ is an eloquent two-minute piano composition. It’s biggest win is that it comes at the perfect time, providing a beautiful respite from the chaos that was, and the chaos to follow.

‘Death Of Time’ is an absolute ode to the second wave of Norwegian black metal. It harnesses the intense moments of Mayhem‘s De Mysterris Dom Sathanas, capturing that pure unbridled despair which motivated this genre classic. Showcasing his incredible vocal versatility, Vicotnik imbues the essence of Attlia Cshiar on this track to spectacular effect. The song then shifts from an all-out assault into more pastoral territories with an alluring riff that recalls the more melodic moments found on Dissection‘s classic Storm Of The Lights Bane. ‘Min tid er omme’ begins with a completely off-kilter beat that is hard to grasp. It is probably the albums most rhthymic track, from a percussive sense. Even though the backbone of the song might be chaotic, it is carried off into the stars with a lucious black metal melody and Burzum-like keyboard tinkling that make it one of the albums most provocative songs. The track ends with a lengthy ambient techno beat that is sure to induce a hypnotic state.

‘Adrift Into Collapse’ carries on where the previous song ended with an interstellar-ambience that is punctuated by some incredibly dissonant black metal chord progressions and scales. There is one repeated hook in this song that is the epitome of black metal supremacy. Good luck getting this earworm out of your head anytime soon. The album ends with the instrumenal ‘Requiem Transiens’, a piano-based track accompanied by Gregorian chant-like vocal work and the odd black metal screech from Vicotnik.

To sum up, Ominverse Conciousness serves as a conduit to bring the aesthetics of Dødheimsgard‘s spectacular album, Black Medium Current, into a parallel world…. a malformed companion, if you like. Its on-edge performances and more “in-the-moment” magic have ensured that this album is unreplicable. If the duo continue with this project, which, I sure as hell hope they do, the future’s so black they don’t gotta wear shades.