DWAAL

ALBUM TITLE – NEVER ENOUGH

REVIEWER – GRAEME WRIGHT

Dwaal – ‘a dreamy, dazed, absent-minded or befuddled state.’

The band Dwaal operate out of Oslo, Norway and they play heavy, doom-laden Metal music. Unlike the translation of the band’s name, however, it’s clear that this band are mentally operating with a laser-like intensity and are totally focused on what they are doing. When Dwaal released their debut album ‘Gospel Of The Vile’ in 2020, things were going great for a band who had gained a fearsome live reputation at various festival performances. Then COVID hit, which coincided with so many professional and personal setbacks that you could probably write a book about the potential problems that the band were facing.

So, there is a lot riding on their sophomore album ‘Never Enough’. Could the band get things back on track and build on their already exemplary reputation and promise? I’m pleased to report that for fans of the Doom Metal genre, this could potentially be the album of the year. I enjoyed their first album a lot but this record is on a different plane to their debut release. It’s an intense, angry beast of an album that all the while contains enough melody to break out of the confines of just one genre and appeal to all fans of the heavier side of music. The lyrics are often of a personal nature and it’s clear the band have dug deep into their own psyche. The five songs on display here are clearly cathartic after the rough time the band members have had since 2020 and combined with the exemplary musical talents of all six members they have truly created something special.

‘All Masters, All Servants’ is the album opener and is a slower-paced, hypnotic track with a crunching drum and bass back line and it is a superb portent of things to come. ‘Pseudanthium Aionios’ follows and is powered by a huge riff, almost as if Black Sabbath in their prime had decided to go down the Doom Metal route. ‘Leichenhalle’ is a ten-minute track that combines everything that is great about the genre, from a piano-based opening that builds to a heavy yet still melodic middle section that is brilliantly sung with real emotion from Bjørnar Kristiansen, who is so invested in this music that you believe every word that he sings.

‘Repentance Of A Bastard’ is another track of epic length and is easily my favourite on the album, with an ominous synthesiser accompaniment and an incredibly oppressive atmospheric sound that ultimately possesses a really melancholic and affecting core. It’s a truly great song and one I’ve returned to many times. The album closes with ‘You Will Never Be Enough’, which is a brilliantly dark and upsetting finale to a truly great album.

In closing, if you like your music on the heavier side of things but all the while retaining a recognisable melody as well as containing lyrical content that the writer is clearly invested in, you simply can’t go wrong with this album. Highly recommended to fans of the genre (the pink and fluffy brigade need not apply.)

BAND

Bjørnar Kristiansen – Vocals

Eigil Dragvik – Guitar and Backing Vocals

Rikke Karlsen – Guitar

Stian Hammer – Bass

Siri Vestby – Synth

Anders Johnson – Drums

ALBUM TRACK LIST

1. All Masters, All Servants
2. Pseudanthium Aionios
3. Leichenhalle
4. Repentance Of A Bastard
5. You Will Never Be Enough