Let me get my one, singular complaint about this album out of the way. With honesty as brutal as the death metal housed within...Doggod is a f@#$ing stupid title. Yeah, I get it. God backwards is dog. How offensive. I think we've moved beyond that. So henceforth, given how much I otherwise love this album, I will be referring to it by the far superior title of Death Metal Inkblot of Vagina Dentata
So how good is DMIVD? F@#$ing awesome. The sheer intensity of the music is impossible to not be caught up in. A lot of this has to do with the vocals. The sway between death growls and blackened screeches conjures Burn the Priest-era Randy Blythe possessed by steroid-abusing demons. This is some brutal death with more bite than most. The infectious interplay of these voices hits hard from the very first track.
Then there is the guitar. Insanely catchy melodies and killer use of rhythm splatter the listener all over the floor. Riffs are thrashy as hell, combining with DM to monsrous effect. Thind Black Dahlia meets Vader. But amidst the fury is a surprising command of dynamics. Take the string opening to "Erik Zann" before it is literally shattered by the onslaught. Or the Dramatic intro "Mass Infection." These elements provide the necessary counterpoints that prevent desensitization over time.
Yes, Vagina Dentata is chock full of great moments. Like the abrupt, but perfect, transition to crusty drums and start stop riff of "Mass Infection." The racing tremolo lines and double bass of "Cosmic Devourer." "Bolter" and "Necromancer" are just filled with dirty Devildriverish groove, while "The Halfman" is just endlessly engagin. The use of Dbeat and explosive blastbeats and riffs at the close are ruthless in their delivery.
By the end, there was not a single track I could stand to leave out of my regular playlist rotation. They are all just that good, and each offers a slightly different lethal dose. Do yourslef a favor and pick this one up today for 7 Euro. It's worth the scratch.
