Daevar – Delirious Rites

Daevar
Delirious Rites
Label: The Lasting Dose Records
Out: January 27^th, 2023Playing time: 32:54

Doom Metal from Germany. That doesn’t happen too often. The stronghold of this genre is actually Scandinavia. But there are also bands like Daevar from Cologne. While the names of the drummer and guitarist are obviously known, there is a lot of mystery about bassist and singer (songstress) Pardis Latifi. I have a guess, but it is so vague that I don’t want to explain it here. The band itself is similarly nebulous. Apart from their hometown (Cologne) and the release date of their debut album, not much is known. So, let’s just let the music do the talking.

“Slowshine” is an extremely raw-sounding introduction to the album.  As is typical for the genre, a gloomy atmosphere is spread. Powerful guitar riffs and bass lines. Add to those the ethereal sounding vocals of Pardis. And it sounds distinctly female, which should strengthen my suspicions.  Even the extensive guitar solo adds a touch of darkness. The song ends with a shrill feedback whistling. “Bloody Fingers” starts with a deep distorted guitar melody. And shortly the whistling sound is back. Once again, the bass pushes sublimely out of the speakers. “Leila” has already been released as a single and video clip. The singer strides through a forest. The whole situation is surreal, the scene blurred, even the primary colours are not on top of each other, resulting in colour fringes, just like on the band photo. With a little more than ten minutes playing time, the opus “Leviathan” is by far the longest song on the album. And at the same time, it is also the most complex. Producer Jan Oberg contributes abysmally evil growls here. You can also hear the nasty whistling tones in “Yellow Queen”. Despite its deceleration, the song seems a bit faster. But that doesn’t change the dark overall direction.

Daevar are masters of slow, majestically stomping Doom. The sound scratches at Funeral realms. Actually, just the right thing for the dark season. And the current world situation. An album that no fan of this genre should miss.

Daevar – Leila (Single 2022 / Official Video): https://youtu.be/KInFK47I8Zs

Lineup:

Pardis Latifi – Bass Guitar, Vocals
Moritz Ermen Bausch – Drums
Caspar Orfgen – Guitars

Guest

Jan Oberg – Vocals on Leviathan (Grin / Earth Ship)

Track list:

• Slowshine
• Bloody Fingers
• Leila
• Leviathan
• Yellow Queen