Etemen Ænka

Album review

In 2017, the world of stoners (and by extension, of metal) was rocked by a young and promising Scottish band, a kind of spiritual son of Mastodon, who seem to have learned a thing or two from Tool. DVNE, as the name suggests, is an homage to the work of Frank Herbert. It offers a journey through overpowering rock mixed with psychedelia that does not hold back the raging metallic riffs and develops passages of heavy doom. This group may belong to a world that is as specialised as it is independent. But it inspired passions among fans and sparked feverish anticipation of a follow-up: many hoped to hear a subsequent album that was as inventive and original as this first, intoxicating outing. Four years later, after an EP as an appetiser, DVNE returns, more unique than ever. DVNE has expanded its musical range, while affirming an identity that had been forged with the first release. What might seem like schizophrenia is in fact a perfect mastery of various influences, all integrated together, as on Towers which starts as a Neurosis piece (it is almost startling) before evolving into progressive metal followed by a floating conclusion. Beautifully managed atmospheres, which in general, have fun hiding the much more devastating material that will follow (Omega Severer, already released in the form of a Maxi a few months before the album). Alternations of calm and storm that borrow more from the avant-garde metal and post-metal of bands like Cult of Luna or Isis than from the stoner metal in which the roots of the band were immersed, alongside doom and sludge. Like many self-respecting progressive albums, Etemen Aenka has long instrumental passages that fuse different parts to give birth to great tracks that are as epic as they are intense (five of the ten songs on the album range between seven and eleven minutes in length). But they are never loaded with useless information. This is a trip that offers a few detours by way of the Seventies for a shot or two, and a more psychedelic sound. This is where DVNE retains some commonalities with Mastodon. Always opting for massive riffs, a side-effect of being rooted in doom and sludge, the Edinburgh group know how to make music more complex and more technical without giving in to the temptation to show off gratuitously. A winning choice that makes Etemen Aenka a new milestone as well as a reference point, real proof that a style can always be renewed by groups that are ready to break the mould. © Chief Brody/Qobuz