One of the new releases we could receive from Cold Raw Records, a young but enormously interesting label from the U.K., is Dasap’s Don’t Worry, It Will Be Worse… Dasap are a French act with its roots in the early nineties. Back then Julien ‘Dju’ Divert started his solo-outfit Tenebricosus, with one self-released demo-tape (Eth Niger Solt) on its discography. Then the moniker changed to Element for a couple of months, and then to The Element. As The Element, Julien released two demos, the cassette Gerningar (with material from the Element-era) and Temporary Insane (on CD). During that period, he also co-operated with acts like Iphicrate and Wargus amongst others. Then he stopped working under the moniker The Element and joined Sickbag’s line-up for a couple of years. But since he wanted to continue playing Black Metal, he decided to form a new project, which eventually was baptised as Dasap.
With Dasap, he recorded a demo, called D.A.S.A.P., in 2011. It has been re-issued in January 2014 by current label Cold Raw Records, and was recorded with vocals by Pain Society’s Kevin Gillet. Then Julien started writing new material for this EP, and he recorded the stuff with vocal assistance of Pierre Darthenay this time (the latter also wrote the lyrics).
The EP lasts for about twenty three minutes (attention: this issue lasts much longer; you’ll find out if you continue reading) and consists of five tracks, Concrete Victims, Cranium Disorder, The Irreparable Loss Of Sons, Hourglass Of Shifting Sands, and The Ruin Of God. What these songs stand for is a very technical, experimental and modern-edged form of Black Metal, including elements from Grind / Hardcore (but this has to do especially with the vocals), Tech-Death and Post-Black. Each piece is very varying in structure (including well-crafted hooks and breaks), in speed (the better part is fast to blasting, yet there are quite some slowed-down excerpts as well), and in perspective. With the latter I am referring to the mixture of diverse styles and the addition of unusual elements. Another contradiction is the balance tradition - modernism. As mentioned before, this stuff does sound very 21st-century-focused. But at the same time there are so many aspects that go back to the initial sounds of the Old School. Another important aspect that sort of defines Dasap’s stylistic approach is the contradiction in between apocalyptically blasting high-tech assaults (Anaal Nathrakh, The Amenta, Hyperborean or even Cephalic Carnage might come to mind) versus more integer (not: sober, introspective or tranquil) and fine-tuned melodies. And I just need to mention the production, which is grandiose: full and massive, creating a wall of sound, yet not too clinically polished. This asks for more…
An interesting fact is the addition of three bonus things. First of all there’s the previously unreleased track The Crying Mountains, done by Julien himself (I mean that Julien did the vocals too). The Crying Mountains differs a lot from the EP-stuff. This track brings rhythmic and melodic Underground Black Metal with a speed that varies from mid-tempo to ultra-fast, and a production that sounds nasty, raw yet tolerably grandiose in its primitivism. This track is much more atmospheric too, and much less technical or experimental, yet still creative in its execution. I have no idea where this track comes from, or when it has been created, but me like!
Next bonus addition is the Gerningar-demo, which was recorded under the (The) Element-moniker. There are eight songs that bring back the glorious nineties to mind. Oh yes, this stuff has been written and composed during the nineties – please forgive me this sally… It’s raw and uncompromising, yet at the same time executed with attention for technical craftsmanship and a clear vision on redefining tradition. There might be two remarks, and these are the use of drum computer and the sound. When it comes to the first, the drum computer, well, as soon as you’re focused on it, then it does annoy. It has been mixed way too much onto the foreground as well, which easily brings me to the second remark, i.e. the sound. Even back then it wasn’t that difficult to spice up your production a little without falling into fake cleanliness. So it confuses me. Yet the material itself is pretty attractive, especially within the more epic or warlike parts.
Finally there is the Eht Niger Solt-demo as bonus, originally released about twenty years ago as Tenebricosus. This stuff starts with a very eerie, haunting and asphyxiating intro, but continues the most schizophrenic way. Since this material is even older than the former bonus-demo on this release, the sound should be even worse, but that’s not the case. Yes, it does suck, but since this is bonus-material, one should not make a fuzz about it. Anyway, with Tenebricosus, Julien performed typifying Second Wave Black Metal, with a speed varying from slow over mid-tempo and up-tempo to fast and even blasting. It’s melodious and, at the same time, enormously violent and angry, including an atmosphere ultimately obscure and ominous. This stuff totally lacks of originality, but since it does breathe the purest essence of the Old School, they are forgiven, aren’t they.
Conclusion: the new material recorded under the Dasap-moniker makes the listener craving for more. It does differ from what Julien, Dasap’s frontman, did in the past. Yet since some of that older material has been added in this collection, one cannot but be grateful, evidently. And since this release is called Don’t Worry, It Will Be Worse…, I can conclude that we might expect more of this terrible noise in the (near) future?...