Dødsferd – Skotos (Review)

Should you know even a shred about Greek black metal, then the name of Dødsferd should be one that you’re extremely familiar with. The name has been an immensely active one over the years with the act and its members constantly putting out material in some form or another, and it’s virtually every time that such an event comes around that the ensuing material cannot be considered anything other than a mandatory listen. It’s been some time (relatively) since we’ve heard new material from the likes of Dødsferd, but it’s with their forthcoming EP that the name has come back to us with more excellence albeit not as much as many of us would like.

This is a peculiar EP, if I do say so myself. When I mean that I don’t mean that what we have here with “Skotos” is weird for Dødsferd or what they’ve been bringing forth, but, rather, this is a surprisingly fleeting work that doesn’t even span ten minutes with its two tracks that it calls its own. I think it’s safe to say that many of us who know Dødsferd know that has a knack for the bombastic black metal the likes of which cuts deep in flesh and soul with several tracks that are the very definition of raw, uncompromising black metal. And that’s precisely what “Skotos” provides us with in just two tracks which is the most obvious drawback about this EP, but, even then, I’d be lying if I said that Dødsferd didn’t deliver the goods that they’ve become more than synonymous with. These two tracks are truly icy cold and so raw that it’s practically bleeding but it’s in such a short span of time that Dødsferd somehow manages to craft a brief experience that still manages to cut deeper than what many other black metal works of the same length are able to accomplish and it’s even then that “Skotos” manages to encapsulate all that Dødsferd has ever brought to the table. We see that callous look at life brought forward just as brilliantly as we could ask with that aforementioned raw approach penetrating everything that comes into the pair of tracks in “Skotos” to make this a small but beyond worthy addition to the discography that Dødsferd has been expertly growing for years with this latest addition just being another reason to become excited any time that a new effort from the act is getting ready to make impact.

While the fact that there are only two tracks for the whole of this effort, I truly could not think of a true negative that I have found within “Skotos” and all that it brings forward which manages to really show us just exactly what kind of band Dødsferd is. They don’t take this opportunity to make a quick collection of B-side tracks that didn’t make it to previous full-lengths or simply some unreleased songs that we haven’t heard before today. Rather, Dødsferd puts everything they have into everything they do, and if that’s not evident in “Skotos” given how easy it would be for them to cheap out for the release then I don’t know how else to prove it.

“Skotos” releases on May 14th via Transcending Obscurity Records! You can pre-order listen to an advanced track from the album on Bandcamp here. It will also be available as a limited cassette via F*cking Your Creation Records.



Track Listing:
1. Skotadi
2. Cursed To Die At First Light