AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): THE OTHER SUN — “DAIMON, DEVIL, DAWN”

Here at NCS we like to think that in deciding what music to write about we avoid getting stuck in any ruts. Variety, after all, is a powerful antidote to the poison of boredom. And besides, we don’t want people to get too confident in thinking they know in advance what they’re going to experience whenever they land here. If our choices don’t at least occasionally pull people out of their “comfort zones”, then we’re failing by our own lights.

Having said that, the album we’re premiering below is in almost all ways vastly different from the music that populates our own ever-expanding spectrum of musical coverage. Because it is so different, there may be a risk that some of our visitors will shy away from it. However, I fervently hope that won’t happen, because Daimon, Devil, Dawn is a most skilled form of sonic sorcery that should not be missed.

The album is the debut full-length of The Other Sun, a project formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2018 by Fredrik Eytzinger. The lineup now consists of Eytzinger (lyrics, vocals, guitars, bass), Árni Bergur Zoëga (vocals, guitars, bass, drums, keyboards), and Tommie Eriksson (session solo guitars). (We’ll include some further information about each of them after the music stream.)

“Dark rock” is how The Other Sun define their sound. One way to begin understanding what that means is to read the following paragraph that’s included in the press materials distributed by the two labels who will co-release the album on July 23rd — Invictus Productions and The Ajna Offensive:

THE OTHER SUN draw influence from surf rock, western score, and ’70s rock. People have suggested they hear bits of Tito & Tarantula, Swans, Deep Purple, The Devil’s Blood, Virus (Norway), Dick Dale, and Ennio Morricone in their music. Daimon, Devil, Dawn is their debut album. Many of the lyrics are inspired by alchemical imagery as metaphors for the human condition. In particular, “Stalking the Stalker” was inspired by the poem “The Street” by Mexican author Octavio Paz.

That paragraph already previews for you just how different the album is from what we typically spread across the musical smorgasbord we offer visitors here, but it’s not an exhaustive enumeration of the differences, and only scratches the surface of the sinister delights The Other Sun have provided us.

I’m not going to be exhaustive either, but can’t resist the temptation to flesh out that quoted description, even though you can now hear the album for yourselves.

In the album’s opener, “Shaking Ground“, a vibrant guitar harmony sets the hook, and the rhythm section, powered by a big bass and neck-snapping beats, drive the hook deeper. In the music’s upper reaches, other sounds glimmer and wail, adding an aura of magic and mystery.

Suddenly the band turn down the heat, just in time for the vocals to arrive, singing in a way that underscores the music’s occult core, adding to the effect of shimmering keys and mesmerizing guitar spells, layered and luxurious in their sounds.

When the band return to the union of their opening riff and visceral grooves, you realize just how potent that hook was. The music spirals and soars, drenching the senses in devilish jubilation, and the vocals begin to sound more diabolical too.

That opening song flows seamlessly into “Stalking the Stalker“, in which the band bring in the beguiling twang of a guitar that does sound like part of a Morricone western film score spliced with surf-rock DNA.

The album only becomes more magical (and menacing) as it continues to unfold, the singing still strong but also occasionally shifting into baritone depths or gritty and growling pronouncements.

The layering of guitars and keys brings in a rich multitude of sounds, some of which resemble the peal of trumpets or the smokiness and wailing of saxophones, and the rocking grooves remain magnetic. But surprises abound as the band lead listeners around one interesting turn after another, with the manifold turns within “Lion Spell” and “Conjuring Other” creating perhaps the most dynamic and genuinely sorcerous experiences of them all.

But in truth all the songs really are like sorcery — seductive, sometimes scary, sometimes exultant, often punchy and just as often dreamlike. Every one of them evolves as it extends, undergoing its own alchemical transformations. Consistently, they display songwriting ingenuity, a talent for creating hooks of different kinds, and obvious care devoted to all the details of the production and to the flow of the music and its moods from one song to the next. (We should add that listening with good headphones is imperative in fully appreciating the ways in which the sounds emerge, morph, and move between the channels.)

At the end “A New Dawn” breaks, one of the bounciest and most diabolically joyous songs on the album, one last enormous ear-worm and muscle-mover, and it happens to include both the album’s most glorious and wizard-like guitar solos and a guest vocal appearance by Erik Molarin, previous singer of the Swedish gothic metal band Beseech and more currently Dark BRS.

Very different, yes, but also very, very good.

 

 

Now for those promised details about the people responsible for Daimon, Devil, Dawn (and we’ll pull again from the press materials):

Fredrik Eytzinger is a writer and has published several books and articles in Europe and the US on topics related to occultism and magic. He is also the founder of the dark ambient band Nuclear Spells. Árni Bergur Zoëga is a professional composer and sound designer who is also involved in several other projects, such as Árstíðir Lífsins, Carpe Noctem, Helrunar, and Sól án varma. Tommie Eriksson is the founder of Saturnalia Temple and ritual ambient project Lapis Niger.

The album cover and lyric transcript was made by fine artist David S. Herrerías. The booklet photos were shot by Gothenburg-based photographer Peter Gaudiano, with layout by Heresie Studio.

Daimon, Devil, Dawn, will be released on CD and vinyl LP formats, with 12-page booklets. Invictus is handling the European release, while The Ajna Offensive is handling the North American release. For more info, check the links below.

PRE-ORDER:
https://invictusproductions666.bandcamp.com/album/daimon-devil-dawn
https://www.theajnaoffensive.com/

THE OTHER SUN:
https://theothersun.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theothersunband