DESDEMONIA - Anguish

9 songs
47:12 minutes
***** ***
Mighty Music

Bandpage

If there is one band in Luxembourg that never loses its calm, it has to be Desdemonia. Their third album Existence came out back in 2010. The band has a certain cult status, considering that they were the first local death metal band, so maybe they have the right to take their time. This time they needed eight whole years to come up with the successor Anguish. But unlike the preceding records that all were self-released, Anguish will be published by Danish label Mighty Music.

Even though they recruited with David Wagner a new guitarist in between albums, this didn’t result in any discernible stylistic changes. The quartet has been founded back in 1994, with three members being from the original line-up. Desdemonia still stands for dynamic interaction between melodic and heavy riffs, and for a varied sound full of tempo changes. The two guitars harmonise well together, and I have the impression that nowadays there are more guitar solos in the songs. Especially the one at the end of Abysmal is really great. I wouldn’t have expected from this track that starts so very harshly to end in such a melodic way. Another highlight is the title track which starts like a fast death metal track with killer hooks, but then surprises with an unusual melancholic middle part. Revenge sounds a little more commercial, but doesn’t lack drive. Heavier sounds can be heard on the rhythmic Cross The Line. The concluding Weakness is at six minutes a little longer than average and trumps with a catchy chorus, so that you will keep Anguish in good memory.

Desdemonia have offered on their new album more or less what you expected. This is not a bad thing as the band’s technical skills are above all reproach. The fantastic sounding album has been mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström who worked already with bands like At The Gates, Opeth and Arch Enemy in the past. Desdemonia are still a household name when it comes to melodic death metal, and Anguish is another milestone in the band’s history.