Despite Vermin and Ashes being the full length debut from Denmark’s dastardly doom/deathers Dwell, the band brings with it a curious type of minor underground pedigree. Among their ranks are members of such bands as Altar of Oblivion and Cerekloth, and while these aren’t exactly giants of the game, the collective knowledge on hand ought to eliminate the kinds of rookie mistakes heard in so many startup acts.
And here, it does. There is a veteran confidence at play in the band’s doomy death that permeates everything from the heft of the riffs and use of atmosphere to the unabashed callbacks to the band’s influences. The latter is most notable in Dwell’s extra-pummeling, generally gothless take on early Peaceville Three material, particularly in how the simple-but-insanely-effective leads in opener “A Collapse Sublime” take on a huge Gregor Mackintosh vibe. Vocalist JBP (also of Cerekloth) enhances the material with his mix of naked, desperate rasps and deep growls, while a hefty, natural production adds to what is overall a quite enjoyable debut.
Where the album slides a bit off track is in its general construction. The nearly 10 minutes of ambient material means that almost a third of the album’s 36 total minutes are taken up by interludes. Worse yet, one of these tracks, the case study for what’s-in-a-name-ism “Pathless and Dormant,” is the album’s second track, which dampens the intensity created by the quality opener. An odd choice, to be sure. On the flip side, however, is “Become the Void,” and what it means for redeeming the album’s flow. This second ambient song is both quite pleasant and a crucial rest before the closing (and absolutely divine) “Perdition’s Mire” flattens the listener.
That final track, with its buzzing atmosphere, thumping riffs, and constant crescendo of intensity, truly shows the potential of this band. A full album of tracks of this quality would be an absolute goliath. So while the brevity of the album and its less-than-ideal construction put Dwell squarely in the promising category, it’s the kind of promising that you want to hear more than a few times.
Most of all, like the early 90s works of their biggest influences, Vermin and Ashes is effectively unrefined. This is not the ultra-polished slow death that Finland so often produces, but rather something that shares a close kinship to albums such as Gothic and The Silent Enigma, all while maintaining the kind of underground aura that you’d expect from Hells Headbangers in 2015. Imperfections and all, there’s something pretty appealing about that.
