Artist: Bidirna Dhamani
Country: India
Label: Goatowarex / Kaliyuga Konspiracies
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2025
Have you ever wondered what Morbid Angel would sound like if they were a Black Metal band? Of course you did. And we have heard a lot of examples of how that might have sounded. And if you would also add a good portion of esoteric and fathomless Doom Metal elements in the mix? Then you might have something that quite sounds like Bidirna Dhamani, an anonymous duo that is part of the illustrious Kolkata Inner Order, together with bands like Kapala, Tetragrammacide Naramedha and Nirriti. But where a lot of their peers are rather wild at heart or even downright chaotic with endless barrages of riffs and relentless skull hammering, Bidirna Dhamani is quite a different beast.
From the very opening riff, there is a strong Morbid Angel vibe that fuels the whole record and pushes it into the dark, twisted and occult territories of Death Metal. You can imagine of a good combination of ‘Blessed Are The Sick’ atmosphere with the intricacies and heaviness of ‘Formulas Fatal To The Flesh’. But with that dark and brooding ambiance also comes with a certain Black Metal-like touch that reminds of the many bands from the late 80’s, a period in Extreme Metal that is typified without very fixed genre borders. That genre transcending capability is even more on display when the bands slows down significantly and ventures into areas that only Funeral Doom bands dare to treat. Hints of Tyranny, Esoteric, Evoken or Mournful Congregation are rather easy to pick out.
Together this swirls into a mesmerizing and hypnotizing music that could appeal to anyone who is into either Death Metal of the dark kind (Dead Congregation or Grave Miasma), meatier Black Metal (Demoncy for instance) or the more challenging Funeral Doom entities. But the thing that makes ‘Ojash’ a stand-out release, and, frankly, a rather impressive step up from the band’s earlier output. Perhaps Bidirna Dhamani is a little less advanced or brutally savage compared to their Kolkata Inner Order peers, but they do combine much of the Extreme Metal’s most compelling ingredients with bits and pieces that reveal their Indian background. Especially in the percussive notes tucked away here and there, their background still comes to the surface, but it is far from an oriental band seeking to emphasize its origins.
All in all a very alluring record that will be pleasing the ones seeking for the darkest and more twisted depths of the Death Metal genre. For now it is only available digitally, but a CD version through Kaliyuga Konspiracies is in the making, while Goatowarex will take care of a (probably very pricy) vinyl edition. Keep your eyes open!
