It is often the way of metal bands to indulge in the mystical and perhaps perform under the occasional upside down cross but The D.O.O.D are, thankfully, from Florida rather than Norway so it is unlikely that they will be found guilty of burning down any churches. With positivity now engaged, on we go to their new album “Dissonance.”
There are thirteen songs on this album – you probably guessed that anyway – and, to my surprise, The D.O.O.D seem less concerned with worshipping Satan than celebrating that the Devil has, traditionally, all the best tunes. Bouts of speed drumming prevail and those riffs do indeed sound like they were forged in the fires of Hell yet there is something almost theatrical going on here that generates accessibility even to people who live in the light. Brian Amoroso’s vocals, for example, are more restrained than is standard for this particular genre and, while there’s still gravel and bourbon in his mouthwash, the words survive well enough to allow the listener to, as the oldies say, get where he is coming from. Naturally, subtlety isn’t on the menu, and nor would you expect it to be, and, despite practically every song being taken on a ride along the freeway of maximum volume, there is still enough in the way of conceptual considerations to hold the interest of even a passing Mormon.
If metal is your thing, you won’t find “Dissonance” lacking in either mystical references or nihilism yet The D.O.O.D seem more playful than most in this normally humourless musical genre and, if you like to sing along whilst playing your air guitar, then this band might well impress you.