Dormant Ordeal “Tooth and Nail” <REVIEW>
“…it needs to live rent-free in your skull…”
This art piece speaks to me… it’s screaming “Fuck You! No, Fuck YOU!”. I call it: “True Love”
We just reviewed one death metal album earlier this week, so why not double up? And for that, we head to Poland. Poland’s extreme metal scene has been a reliable source of sonic savagery for years, including the likes of Behemoth and Vader. Meanwhile, Dormant Ordeal have quietly—or rather, very loudly—become one of its best-kept secrets.
With Tooth and Nail, their fourth full-length release, the band continues their blackened evolution, adding a chilling atmosphere to their already devastating death metal foundation. And yeah, I’m spoiling my thoughts a bit early, cause GOD DAMN! We need to talk about this album as one of my recent discoveries through the mailing lists, and it’s a death metal record that has me in a frenzy while writing this review. Let’s talk about it…
Right from the start, “Wije i mary, Pt. 1” lures you in like a calm before the storm—except like me unable to wait to devour my girlfriend’s cupcakes (not a euphamism), the storm doesn’t wait either. But then “Halo of Bones” kicks the door in with absurd velocity, and suddenly you’re strapped to a rocket piloted by Chason Westmoreland, who may or may not have traded his soul for speed. Seriously, this guy isn’t drumming—he’s defying physics.
Then comes “Horse Eater,” the unfortunate name of Jerry from 3rd period who couldn’t stop eating glue from the glue-gun. It’s a weaponized sonic assault, and Maciej Nieścioruk’s guitar solos soar through the chaos with colourful, ear-searing brilliance. By the time “Orphans” kicks in, you start to appreciate the nuance beneath the aggression. The blackened elements of Dormant Ordeal’s sound start to really seep through here, giving the album a chilly, evil edge—like someone dumped a corpse in your coffee.
What’s honestly impressive is that, despite the overwhelming aggression, each track has its own character. It’s not just “blast beat #27” followed by “angry riff #58.” You could blindfold me, spin me around, crack smelling salts laced with beer and bad decisions, and I’d still know if I was listening to “Solvent” or “Dust Crown.”
Then “Solvent” hits, and we get a welcome shift. It holds back, letting tension simmer and atmosphere rise before dragging us back into the inferno. And again—CAN SOMEONE GIVE CHASON WESTMORELAND A DAMN RAISE ALREADY?! The man is drumming like the fate of the universe depends on it. “Dust Crown” enters with a riff that sounds like a panic attack in guitar form. I don’t know whether to check the song for a pulse or keep headbanging like a malfunctioning wind turbine. Either option is good in my books. The song just SCREAMS throw random riffs at the wall to see what throws the listener off more, but it works. If you’ve seen Dean Lamb (Archspire) and his wife Claine Lamb (Misyrion, ex-The Hallowed Catharsis) on YouTube with “4 Levels of Death Metal”, then you already know i want to hear that song attempted by these guys at Level 1.
And if you thought we were just dipping our toes into black metal, “Against the Dying of the Light” takes a swandive straight in, winning 10 points, 3 frostbite warnings, and immersing the listener in an icy wall of tremolo-picked despair before fading out into nothing but wind. Ominous. Unsettling. Little cold, might throw the hoodie on for a bit. Don’t judge, I may be Canadian but I have my limits.
But then “Everything That Isn’t Silence Is Trivial” throws a curveball—clean guitars? Pretty chords? What the hell is this, early-Opeth-Lite? Just when I thought the band had decided to begin wrapping up the album with their own “Isolation Years”, the band EXPLODES with more death metal fury than a furry death metal musician in bright sunlight. The guitar riffs sweeping through with tremolo picking over top of (again) some of the tightest drumming to come out of death metal. The track is over 7 minutes of great blackened death metal to prove once and for all that Poland does death metal better than America, and we should all be bowing-actually moshing would be more appropriate-to them for the blistering, pummelling display of aggression.
And as the album truly closes out with “Wije i mary, Pt. 2,” it all comes full circle. Unlike the eerie fade-in of its opener, this track ends the album with one last burst of rage and tension—mostly instrumental, save for a whispered vocal moment and some delightfully dissonant lead work from Maciej. It ends a bit abruptly, and maybe a fade-out would’ve been better—but that’s a nitpick in an otherwise stellar finale.
So, are my thoughts clear enough for you? Not yet? Let’s try this then: The press kit for this album featured a quote from Angry Metal Guy, who once said Dormant Ordeal should be at the top of the death metal scene. Listening to this album? I absolutely agree. I didn’t know what to expect going into Tooth and Nail. I figured it’d be good—but instead, I got dropkicked into the abyss and I’ve never been happier. It’s savage. It’s smart. It’s tight as hell. And every song earns its place—no filler, no fluff, just 47 minutes of expertly-crafted chaos. If death metal had a throne made of bones, broken drumsticks, and Satan’s questionable dental records, Dormant Ordeal would be sitting on it polishing their blast beat trophies. It`s THAT good!
If you’ve been meaning to dip your toes into Polish death metal, I can’t recommend this album enough—it needs to live rent-free in your skull. Not sure if this is the ultimate gateway for new listeners of death metal, but it’s a MUST listen for sure! Still too early to tell, but I think this one is a strong contender for Album of the Year so far, and I can’t wait to see where it lands.
14.5/15
… because that’s the number of appendages Chason has (don’t ask about the half arm though, he doesn’t like to talk about it)
Tracklist:
Wije i Mary, Pt. 1
Halo of Bones
Horse Eater
Orphans
Solvent
Dust Crown
Against the Dying of the Light
Everything That Isn't Silence Is Trivial
Wije i Mary, Pt. 2
Album Credits:
Music, lyrics and arrangements by Maciej Nieścioruk.
Drums arrangements by Chason Westmoreland and Maciej Nieścioruk.
All tracks except drums recorded by Paweł Grabowski at JNS Studio in Warsaw.
Drums played and recorded by Chason Westmoreland.
Guest vocals on "Solvent" by Dominic Nucciarone recorded by Samuel Dufour.
Artwork by See Machine.
Art direction by Maciej Nieścioruk.
Design by Michał “Xaay” Loranc and Maciej Nieścioruk.
Photos by Piotr Dzik.
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