Dodsferd - The Parasitic Survival Of The Human Race

I was at the pub with a mate last night and he mentioned that he'd been listening to a lot of Dodsferd recently. The conversation reminded me that I still had this album to review. Released in 2013 via Razorbleed Productions and then re-released in 2014 via Moribund Records, this is the eighth full-length from the Greek black metal four-piece (I seem to be on a bit of Greek extreme metal binge at the moment!).

As a band, they have been writing and releasing truly hateful black metal since 2003. They have been a constant since then, with splits, live-albums and of course those aforementioned albums. They are a band that don't care for people's opinions yet show great respect for their loyal fans. In November, they will be playing first-time shows in Italy and Switzerland, playing the latter alongside Negura Bunget and Glorior Belli amongst others.

Tracklisting:-

1. Breeding Chaos
2. Creator Of Disease
3. Stupid Worthless Sheep
4. Doubting Your Worth
5. We Are 138 (Misfits Cover)

Dodsferd aren’t your typical black metal band. They have transitioned over the years and on this record, their sound is bolstered by rock n roll. Breeding Chaos seems to channel the energy of Motorhead into it’s riffs, while the screams from vocalist Wrath are really intense. That’s not all that Dodsferd have in their arsenal though. Mid-way through the song, they lurch into hyper-speed, filling the song with blastbeats and buzz-saw guitar. A rip-roaring opener if ever I’ve heard one.

The songs are linked by samples of what sounds like rioting and other forms of chaos. I like that because it stops the album from losing momentum due to silence between songs. Creator Of Disease keeps the album’s pace up while the production gives Dodsferd a raw and honest sound. There’s no overproduction here and a scuzziness lurking in the background that reminds you of Dodsferd’s musical allegiance.  

The intensity doesn’t stop and Stupid Worthless Sheep carries that band’s anti-human message. It’s the longest song on The Parasitic Survival… and for the most past, it remains mid-paced. It doesn’t quite have the same punch as the songs before it, but it’s still to plenty of presence. Dodsferd’s final original offering here is Doubting Your Worth. The rhythms played by drummer Maelstrom are really catchy (I’m sorry, I tried not to use this term) and at times the song sounds industrial, though it still retains an air of punishing quality.

Dodsferd finish up with a Misfits cover (We Are 138), which includes both clean singing and Wrath screaming the same lyrics over the top. It’s bizarre ending the EP, but actually fits their sound perfectly. The Parasitic Survival Of The Human Race is over pretty quickly but is strong enough to stick in your head. You don’t hear people say that about a black metal very often!

You can stream the whole record online currently, but you can here the opening track via Razorbleed Productions below:-

You can buy CD copies from Razorbleed Productions here - http://www.razorbleed.com/eshop/ and from Moribund Records here - http://www.moribundcult.com.

Dodsferd Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDodsferd
Razorbleed Productions Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Razorbleed
Moribund Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MoribundRecordsOfficial