Dodsfred

Raw black metal with memorable songwriting is, unsurprisingly, pretty rare. With an increasing amount of bands plying their uninspired, poorly recorded wares, records like Cursing Your Will to Live stand out like sore thumbs. Incorporating melody where appropriate, while sticking for the most part to a solid, punk-y black metal aesthetic, main man Wrath’s compositions contain surprising depth and staying power. The production, while definitely unrefined, packs a fair wallop, and complements the dynamic yet aggressive material nicely. Dodsferd’s sound is well-rounded enough to appeal to fans of just about any subgenre of black metal, and what is lacking in creativity is more than made up for in execution. This is a solid cap to a prolific year for the genre.