Systemic by Divide and Dissolve
Profound and transcendent, Divide and Dissolve's newest release Systemic stands like an ancient towering monolith, triggering deep emotions stirring in our collective subconscious. This doom metal release subverts expectations and goes beyond the brutal agony or self-indulgent melancholy typical of the genre, elevating this album to something more meaningful. Oscillating between heavy droning riffs, buzzy cut-up synth, and shimmering orchestral accompaniment, this must-listen release is dense with cultural significance and unrelenting power.
It would be remiss not to highlight the personal and political undercurrents that are inextricable from the experience of this album. Although Systemic is almost entirely instrumental–save for an excellent spoken word feature from Minori Sanchiz-Fung on the track “Kingdom of Fear”–the overarching themes of Black and Indigenous struggle and liberation are impossible to ignore. At times, this album feels apocalyptic, a cacophony of sound building up to a final collapse of the world as we know it. To quote Tuscarora author Alicia Elliott, “Indigenous people…all live in a post-apocalyptic world. The world as we knew it ended the moment colonialism started to creep across these lands…We have survived the apocalypse.”
On the track “Blood Quantum” a melodic string-driven intro dissolves and is thrashed against the rocky shore in the throes of sludgy noise, only before rising again triumphantly out of the waves. A similar theme emerges through “Indignation”, although with a much more combative approach, a dissonant symphony in constant battle with gritty guitars and clashing cymbals, and emerging victorious at the end. Perhaps the anticolonial message at the heart of this album is best showcased on the minimally-produced “Kingdom of Fear:” “Even in the Kingdom of Fear, the air murmurs a song through the streets. Joy remains wild. It has baffled the cage again. It has cut through the horror." Ultimately, this album closes with a final mellifluous orchestral arrangement. It feels like a celebration, an overcoming of adversity, but with a somber tone tinged with grief for the trials endured along the way.
This album may be the most transgressive work we’ve covered yet. By infusing new sounds into the doom metal genre and focusing their work on intensely personal and important themes, Divide and Dissolve have created a true work of art with Systemic.
- Kaylen
