Band: Damnation Army
Album title: Circle Of The Brave
Label: Mascot
Distributor: PIAS
Release date: 30/03/2009
Release: CD

Damnation Army is the one-man Black/ Death Metal outlet of Swedish multi-instrumentalist Thomas Nyholm, whom started the prroject in 2002. He was lucky enough to get in touch with Minneapolis based underground label God Is Myth (which specializes in releasing quality demos from Extrem Metal artists in the  Death, Black, or Nordic Black subgenres).

Thus, they issued the man’s 4-track debut EP Towards Damnation (on a rotation of 150 copies only) in 2003 and that same year also followed the full-length Misanthropic Satanarchy. 2004 was a busy year for Nystrom, as it not only saw the release of the Damnation Army full-length The Art Of The Occult, but also a new one-man Black/ Death project under the name of Blaspheminator (which released the 4-track demo tape Dead Through the World through Witchhammer Productions on a 500 copy rotation), and a full-length tape album titled Living Nightmare issued through Ironfist Kommando. Name of the project: Rotten Minds, and the only project that Nyholm ever worked with another musician (as far as I know), in casu vocalist Gustaf Olsson (of whom further info could not be found). Somewhere along the line Nyholm also releasedd the Release The Demons cd-R under the project name of Night Spawn, but I ain’t sure when exactly that happened (except that it was befóre 2006).

Securing a proper recording deal, Damnation Army’s 2006 album Tyrant was then released through Mascot in July of that year. Regrettably enough, that album passed us by completely. Regrettable, because Nyholm’s music is darn góód!!! A double layer of chanting and frequently melancholic lead guitars with slightly progressive undertones (bringing the high tones) plus a catchy riffing (part of the ruff deeper tones) one on top of a real tight rhythm section makes for a frequently bombastic whole which is never devoid of the necessary melodies. Actually you could almost classify Damnation Army’s music as being a classy layered Heavy Metal…but Nyholm’s typical icy vocals make the whole fall under the Death/ Black monicker!

Check out the songs posted at myspace.com/damnationarmyswe. It’s only two tracks, but if they don’t sweep you right off your feet I don’t know whàt’ll move you! If you’re into it, you can go out and buy the album without thinking, really, and the previous one as well (I mean, that’s what I’m gonna do, you know). Maybe I should warn you that the album also contains the short (only 82 seconds long) instrumental “Upon The Bleeding Horns”, which is quite different in mood from the rest of the album. Well, let’s say it’s quite calm, the guitars on it lacking in distortion; but otherwize just as melancholic and dark as any other song on the album!!! Nomination for year-list time!!!!!

98/100

Tony.