In Dakhma – He Who Sows The Ground

As you all might know, one-third of our staff members are originating from the Balkan Peninsula. Despite of the fact that we have been doing this since 2001, it’s not that many Croatian bands we have featured on our site?! In Dakhma (founded in 2022) are here to change that with the release of their highly anticipated debut full-length entitled, He Who Sows the Ground.

Its international release date was just a few days ago, and it’s been distributed and promoted by band’s own label, Tower of Silence Records, which is also our first encounter with this label. So what do you do when you have no previous knowledge neither of the band nor the label? You approach it with an open mind and give it at least a couple of spins before writing a review.

Before digging deeper into musical content of this album, I had to find out the meaning of the band moniker, In Dakhma. According to Britannica, ‘A Dakhma’, otherwise referred to as ‘Tower of Silence’, “…is a circular, raised structure built by Zoroastrians for excarnation, in order to avoid contamination of the soil and other natural elements by the decomposing dead bodies. Carrion birds, usually vultures and other scavengers, consume the flesh.” An important thing to remember!

Thus, line-up of In Dakhma consists of; Vedran Nor (bass/guitars/vocals) and Matko Podobnik (drums). In the time of the recording of He Who Sows the Ground, two gueat appearances were featured; Tomislav Ferenc – lead guitar (“Sentinel Hill”), Darjan Fiolić – lead guitar (“In Dogma”), vocals (“Sentinel Hill”) and mandolin (“Ellipsis”).

He Who Sows the Ground contains eleven death metal track in the vein of Entombed, Celtic Frost, Bloodbath, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Gojira, Opeth, Morbid Angel etc. Lyrically, the album is as diverse as its sound; it explores the meaning and concepts of life and death, but also the divided aspects of their culture and civilization. Furthermore, it explores the society plagued by conflict, ancient stories and their meanings. Matko Podobnik is the man responsible for all the lyrics, with the exception of the opening “Ona kraljuje sama”, which is an adaptation of “Smrt i ja”, a poem by Antun Branko Šimić (a well known Croatian poet). “Ona kraljuje sama” is also the only song from He Who Sows the Ground which is written in their native language, while the remaining 10 tracks are all sung in English.

Their old-school death metal approach to a song-writing is fused with doom-inspired low guitar tunings, punchy & punk-fueled guitar riffs, chugging hooks, pummeling drum parts, slam-inspired bass and diverse vocals – being both raspy, blackish, grinding and sludge-ridden. The aforementioned guitarist/bassist/vocalist Vedran Nor has an unexpectedly firm grasp on instrumentation. Often overlooked, hereby I want you to pay attention to his rather superb bass work, where it shines brightly, and laying the foundation for almost every song. Especially his mid-song interludes are well-placed and delivered deliciously and convincing.

Recorded in ‘Chicken Sound Studio’, the album is mixed and mastered by Vedran Kovačić Beli, and from previous experience I must say a successful production is vital for a pleasant and listenable release to get successful and recognizable. It sounds sharp and clear, with dynamics and very warm good clarity sound, yet without being too polished. In other words; He Who Sows the Ground is an album which boast a great sound.

Cover art for He Who Sows the Ground was created by Vanja Perković, while Mirko Czukor did everything video-related.

On He Who Sows the Ground, this hard-hitting Croatian duo (plus the guests) moves in many several different directions, but it’s not a bad thing. In opposite; the combination of death, black, sludge, hardcore and grind, makes it a bit challenging, but somehow a very pleasant listening experience too.

For additional information on this debut full-length from a promising death metal duo from Croatia, visit https://indakhma.bandcamp.com/album/he-who-sows-the-ground