Label : Nail Records/Hammer Music
Review by Tony Cannella
The second full-length album from Hungary’s Dharma is one that requires a certain amount of open minded-ness. Musically the band sort of straddles the line between Gothic Rock and Electronic Metal. It is certainly something that does not make an immediate impact (at least for me it didn’t), but something that – after a few listens – began to grow on me.
The straight-forward, hard driving “Varanasi” starts us off, and it is an opener that certainly sets the tempo on “Dharmageddon”. Some melancholic piano and thunder noises start off the next track “Encoded in Fire”. This is basically a mid-tempo song, with a haunting quality and a memorable chorus. Track 3, “Apocalypto” fast became my favorite song. It is pretty much another straight-forward track with some great vocals from Ani Ritzel. For the most part “Dharmageddon” does not deviate too far from their chosen style but with a playing time of only about 38-minutes, there is enough music here to keep things interesting. Other highlights include: “Mirror on the Wall”, “The World to Me” and “One By One”
I like “Dharmageddon” more and more with each listen. Dharma definitely comes from a different place (musically speaking) than what I am used to and “Dharmageddon” is a bit of a change from most of today’s female fronted metal.
Rating – 76/100
Tracklist
- Varanasi
- Encoded in Fire
- Apocalypto
- Mirror on the Wall
- Sex, Blood
- Pain & Pleasure
- Tonight
- Final Destination
- The World to Me
- One By One
Line Up
- Ani Ritzel – Vocals
- Laszlo Gurka – Guitar
- Gergo Kelemen – Bass
- Andras Komives – Drums