New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Dödsrit achieves a blend of styles that places them somewhere in the middle ground between the bleakness of blackness and the crush of crust - icy and yet uplifting melodies weave in and out of punky riffs, atop beats both blast- and d-, and all delivered with a nearly palpable earnestness. - Last Rites
The mixing of genres is something that Dödsrit creator and sole member, Christoffer Öster has always done and done extremely well. As the main songwriter and driving force for Sweden's crust punk, d-beat, screamo, atmospheric, sludge, etc. cult group, Totem Skin, Öster received a vast amount of critical praise through journalists and peers alike.
Dödsrit doesn't necessarily take on as many styles, maybe limiting it to black metal, crust, d-beat and post metal, though as evident on
Spirit Crusher, Öster's second album as Dödsrit, he's found the perfect balance to meld and create a staggering opus.
Dödsrit started its journey in the early winter of 2017 shortly after the closure of Totem Skin. Öster entered Nailvillage studio in Borlänge, Sweden and recorded some ideas that had been floating around in his head for a year or two. While Totem Skin songs were written more towards what would work live, Öster had melodies and structures that were more journey-like intended for this new project. Three days later the first recordings of Dödsrit were completed and soon released as a self-titled album on vinyl by Alerta Antifascista Records and on cassette by Bloodsoaked Records.
Almost a year later Dödsrit returned to Nailvillage again to create
Spirit Crusher. With four tracks and clocking in at over 40 minutes, Öster says these songs are a little darker and more atmospheric than the self-titled, but still have lots of melodies and fast parts, just with maybe more post-metal than before. Lyrically, Öster focuses on criticism on society and social structures within it. "Sadly fascism is becoming more popular in Sweden and in other parts of the world as well," he laments,. "Things become scary when there is an 'us and them' mentality. And this is something I reflect lyric wise. "
It's not just society that impacts his songwriting. Living in a small, isolated town in Sweden has made quite an impact on him. Öster elaborates, "I would say I can't stand being in cities or crowded places. There is a huge relief and freedom that you can just go straight out in the forest here and not see people for days if you want to. There is a calmness and almost escapism out there you can't find anywhere else. It's the perfect breeding ground for creativity, at least for me."
SPIRIT CRUSHER TRACKLISTING
1.Aura
2.Ändlösa ådror
3.A drowning voice
4.Spirit Crusher
Dödsrit is:
Christoffer Öster
www.facebook.com/DODSRIT
