Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail

Metalcatto

It’s been a while since we reviewed something darker than your credit score. Dormant Ordeal has already been flirting with glory before. The band isn’t just some other pointless, bashingly heavy act. If anything, it reminds what Behemoth would sound like if it truly embraced Black Metal and stopped the edginess. Hence, Tooth and Nail comes with the difficult task of putting the band where it should be, the top of the Metalsphere. Let’s see if the music fits the art quality.

Let me tell you, this wasn’t an easy album to put into words. There are many twists and turns that make it more than just another Death Metal release. It’s complex without turning into a technical snowboarding fest. Maliciousness is the dominant feeling here, and everything in Tooth and Nail sounds properly evil, not forced-evil (I’m looking at you, Satyricon). It’s almost refreshing to listen to an album that ends up being evil without trying so hard. It’s in its nature to deliver sick riffs left and right, even if some of the tracks have considerable length—they don’t dilute in songwriting quality.

It might give you the impression that I’m describing a Disso-Death album, but we reached that peak in 2024. Tooth and Nail sits more in a Blackened space, but that doesn’t mean it’s a peaceful listen. The album is full of emotionally complex passages that make it hard to grasp in its fullness, which means you’ll have to return more than once to embrace the full horror of this thing. It somehow reminds me of a tighter and less experimental version of Decline of the I‘s Vilhem. Is it better than that album? It’s hard to tell, but it’s probably more focused for sure.

So what is there to dislike about this dark abyss? Well, it’s a black cloud of negative energy, and it can leave you more cooked and drained than a family dinner. It’s also rather strange how I can’t name any particular track or section of this album that’d get stuck in my head, and yet I need to return to it as soon as possible. Dormant Ordeal has crafted a puzzle, and if you don’t like those, you’re in for a headache. Luckily, I’m all for some mystery in my music! But you’ve been warned now!

Dormant Ordeal shows us that it’s ready to play in the big leagues of extreme Metal. I’m surprised how little attention this band has gathered so far. Granted, it’s a Polish band, and that place is full of intense bands, but still, Tooth and Nail is a standout in the scene, and anyone who likes their darkness to talk back to them in tongues should jump right into it. Besides, look at that art—it screams professionalism!

Label: Willowtip Records

Release date: April 18, 2025

Website: https://www.facebook.com/dormant.ordeal

Country: Poland

Score: 4.2/5.0. This is an adjusted score!