It may sound somewhat ridiculous but I have always found that the most depressing, pain-stricken and anguish-drenched representations of existence to be the most enlightening. Addressing the raw, bleak and terrifying concepts associated with being a living, breathing human being is intrinsically liberating and goes some way to escaping the suffocating bubbles that we can all unwittingly create for ourselves.
That being said, you must be in the right frame of mind for it and, thankfully, I was when I pressed play on the latest in the ‘A Fleur De Peau’ trilogy from Belgian solo DSBM master Déhà. This is an excruciating trudge through despair and is magnified, as has become synonymous with this series of records, through an assortment of devastatingly harrowing guest performances.
Glorious compositions such as the opener ‘The Tree and The Death’ and the epic ‘I am not Complete’ demonstrate a depth of understanding and a willingness to drown in a tide of emotion that can only be born in the most astute and most detached of minds. Controlled chaos, soaring hope and vocals injected with levels of grief that make Picasso’s famous ‘Guernica’ look like a night out.
Let’s not beat around any bushes, creating this balance in an intelligent, though-provoking and effective way is far from easy – yet, again, Déhà has achieved it here. The truth of meditation is not about flower garlands, joss sticks and sore hamstrings – it’s about confronting the filthy, dark suffering that can flood us all. This album is the perfect soundscape to fill those most tranquil of times.
9/10
https://deha.bandcamp.com/album/a-fleur-de-peau-iii-a-fire-that-does-not-burn