#80 Flork Reviews: ADACTA – Dno (2023)

 

ADACTA – Dno (2023)

by Flork

 

If you close your eyes and imagine yourself in a spiderweb dungeon or torture chamber, and you’re into having your limbs stretched out of their sockets (and possibly quartered) while being whipped with an acid-soaked belt, then ADACTA might be the band for you. Right from the very get-go, at least after the suspense of Intro, listeners are treated to a heavy assault on the eardrums, with Kto si (Who are you) and Do tla (To the smoldering fire) jumping down your ear canals and giving your brain a heavy, lobotomy-sized jolt of high-voltage electricity. I can tell right away that this is a cool album and that I’m going to like the rest of the album. It’s all fast and energy-laden, with the guitars and drums enjoying the velocity, like watching the wheel of a car going so fast that it doesn’t seem to spinning at all.

And that’s how you’ll feel when you listen to DNO (Bottom), the latest release from the metal punk/crust punk group ADACTA from Slovakia. Nothing is held back, everything, including (and maybe even especially) the vocals, is cranked to maximum overdrive. Songs like Lov (The hunt) and Ticho (Silence) keep the flow of energy at the highest level possible and it seems that my heartbeat has increased with the breaking of the sound barrier. And take note, that it isn’t thrash metal (although it is a very thrashy album), but a carefully-crafted compilation of tracks that scream hit hard or go home. If you take V srdci temnoty (In the heart of darkness), you will know what I mean. This song is as fast and heavy as the others, but it masterfully blends a variety of vocal octaves and depths and somehow ends with all the instruments hitting that last note with perfect timing. And this is the mark of true musicianship with the band members all in sync and utilising their chemistry to the max. I also particularly like that all of the songs but two are under four minutes in length. None of the tracks are rock symphonies nor atmospheric, but there are hints of ambience and highlights, especially around the 2-minute mark of Odlud (A recluse), a song I enjoyed so much that I pressed the repeat button before getting to the end of the album.

All of the songs are original and definitely stay within the boundaries of its sound. ADACTA does no experimenting on DNO, they know what is true and tested and display confidence in their music. DNO ends pretty much the way it starts, on a heavy note, with the relentless torture and mercy of Operacia Z (Hail of Bullets cover). Trust me though, the pain is good and worth every second of it. Anyone who loves heavy metal with elements of punk and crust (and death) will enjoy listening to ADACTA. I can only imagine their live sets, leaving audiences with metal in their heads. Any outside sounds would have zero chance of entering those ear canals for weeks.