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Probably the most controversial Lithuanian Black Metal formation, regardless continuous rumours about its demise, is alive and well.
The band was formed in 1993 in a small province town of Lithuania
- Anykščiai, and since the start their music was circling around the old
way of Black Metal, with obvious Thrash and Heavy Metal influences. Devoted
to the dark side, they have never stopped mocking the stupid dogmas and
they have never moved away from praising darkness, destruction and war.
From their first live appearances to the public Dissimulation
have faced an enthused reaction towards that cold blasphemy. It has constantly
been spewed forth with a dose of anger, supported by the memorable stage
show full of spikes, leather and venomous mystique. If you see them live
these days, you will not witness a difference.
The core of Dissimulation has
always been Venomous [bass/vocals], and
Stabmeldys [drums]. Their guitarists
have been coming and going, so stability was not the easiest thing to
achieve at the early stage. However, in fall of 1996, with guitarist of
those days Žilvinas, they have finally
entered Tamsta Studios, acclaimed for
memorization of the bigger part of Lithuanian Metal recordings back then.
With a very small budget and total inexperience they still happened to
record intro and five tunes of cold Black Metal music. From the very start
using mother tongue, Dissimulation have managed
to create their own specific sound with a raspy voice, raw guitar lines,
fundamental drumming and really cold Black Metal atmosphere. Guys have
also used keyboards on that recording [performed by Žilvinas],
to reinforce the dark hellish feel, and frankly speaking, it was not the
worst use of this instrument down there. Three-piece did not rehash the
old cliches of Bathory, Hellhammer or Venom there, but rather created
their own brand of sick hateful Black Metal, with true inspiration coming
from the dusty past and mysterious landscapes of Lithuanian plains...
Demo tape Juodo Mėnulio Pasveikinta was
released by Dangus Productions in 1997.
It was not a long while after when Juodo Mėnulio
Pasveikinta has quickly gained obvious attention and eventual praising
from local and foreign Black Metal fans.
After the demo was out, the main local festival stages were taken by storm,
namely Death Comes, Black
Metal, Baltic Thunder and others,
let alone many smaller shows as well as first appearances in Latvia, Estonia
and Belarus.
In a while Dissimulation have parted ways with Žilvinas, and quickly recruited a new talented guitar player Nekrofagas, who showed a much better feel to their music, and much more ideas than his predecessor has ever managed to bring along.
Ledo Takas has put an eye and ear on Dissimulation a long time ago, mostly due to those effective live performances, and due to the new tracks the raw rehearsal versions of which have certainly pushed to sign the band for the first labels vinyl release. 7EP material was mostly old Dissimulation songs, written after the demo that had to wait a bit to be released. Recordings were made again in Tamsta Studio in Vilnius on September 3rd and 4th 1999, and yet again suffered quite a ghastly production. This time round the band decided to quit with any and all keyboard additions to gain the pure Black Metal sound. 2nd February 2000 marked a five tracks [plus Intro] Miglose EP release out. It was pressed on solid violet vinyl and limited to 666 hand-numbered copies. Together with a classic envelope cover it had an inlay card with lyrics. A tape edition of Miglose has also been produced, and it had one bonus song Countess Bathory cover version. No doubt that Venom have never sounded so brutal and sick!
Another remarkable experience for the band in 2000 was a Finnish mini tour in September together with Nahash, where Dissimulation have certainly gained great response and quite some new fans.
After the release of Miglose
7EP guys have been moving on, despite certain troubles with rehearsal
spots and limited financial abilities. Unholy triumvirate has yet stepped
forward in all directions: their compositional abilities have improved; the band has finally matured for the first full-length album; systematic progress forward has provided them a chance to record in
a much more professional studio than before.
So, with a help of Ledo Takas Records, in
March of 2002 Dissimulation have recorded 11
tunes at Phoenix studio in Riga, Latvia,
which comprise the debuting Maras album.
Studio and live sound engineer of Skyforger Gints Lundbergs
has made sure that recording would get a thick and sharp Black Metal sound,
unlike any previous release of the band.
After the recording Maras was professionally
mastered by sound engineering guru Vytautas
Stankus at Ophis studio in Kaunas,
Lithuania. By the way, there were some troubles with Dissimulation
mastering (that basically has caused the delay in albums release), because
initially Ledo Takas had agreed to make the
mastering at a certain famous studio in Berlin, however the owner of which
happened to occur a typical new kid of German nation that got afraid of
a A.Hitler speech sample in one of the compositions, and rushed to declare
he does not work with nazi bands. Ledo Takas Records
and Dissimulation have never had, nor will have to do with neither fascistic nor nazi ideology, and
let everybody interpret the aforementioned composition like his or her
own mind suggests.
Almost permanent designer of Ledo Takas Roswa
has made a stunning job with the booklet and digipak design, with unique
ideas provided by the band members. It is not only very tasteful, artful
or great, it is also a shocking design. CD was released on the day of the
dead October 31st 2002. It came as 6 panels digipak with
a ten pages insert. Vinyl version of Maras was also pressed few months later, as well as a T-shirt.
Debut album has got a controversial coverage in specialized media, from total worship to quite average reviews and comments. With music like Dissimulation do it is quite obvious - it has a special feeling and drive behind that is not suitable to everybody's taste. Maras material was quite a discovery for those into early days of thrash metal and those who love to bath in atmospheres of black metal music. Both aesthetics combined quite made their own style, with certain references.
It's not much to talk about what the hell was happening with Dissimulation in the following three years time, just that they have passed through certain good and bad periods in both personal and band's life. May 15th 2004's gig in Moscow was a memorable day anyway, much like opening up for Behemoth here in Vilnius in 2003. New material was written and kept in twisted mind of Nekrofagas, and slowly but firmly it has evaporated into six new compositions with a yet more sinister, instinctual vein and undescribable ominous feeling. Musically, there is a definite step towards yet more unrelenting thrash metal of the eighties, combined with sometimes weird and hard to swallow breaks and rhythmical perturbations. Like always there is nothing conformist in the evolution of Dissimulation, and it is simply impossible to say if it is cool stuff or not before checking the entire album. One is for sure: through years Dissimulation have built themselves a personal way to go forth, and second full album fully proves it to be rough, but the one and only.
Aptly titled Prakeikimas [Damnation], new tracks were again recorded at Phoenix studio in Riga, and the result is fairly satisfactory, to say the least. April 5th album was finalized in Vytis studio, Vilnius, Lithuania, adding a pompastic intro and... some more extras yet to be discovered by every one of you when the album hits the streets. Traditionally, design is handled by long-time visionary mind of Roswa, meaning another state of art piece of agonizing necro reality. Not the least, the band has a new overwhelming logo, recently designed by Skol.
Prakeikimas CD was released on Friday, May 13th 2005.
Gatefold vinyl version was executed July 1st.
To book the band, or to arrange the interview, please contact the band or Ledo Takas Records.
Juodo Mėnulio Pasveikinta
demo tape [1997, Dangus Productions]
Miglose
7"EP/tape [2000, Ledo
Takas Records]
Maras LP/CD/TS [2002, Ledo
Takas Records]
Prakeikimas LP/CD [2005, Ledo Takas Records]
Dainius Žičkus
Biliūno 18-29
29115 Anykščiai
Lithuania