CD-R, self-released, 2003
www.dolmensniper.motime.com
“Dead Ringers”, a 2003 release by Dolmen Sniper (aka Cyrill Duneau), has got to be among those discs that make me wonder “Where the hell have *you* been so long?” when listened to…
The first two tracks are deceptively calm, while still retaining a dark edge, the acoustic guitar play of “Farines Humaines” fitting nicely with the slow beat, almost soothing up the listener, before “Murder, a 1 minute track that’s a weirded out sample on a beat and gives you a small image of what is to follow, like a spot of blood in front of a closed door waiting for you to open it. “Dead Love” and “Blood On The Tarmac” ensue soon afterwards. Dolmen Sniper has apparently invested in heaviness rather than speed, chuggy beats pounding steadily and heavily on your eardrums while the keyboards progress from eerie to outright hostile.
“Dead Mind” follows suit, changing the pace with its staccato beat and gritty sound reminding older industrial work from the likes of FLA, Sonic Mayhem or heck, even Fear Factory (sans the vocals). The sample & keyboard driven fright of “Dead Lights” comes next, before “Dead Sorrow”, with organ keyboards bursting along with drums following almost random changes in sound and pace, both of the tracks giving a rest to the rhythmic pounding of the previous songs. Last but certainly not least, comes “Dead End, bouts of” silence interrupted by noisy and aggressive bursts of music.. or is it vice versa?
The verdict? Dolmen Sniper is guilty of making a very good, very dark and quite noisy affair of a record. Oh, and using the word “dead” in 5/9 tracks. While it may sound too dated to some, I personally found this to be its main appeal, since it reminded me of a lot of good old bands, while still having its own characteristic flavor of dark aggressiveness, and having it in bucketloads.
[7.5/10]
— George Mouratidis