By Monk
Quite possibly taking their name from a word equally possibly screamed at them hundreds if not thousands of times over – both frontman Nikan Khosravi and DJ Arash Ilkhani were arrested by the notorious Iranian Revolutionary Guards and detained for more than almost two years, including three months in solitary confinement, on charges of blasphemy and propaganda against the state before fleeing the country and ultimately seeking political asylum in their now adopted homeland of Norway (having subsequently been sentenced to a combined total of 14 and a half years in prison, plus 74 lashes for the frontman) – this is perhaps one band no better placed to ask the question “what happens when you’ve survived things that no-one should have to?”
It’s therefore extremely (sic) understandable why ‘Destination Addiction’ comes across as an equally extremely angry album, addressing as it does the consequences of their personal experiences – including depression, isolation and substance abuse – but then transforms itself into a declaration of redemption and resilience, exorcising the nightmarish ghosts of resentment and replacing them with clarified dreams of retribution rewarded.
The opening guitar line of ‘Built On A Grave’ is an exemplar of what to expect. It exudes pure anger, a sense of the blood broiling, it’s seething hatred matched by Khosravi’s acerbic, acidic vocal, self-declarative and rebellious in equal measure as he spits his venomous vocal straight into the ears of those who would condemn and decry him for standing up for his own beliefs.
With Nile’s George Kollias adding to the band’s exponentially growing credentials by laying things down behind the kit, ‘Destination Addiction’ is a massive step forward, in terms of both precision and technicality, from 2022’s excellent ‘Revenge At All Costs’, the first album they released since seeking sanctuary in Europe’s north-west. While the former album exuded pure rage and resentment, this new offering sees them harnessing those elements in a more subdued but elegantly eloquent manner, channelling their fury and rage in a much more direct and focused, and therefore more effective and impactful, way.
I have been rinsing this album for the past few weeks, and have to say that I have found it more dominant, imperious and impressive with each listen: not an album which has grown on me, as it impacted with immediate, devastating effect, but one which justifies and re-asserts its worth on every occasion. A definite and defiant statement.
- ‘Destination Addiction‘ is out now.
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