Anyone remember Dampé? He was the grave keeper of Kakariko Village in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. When Link is an adult, Dampé is dead, and in order to advance further in the game you'll have to enter his grave and beat him in a race in order to get the hookshot. His grave is where the band got the name Dampé's Keep. They're an American black metal who recently released their first demo, a self-titled affair containing three songs that last for a total of thirteen minutes.
All three songs are based on music from the Legend of Zelda series. The melodies and song structures are heavily modified in order to avoid copyright problems, but hardcore Zelda fans will still recognize them. There are no vocals as these songs are instrumentals. I believe this actually helps the music, as having vocals on a Zelda song would only distract from the melodies.
The production is raw but the instrumentation is of a pretty high caliber. The blast beats and double bass are as relentless as a frostbitten war machine. From what I've been able to learn, this is a one-man band, but the drums sound very real. They don't sound programmed at all. In terms of bass, it can't be heard all the time (this is a lo-fi black metal release after all), but there are moments like “Song of Healing” when it manages to shine through and put on a great performance.
The centerpiece of this presentation is the guitar. They exhibit a wide range of influences from Norwegian to French to Cascadian. The guy mainly plays these fast tremolo riffs that have a cold, icy feel. However, there are moments where they sound a bit like post black metal and atmospheric black metal. My favorite part of this demo would have to be “Spirit Temple”. Those echoing middle eastern riffs played throughout are just breath-taking. They make me want to sit down and play through Ocarina of Time all over again. I remember playing that game back when I was ten years old. Those Redeads scared the shit out of me.
This was an awesome demo. Not only is it great lo-fi black metal, but it's also a great homage to The Legend of Zelda. I doubt most Zelda fans would like this as most Zelda fans don't like black metal, but if you like black metal and The Legend of Zelda, then you're bound to like this. This demo is available as a name-your-price download at Glossolalia Records' official Bandcamp page. They also had a cassette for sale, but they're all sold out. I wish I bought one. It looks awesome. Unfortunately, I never seem to have the money for stuff like this.
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