Released 20 years ago
What Hell Is About
Dagoba · 2006
44 min · 12 tracks · groove metal
Aggressive grooves and thunderous riffs intertwine with dark, introspective lyrics to create a relentless metal experience.
Top tracks — play these first
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Die Tomorrow (…What If You Should?) — This track exemplifies the album's blend of aggressive instrumentation with thought-provoking lyrics about mortality and existential dread, encapsulating Dagoba's thematic focus.
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The Man You're Not — Featuring a dynamic structure that shifts between melodic hooks and crushing breakdowns, this song highlights the band's ability to balance heaviness with accessibility.
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Morphine - The Apostle of Your Last War — This track stands out for its haunting atmosphere and lyrical exploration of addiction and despair, showcasing Dagoba's darker thematic elements.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album combines aggressive grooves with introspective lyrics, showcasing strong craftsmanship and thematic depth.
What we noticed
- The first half of the album features aggressive tempos and heavy guitar riffs, while the second half shifts to more introspective themes with slower tracks.
- The lyrics often explore dark themes, with a focus on personal struggle and existential questions, enhancing the overall intensity of the music.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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7/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- introspective late-night reflections
- short bursts of intensity
- dynamic emotional journeys
- steady, consistent energy levels
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released in 2006, What Hell Is About marked Dagoba's third studio album, following their breakthrough record, The Fall of Man. At this juncture, the band was solidifying their sound and expanding their audience within the groove metal scene, showcasing their evolution as songwriters and musicians.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Soilwork· Fear Factory· Gojira
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 What Hell Is About 0:43
- 2 Die Tomorrow (…What If You Should?) 5:25
- 3 The Fall of Men 2:50
- 4 The Man You're Not 5:21
- 5 Cancer 4:34
- 6 It's All About Time 6:49
- 7 The Things Apart 1:04
- 8 The Things Within 4:14
- 9 Livin' Dead 3:38
- 10 042104 1:23
- 11 Morphine - The Apostle of Your Last War 3:31
- 12 The White Guy (Suicide) 5:05
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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