V:XII is Daniel Jansson: Vocals, Instruments and Electronics, from Gothenburg, Sweden, perhaps one of the obvious location for a dark ambient/doom industrial project like V:XII, especially with a title such as 'Rom, Rune and Ruin - The Odium Disciplina.' Jansson's previous projects included Deadwood (or Deadwood Murder; nothing to do with the Wild West or the South Dakota town) and experimental doom metal band Culted. This appears to be the first release under the V:XII moniker. 'RR&R' is 8 tracks in about 47 minutes.

The album opens with atmospherically "The New Black" (Hey, Black is The New Black, right?) with appropriately processed black & doom metal vocals, malevolent drones, swirling malicious noises, etc. Just look at that demon on the cover and imagine that image vocalizing; you get the idea. Listening I can't make out many of the words, but with this vocal style that's typical. Fortunately the lyrics are printed on the CD case. "Maor" introduces an industrial rhythm loop that sounds like the rack being fully cranked in a torture chamber. Jansson's vocals are suitably demonic. It's a bit like listening to Beelzebub tell you about all the nasty shit he's going to do to you when you eventually get to hell. "Twining Rope" is a long, slow, slog, trudging through the misery of existence, at least the kind of existence imagined by V:XII.

"DjÄvulsögon - Deconstructing The Bloodwolf" (lyrics courtesy of Magnus Långberg, all in Swedish so I can't really comment on them) sounds like a dark and stormy night in the wild where demons haunt the woods. Things really heat up in "Ururz" going full berserker mode with pounding industrial beatz and hellacious soundz with beastly, inhuman vocals. This track is relentless! If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. And if you yawn into the void, the "Yawning Void" will swallow you. It's a slight respite, but not from your guiding demon. WAKE THE FUCK UP with "B.A.H.F." (no idea what this stands for) as the gates of hell are thrown open for your arrival with all the pompous circumstances its denizens can muster. Meet the big guy (Satan) and tremble before his awesomeness. Or don't, and suffer the consequences, and we do mean suffer. The clinking chains of "Vánagandr" assure your submission to the superior forces of evil. No escape, no hope, no reprieve now.

For fans of the genre, this album will be everything they ever wanted, but just what IS the genre? Death Metal ?, Doom Metal ?, Dark Ambient ?, Power Electronics ? or all of them combined. Just listen yourself and you can be the judge. This first album from V:XII does manage to make its mark.