Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones album review
Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones album review
Deathspell Omega (Poitiers, France)
Genre: Avant-Garde Black metal
Album: The Synarchy of Molten Bones
Release date: Date: November 8th, 2016
Record Label: Norma Evangelium Diaboli
Deathspell Omega is definitely one of the most influental bands of our time. Even though they kept their identity hidden like The Residents, but those who are sick and tired of doing things the traditional way are quite familiar with the face of their music. Even though they are far from being popular, they are the ones who pull the strings in the metal underground. After 4 years of Drought, the band has released an album The Synarchy of Molten Bones which by all means fulfills all the standards Deathspell Omega had set in the past and brings freshness to our ears with elements that could not be heard on their previous records. Of course, their music formula is continuation and improvement of the album Si Monvmentum Reqvires, Circvmspice which means that they stick to the path that they created more than 10 years ago.
The Synarchy of Molten Bones starts with eerie sounding trumpets. Intro riff and pick screeching will play with your senses. For a moment, the listeners might think that this album would be as melodic as Drought, which is terribly wrong. Once the Pandora’s Box is opened, and the chaos embodied in the guitar riffs is let loose, you’ll soon realise that this record is not a copy of its predecessor. All of a sudden, the serpentine riff evolves into something that pretty much resembles Joy Division. But nothing is too repetitive and long-lasting regarding Deathspell Omega. Radical shifts and tempo changes are common in their music. Occasionally you can also hear the traditional sounding black metal riffs. What’s most surprising with this release is the fact that Hasjarl delivers a lot of buzzy sounding patterns, played on the 6th string. The riff on 4:52 is probably one of the highlights of this album. Haunting female voice and hypnotic chord progression followed by brain freezing riffs that close the song are simply astonishing.
Famished for Breath is a more straight forward song, with chords that ring like a nail to the head. And the vocalist just vomits his soul through the mic. Brutality and noisy chaos that envelope this song are suddenly interrupted by a dark sounding bass line topped by a mesmerising chord progression. And then, a Drought-like moment occures – melodic, innocent totentanz riff followed by brutal drumming. This bridge that connects the two exact opposite elements brings a whole new level to this tune.
As soon you hear the next song (which is the longest) on the record, Onward where Most with Ravin may I Meet you’ll notice a dominant bass line –so profound, that it even reminds me of the good old Yes. These bass parts shed new light to Deathspell Omega sound. Destructive riffs and hellish vocals are the closest you can get to a Black Hole without getting sucked in. Of course, tempo shifts in this 10 minute long masterpiece are inevitable and quite an essential part of the band. You may find yourself lost in the labyrinth of sounds that this song offers. The music itself is so complex that you will notice something that you’ve missed with every new listening. And yeah, the ending of this song vividly reminds of their song from Paracletus album, Apokatasis Panton.
One of the trickiest, the most twisted and weirdest riffs I’ve heard for a while is the opening riff of the last song on the record, Internectine Iatrogenesis. This is probably the most in-your-face pure black metal track you can hear on the record. The album itself is opened and closed by Ennio Morriconesque trumpets that would make the Wall of Jericho tremble and crack in half. Deathspell Omega’s latest release is like a minute longer than Slayer’s Reign in Blood and it also shows how the metal music has evolved between the period of 1986-2016. The fact that this album offers less than a half an hour of music is the only „bad“ thing I can say about The Synarchy of the Molten Bones. And yes, the band should give more space to their bass player. JUSTICE FOR BASS! We need more bass!
Rating: 10
