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GENUS ORDINIS DEI Release New Concept Album The Land East Of Eden Featuring Former KAMELOT Vocalist ROY KHAN

https://bravewords.com/news/genus-ordinis-dei-release-new-concept-album-the-land-east-of-eden-featuring-former-kamelot-vocalist-roy-khan/

#GENUSORDINISDEI #KAMELOT #ReleaseNewConceptAlbumTheLandEastOfEdenFeaturingFormer #Vocalist #deathmetal #album #newrelease #EP #announcement #BraveWords #metal #music

Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire Review

By Kenstrosity

Italian gothic metal/groove/hard rock outfit Lacuna Coil occupy a special place in my metallic upbringing. Comalies, the band’s third album—and their breakout release—was the very first CD I bought with my own money. It remains a staple in my rotation to this day, thanks to hypnotic blends of dour atmosphere and poppy hooks sharp enough to pierce the gray matter permanently. This disparate combination is what put Lacuna Coil on the map as a common gateway for new metal fans. It also serves as a nostalgic portal for established metalheads like myself, who to this day kneel in reverence at the altar of those groups who lowered us, ever so lovingly, into the hellish arms of the underground and the extreme.

Lacuna Coil’s history, unlike some other bands of significance, is fraught with inconsistency packaged into three distinct eras. The first, a moody, doom-laden run that introduced the group to the world, culminating in the legendary Comalies. With Karmacode, Lacuna Coil modernized their approach, pulling inspiration from trendy metal tropes of the mid-2000s mainstream and dispensed with their half-doom half-goth personality (check the Korn-y bass tone on Karmacode and the hard rock attitude of Dark Adrenaline). This persisted for the next eight years, all the way through the darker, but shaky misfire Broken Crown Halo. A resurgence and return to form shortly thereafter manifested Lacuna Coil’s current shape on Delirium. Fresh and energetic, Lacuna Coil’s latest sound maximized its impact with the awesome Black Anima, striking a compelling balance between the groove-laden swagger of their mid-period and the genuine gothic heft of their origins. Earnest beyond expectation, Black Anima set a new standard for Lacuna Coil and deeply informs their upcoming tenth1 record, Sleepless Empire.

Throughout all of this tumultuous history, the shining beacon leading the way to success was Cristina Scabbia and her venomous, unmistakable siren song. Hemorrhaging power and charisma, Scabbia elevates everything, and that remains true here. To listen to the anomalous “I Wish You Were Dead” threatens to derail the entire experience, as the song itself recalls the bulk of their largely unloved (outside of the mainstream) radio-rock mid-period—but Scabbia’s spine-twisting snarl inevitably twists my conflicted mind towards the positive. Elsewhere, stronger cuts “Oxygen,” “Scarecrow,” “Sleepless Empire,” and “Sleep Paralysis” more faithfully reproduce the fiery swing and sticky pull of Delirium’s and Black Anima’s material, once again showcasing Scabbia’s brilliant placement and diverse range. These cuts make great use of Andrea Ferro’s vicious screams, highly reminiscent of Lamb of God‘s Randy Blythe (who himself features on the decent, but not quite excellent, “Hosting the Shadow”), as well. In fact, Ferro—for perhaps the first time in the band’s history—acquits himself with aplomb on Sleepless Empire. By completely abandoning his much-maligned rough-hewn cleans in favor of an extra heavy dose of throat-shredding roars, Ferro finally answers a decades-long call for a necessary shift even die-hard Lacuna Coil fans demanded. To see it finally executed instills a blazing fire of vindication and a soothing wave of relief.

Meanwhile, longtime keyboardist Marco Coti Zelati takes over for Diego “DD” Cavallotti on guitars on top of his synth duties, resulting in a bit of a mixed bag on the instrumental front. “DD” earned his stripes by injecting Lacuna Coil’s Black Anima material with everything it needed to resonate with skeptics and fans alike, who both longed for more impactful guitar work from these Italians (see “Reckless,” “Veneficium,” and “Under the Surface”). Zelati does everything in his talented fingers to recreate the same results in his voice but falls short. Many of Sleepless Empire’s riffs and motifs lack punch (“In Nomine Patris”), engage in stale, chugging repetition (“The Siege,” “Sleepless Empire,” “Never Dawn”), or pull too heavily from Lacuna Coil’s past without doing enough to train them up for duty today (“Gravity,” “In the Mean Time”). Thankfully, the rhythm section makes up some of the slack, with former Genus Ordinis Dei drummer Richard Meiz taking the skins in his confident hands just as he did on Black Anima. As a final note, Sleepless Empire’s production is a notable step down. Inexplicably muddy and loud at the same time, it crushes everything to paper-thin flatness, save for the way-up-front vocals.

At the end of the day, I can’t say I’m disappointed with Sleepless Empire. There was little chance of it eclipsing Lacuna Coil’s landmark records. However, if my instincts are correct about how Lacuna Coil evolves—and I believe that they are—I suspect we’re simply witnessing the dying breaths of their current sound. Unfortunately, Sleepless Empire isn’t the explosive send-off it should’ve been to once more careen Lacuna Coil headfirst into new territory. Yet, I find myself charmed even still, such that I remain fascinated by what their future might hold.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 256 kb/s mp3
Label: Century Media Records
Websites: lacunacoil.it | facebook.com/lacunacoil
Releases Worldwide: February 14th, 2025

#25 #2025 #CenturyMediaRecords #Feb25 #GenusOrdinisDei #GothicMetal #GrooveMetal #HardRock #ItalianMetal #Korn #LacunaCoil #LambOfGod #Review #Reviews #SleeplessEmpire

Genus Ordinis Dei (metal) drop new music video w/ Xandria’s Ambre Vourvahis

Italian Symphonic Death Metal pioneers Genus Ordinis Dei are back with a new music video for their recent single entitled "Eternal Cycle" which features the captivating Ambre Vourvahis of Xandria on guest vocals. This is for the accompanying single, which was

https://www.moshville.co.uk/video/2025/01/genus-ordinis-dei-metal-drop-new-music-video-w-xandrias-ambre-vourvahis/

#Videos #GenusOrdinisDei #Xandria

Genus Ordinis Dei premiere video for new single "Three Kings"

https://metalnerd.net/genus-ordinis-dei-premiere-video-for-new-single-three-kings/

#GenusOrdinisDei #metal #deathmetal

El Cuervo’s and GardensTale’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023

By El Cuervo

El Cuervo

This list represents business as usual in Casa Cuervo. Four albums by bands that have previously hit my Album o’ the Year list. Four albums more-or-less fall into my preferred progressive death metal sub-genre. And one 80s-worshiping retrowave release. Only the very top and very bottom of my list feature acts outside my bailiwick.

You might think this would result in a year that I rate highly for musical releases. Sadly the opposite is true. I found it surprisingly easy to narrow down my list and surprisingly difficult to pick a real number one—both because there too few outstanding options to choose from. It says a lot that I reviewed two of my top three albums but I ‘only’ awarded these a 4.0. I admire all that’s been achieved by the entrants here but I can’t help but feel a little disappointed as we reach the end of 2023. Granted, my 2022 list was topped by two records that would be multi-year winners so the comparison was rough.

And yet, hope springs eternal. While it’s unlikely that 2024 will boast a list fitting so comfortably in my wheelhouse, I remain optimistic for a year full of new musical discoveries. Between now and then, enjoy the holiday season!

#10. Grails // Anches en Maat – Anches en Maat was my favorite music of the year to disconnect from reality and lose myself in a weird and wonderful world. There’s little left from the comparatively direct instrumental rock of early Grails, but their cinematic spectacle makes their recent music all the more intriguing. This one can loosely be bundled into post-rock but its range of influences, from blues to electronica to ambient to TV soundtracks, establishes a sound you won’t hear anywhere else. High-octane, minute-to-minute, and bursting with energy it isn’t. But what you will find is something endlessly evocative and endlessly repeatable in its lilting, laid-back spirit. I’m not a big post-rock nerd but I find everything released by Grails utterly engrossing.

#9. Svalbard // The Weight of the Mask – Svalbard have become more expressive and more creative as their career has progressed. While still firmly rooted in post-hardcore, The Weight of the Mask toys with musical boundaries more than ever. It features more of everything that has previously been a part of the Svalbard sound; from post-metal to post-rock to black metal. But it’s not the musical compositions that make these Brits so good. The emotive weight of their music makes each listen a passion-fuelled journey and I find myself returning for the feels it invokes above anything else. I’m not sure if I like Weight of the Mask more than When I Die, Will I Get Better? But, for those on the fence, it’s at least as good.

#8. Lunar Chamber // Shambhallic Vibrations – Few records from 2023 seemed as custom-built for this Cuervo as Shambhallic Vibrations by Lunar Chamber. Progressive? Check. Death metal? Check. Short run-time? Check. Incredible dynamism? Check. Buddhism?1 Check. Shambhallic Vibrations forges a new path through progressive death metal, leaning heavily on contemplative synths, impressive technicality, and doomy passages, all of which counter-balance the pace and ferocity of its core deathly style. Though shockingly varied for a release just running for 30 minutes, the release is unfailingly cohesive. From the breathy interludes to the brutal blasting, Lunar Chamber harmonizes their sounds into a satisfying whole. It isn’t a prerequisite for progressive albums to run for an hour or more. Shambhallic Vibrations does so much more with so much less.

#7. fromjoy // fromjoy – If you want to hear the coolest thing released in 2023, look no further than the self-titled EP by Houston’s fromjoy. It bottles insanity; conjures madness; flips the musical table. They do this with a fusion of various types of -core (grind, math, break) but streak this with winding, vaporwave synths. If this sounds like an unholy aberration, it is. But this aberration delights and energizes in equal measure. I’ve extracted more joy this year from these 26 minutes than full albums over twice that length. Almost every one of these ten tracks has a unique quirk; from wretched grind to stomping breakdowns to dancing trip-hop to smooth saxophones. fromjoy is a testament to pure creative energy and doing a lot with a little.

#6. Ulthar // Anthronomicon – Though it forms one side of a coin completed by its sister album Helionomicon, it was Anthronomicon that impressed me most of the concurrent release by pan-US collective Ulthar. What strikes me most are the compelling contradictions that Ulthar creates. Anthronomicon’s music is crushingly heavy yet repeatably memorable, while the instrumentation is oppressively other-worldly yet somehow human-performed. Blackened death metal cannot count itself among metal’s most penetrable sub-genres, but something about these warped arrangements hooks me. Ulthar might make strange, atmospheric music but Anthronomicon’s laser focus on outstanding riffs leaves a release I haven’t stopped spinning in nearly a year. It’s one of 2023’s most challenging but most rewarding listens.

#5. Tomb Mold // The Enduring Spirit – Why, after a run of critically acclaimed old-school death metal albums, is The Enduring Spirit the first Tomb Mold record to touch my AotY list? In short, because its music is far more inventive now. Switching out a cavernous aesthetic and unrelenting pace for tidier production and grandiose solos, The Enduring Spirit scratches that prog-death itch better than any other release from 2023. Though Tomb Mold has always been smarter-than-you-first-realize, this record represents a significant leap forward and feels like the next era of the band. Above all, it harmonizes Tomb Mold’s savage roots with newer, cerebral tendencies. While the immaculate transitions go some way to achieving this, the spacious soundstage and perfect instrumental tones ensure the release hangs together to my great satisfaction.

#4. Shadowrunner // Ocean of Time – Rebirth and Oblivion – For the first time, the Ocean of Time duo made me want to dislike a Shadowrunner release. Making the listener buy the same four songs twice in order to access the unique eight ruffled my feathers. But the music here is just so damn captivating that I can’t help but love the two sides nonetheless. Rebirth is as effortless and enchanting as any retrowave act from the last decade, while Oblivion is pure nostalgia bait. Warm synths, driving rhythms, smooth saxophones, and pleasant vocals; all are present and correct. Shameless pleasure and rose-tinted spectacles compel me to consistently choose something synthy for my AotY list and Shadowrunner made the best synth music of 2023. Do not sleep on one of the best acts in the scene.

#3. Sylosis // A Sign of Things to Come – I couldn’t be happier at my rediscovery of Sylosis since 2020’s Cycle of Suffering, and A Sign of Things to Come returns to deliver the goods once again. Despite the flack I took for describing Sylosis as how modern thrash should sound, I stand by that comment. 1986 already exists so go fucking listen to that again if you like. What this album will give you instead is music that fuses thrashy, melodic, technical, and hardcore influences into 10 super-charged tunes. They will fill you with rage, then re-energize you to exorcize that rage. For raw riff-craft, no other record was the match of this one. A sign of more things to come in the future? I fucking hope so.

#2. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – Only one other record this year feels as complete as Of Golden Verse. It is a consummate album, expressing its music and thoughts in the exact amount of time it requires. Despite its poignance and emotive qualities, it feels incredibly precise; a work created by masters of their trade. Even with 4 tracks approaching or exceeding 7 minutes, there’s nary a wasted second. That’s a tough feat indeed in the world of prog, and Sermon exemplifies all that is great in the genre. Their undulating songwriting style results in music that ebbs from steely, tense atmospheres and flows to passionate, cathartic explosions. Dramatic, sure; maybe even melodramatic. But exciting and varied as Sermon dabbles in progressive, alternative, and doom metal. Of Golden Verse represents a huge step forward from their debut.

#1. Hasard // Malivore – Though Malivore wasn’t a clear winner, its complete singularity pushes it above everything else in 2023. Hasard paints stark, abstract images in shades of black; it’s an impenetrable, challenging release, obscuring its immense qualities behind oppressive heaviness and bewildering arrangements. Through the record’s black metal crust hides an accomplished orchestral core that’s just as disturbing—in some ways, more so—as its metal aspects. Purposefully deconstructing the screeching guitars, arhythmic drumming, ominous synths, and erratic counter-melodies delivers the year’s most thought-provoking music. Passively wallowing delivers the year’s most thought-crushing music. While it may not be the most enjoyable record of the year, it is certainly the most striking. No other 2023 record affected me like Malivore.

Honorable Mentions

• Myrkur // Spine – Spine is just as sonically varied—arguably inconsistent—as any Myrkur release2 but this time it’s all high quality. From the poppy chorus on “Like Humans,” to the blast beats on “Valkyriernes Sang,” to the gentle folk on “Menneskebarn,” I’m emotionally invested throughout.
• Ahab // The Coral Tombs – Ahab is an indomitable force of doom metal, and The Coral Tombs didn’t miss a step after eight years away. Judicious variety and grand arrangements ensure that this is the best doom of 2023.
• Ne Obliviscaris // Exul – Balancing poignant string sections with crunchy death and black metal, NeO remains a stellar progressive metal band. Exul proves that even a NeO producing their weakest album is better than most others.

Songs o’ the Year

GardensTale

In previous years, I wrote at least one paragraph about how the year went for me. But for the last 3 years, those have been pretty depressing, so I’m just going to skip that. Let’s talk about the good stuff instead. It’s strange to think that black metal is one of the last genres I seriously got into, around 5 years ago or so. Beforehand, I always thought all black metal was akin to lo-fi second-wave shit that sounds like someone sucked up a marble with the vacuum cleaner. Years before, Belgian unknowns Axamenta3 laid some groundwork to prove my misconception wrong, and Mistur hammered it home. Now the conversion is complete, thanks to a year that’s been absolutely stuffed with quality black metal. I could have made a very respectable list of only black metal records, HMs included. But I still like other genres, too, so it was inevitable a couple of other-minded rascals snuck in for color. At least Doom_et_Al won’t hate my list as much as usual. Probably.

I gotta add though, whilst I’ve heard a lot of praise for this year in metal, I still feel like I am missing a true winner. The order of my top 6 or so feels entirely arbitrary, and I’m not sure an extra month of listening would bring the necessary clarity. I’ve had plenty to love (my shortlist reached 10 albums by March or so, partially thanks to an unusually strong January) but the only albums I have been truly ecstatic about are discoveries that were released before the pandemic and barely metal-adjacent4 But so it goes! Every year is so different, in both life and music. I already had a sneak peek of a likely lister for next year, so I know we’ll be off to a good start in that regard.

I must thank my colleagues and editors for putting up with my slacking ass.5 You are a good bunch and half the reason I’m still pouring my heart and soul into this site. The other half is the free promos. And what’s an end-of-year projectile vomit of thank yous and love yous without addressing the readers? If you’re still here and didn’t just skip through to the list, you have my thanks. If you did skip to the list, you still have my thanks, you just won’t know about it. Even those of you who just check the winners and move on. You are still part of the weird and lovely conglomeration of readers we’ve developed, so thank you as well. And I must give a shout-out to the Discord folks. Though I don’t pop in too often, you’ve made it a lovely and welcoming server, and uncommonly well-behaved! Now, who’s ready for the other half of the worst takes in AMG?

#ish. Xoth // Exogalactic – Xoth is back and thus back in my list, because Xoth remains every bit the cool as hell bunch of motherfuckers it’s always been. It’s a little bit more technical and a little bit less memorable compared to its predecessor, missing a “Mountain Machines” level riff, but I still have a really hard time sitting still in my chair when Exogalactic is playing. Too much bouncy fun and sick solos!

#10. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – I listened to an absolute ton of melodic death metal in my early metal years. I still have a soft spot for the genre, but it also needs to do something different to stand out for me these days. Fires in the Distance fully meets that criterium. The stern, strident tone, doom-adjacent pacing, and tasteful piano make Air an album of aching beauty. I’m reminded in part of Eternal Tears of Sorrow, but far more mature and with great emotional depth. The only reason it didn’t place higher is that it doesn’t keep me coming back somehow, and these lists are nothing if not places to go with my gut.

#9. Leiþa // Reue – Speaking of my gut, Reue was the first full-blown punch it received this year. It amuses me when people claim that all black metal screams sound the same because though the lyrics are as incomprehensible as ever, I feel every ounce of the bottomless pain and despair Noise conjures here. But on top of the throat-ripping gurgles of depression are some very sophisticated melodies and good use of dynamics between quiet passages and all-out raging desperation. Most one-man bands struggle to make one worthwhile project, meanwhile, this guy has Leiþa, Non Est Deus, and Kanonenfieber on his resume. I’d call it unfair if I didn’t love it so much.

#8. Megaton Sword // Might & Power – Traditional metal doesn’t often show up on my year-end list. Maybe Megaton Sword wouldn’t have either, although I do love me a batch of idiosyncratic vocals. But a medical situation in the family made the first half of the year an especially stressful affair, and Might & Power with its simple sense of fun was my main musical comfort in that time. But there’s more to it than that. So many strong melodies with few frills. So many fist-pumping horseback-riding sword-raising shield-carrying moments of triumph and awe. And all tied together by that uncommon voice, acerbically spraying dark heroism over the battlefield. The worst of the family situation is well behind us, but Might & Power still won’t leave my regular rotation.

#7. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – Is it unfair to say Xoth got out-Xoth’ed this year? It’s the obvious point of comparison, between the many-faceted vocals, high technical ability, tongue-in-cheek insanity, twisting multi-part riffs, and snaking bass. But if Xoth is the oblique unknowable architecture of cosmic horror, Carnosus is the fleshy depravity of body horror. It theatrically revels in its filth and cackles as the audience turns green around the cheeks. Most of the death metal highlights this year have been of the cavernous or slamarific variety, neither of which does much for me, but Carnosus has been an absolute delight that’s kept up my good cheers.

#6. Walg // III – The vast majority of my music recommendations originate here, but once in a blue moon, my partner will send me a link to something that popped up in her random music feeds and I just get blown away. That’s how I found this independent duo from Groningen, the Netherlands, who, without any black metal experience, started shitting out annual albums in the middle of the pandemic and manage to outdo most of their peers in the process. III is a furious album, with blast beats and histrionic screeching out the wazoo, but is tempered by a bevy of great melodic riffs and the occasional gothic chant. Because the lyrics are in Dutch, which really is not a good language for this kind of horrific imagery, there’s something endearing to the band as well. The combination makes for a very interesting, dark yet catchy experience and one I can well recommend.

#5. Wayfarer // American Gothic – Wayfarer was always one of those bands I kept hearing about and kept not hearing. No particular reason, either; I resolved to listen to them several times and it just didn’t happen. Then I finally heard them, by seeing them live at Roadburn. It was definitely a highlight of the festival, aside from an interlude that was far too long and not nearly interesting enough. Thankfully, American Gothic is more balanced, a perfectly tuned album that calls forth the man in black stalking the prairie on horseback. It’s an album redolent in atmosphere without forgoing a good hook, one that can carry tension on a single banjo string. In short, it has lived up to the hype and then some.

#4. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – Pure prog metal often gets a reputation for being wussy and weenie. Sermon does it differently. What attracts me to this album the most is the sense of threat. Sermon looms a great dark ominous wall that swallows the background and casts everything in shade. For an album to hold its breath even while beating you down takes some exquisite songwriting, and Of Golden Verse is jam-packed with it. Closer “Departure” really opens the floodgates, too, for a satisfying and bombastic finale.

#3. VAK // The Islands – I called The Islands one of the flat-out coolest albums of the year and I stand by it. If anything, my appreciation for VAK’s latest has only grown since then. When you’ve listened to a million albums, the ones that really stand out and stick with you are the ones with the strongest personality. If you’d send me an unlabeled song that didn’t make the cut on The Islands I would recognize it as VAK immediately, guaranteed. While so much sludge tries and fails to get under my skin with a hammer, VAK succeeds by taking a shortcut as it pries off my fingernails with a rusty screwdriver. It’s deliciously uncomfortable and I love it.

#2. The Circle // Of Awakening – This was surely the most heinous underrating of the year. The opener alone should earn the band its 4.0, a perfectly tuned piece of proggy black/death. One thing that strikes me is how good The Circle is at finding the right dosages. Every time it feels like one thing has run its course, something replaces or enhances it, from the versatile vocals to the use of symphonics and from blast beats to breathing room. I’ve revisited this one a lot since the summer, and for a while, I thought it was gonna top my list…

#1. Night Crowned // Tales – …until Night Crowned bum-rushed the stage. Whereas many of my listening habits this year have been decidedly un-brutal, in the metal sphere I have found myself drawn to the combination of melodic and intense music, particularly in the second half of the year. Tales is an exemplary album in this regard. The intense blasting and no-holds-barred shrieking always hold a melodic thread that makes it more than a wall of noise, whether it be from extra vocal layers, subtly interweaved symphonics, or a goddamn hurdy-gurdy that works way better than it should. The track where the latter features most prominently, “She Comes at Night,” is what drew me in, but every track has its own face; its deviations make it stand out from the others, like the clean vocals on melodic mid-pacer “Loviatar” or the Dimmu influence on the grandiose closer “Old Tales.” While I would not rank it as highly as the winners of previous years, you owe it to yourself to grab Tales if you haven’t already.

Honorable Mentions

• Aetherian // At Storm’s Edge – Contrary to my point with VAK, this album doesn’t do much particularly new but it’s the embodiment of Finnish style epic melodeath done really, really well.
• Somnuri // Desiderium – Who knew Mastodon-style sludge could be improved with grunge?
• Mutoid Man // Mutants – Wild, reckless fun with more depth than a first glance betrays.
• Genus Ordinis Dei // The Beginning – Narrative albums aren’t easy, but Genus Ordinis Dei has that shit in the bag. Easy to listen to, easy to love, and feels like a complete, well-rounded movie in the guise of an epic metal album.
• Laster // Andermans Mijne – It’s deeply strange and gets at all the bits of my brain that have been gathering dust for years, but I can’t deny its continuous pull.

Disappointment o’ the Year

This is the first paragraph I’m writing this year because it’s the easiest. I always used to like Soen. With Lotus, I even loved them. Imperial was a clear step-down, branching out in the wrong directions, but it was still enjoyable in its own right, just not approaching list material. They put on some good live shows this year, too. But Memorial goes off the deep end like Thelma & Louise. The remaining semblances of progressive rock and metal are gone, replaced by refried alternative rock. Even Joel Ekelöf sounds downright bad, his buttery smooth croon awkwardly squished into a grungy mold that doesn’t suit him. It’s like the band members collectively decided to challenge themselves by trying to make an album without doing any of the things they’re actually good at. The experiment failed, boys.

Song o’ the Year

Last year I discovered Norwegian artsy prog rock outfit Major Parkinson and fell deeply in love with their quirky, bombastic, gloomy aesthetic and thoughtful, varied songwriting. Not long into this year, I found out that enigmatic vocalist Jon Ivar Kollbotn had suffered a massive heart attack in the middle of a concert in October. Though he managed to finish the set, he flatlined backstage. By some miracle, police officers happened to be just outside the building and they managed to restart Kollbotn’s ticker. When he was sufficiently recovered, the band re-wrote and recorded an old live track named “Take the Prescription” to commemorate his survival. The result is as addictive as prescription drugs, an upbeat and offbeat artful piece of prog-pop with an infectious whistled tune, beautiful smooth bass usage, and the band’s signature dark undertone. Kollbotn sounds as coarse and moody as ever, and new permanent member Peri Winkle offers an outside perspective to the frontman’s near-death experience. And even if the track hadn’t been one of the sweetest things I’ve heard this year, it’d still be my favorite track of 2023. If only because he was still around to record it.

#2023 #Aetherian #Ahab #BlogPosts #Carnosus #ElCuervoSAndGardensTaleSTopTenIshOf2023 #FiresInTheDistance #fromjoy #GenusOrdinisDei #Grails #Hasard #Laster #Leitha #Lists #Listurnalia #LunarChamber #MegatonSword #MutoidMan #Myrkur #NeObliviscaris #NightCrowned #Sermon #Shadowrunner #Soen #Somnuri #Svalbard #Sylosis #TheCircle #TombMold #Ulthar #VAK #Walg #Wayfarer #Xoth

Genus Ordinis Dei – The Beginning Review

By GardensTale

One can’t credibly accuse Genus Ordinis Dei of a lack of ambition. Predecessor Glare of Deliverance used bombastic symphonic death metal to weave a tale of religious prosecution and witchcraft. The entire storyline was accompanied by a series of self-produced music videos. A big project, but the album itself was undercut by bloat and failed to impress me as much as 2017’s Great Olden Dynasty had done. Now, as the year draws to a close, the Biblical story-weavers bring us The Beginning, another religion-themed concept album accompanied by videos, but with only 4 videos and a pared-down running time, I felt hopeful the Italians would not be making the same mistake twice.

And I’m happy that this hope wasn’t for naught. Genus Ordinis Dei continues its musical evolution, the peculiar blend of genres now including everything from symphonic death metal to deathcore to gothic metal to folk to progressive to groove metal. The main ingredient remains symphonic death, especially the compact, catchy kind espoused by Septicflesh, especially audible on “The Divine Order” and “The Dragon and the Sword.” But “Changing Star” and “Genesis” add layered clean vocals that hearken more toward Borknagar and sound like they should be chanted through the abandoned wilderness. A Gojira style of riff pops up on opener “Aeternus” and the more syncopation-heavy battle-ready “Blackstone,” the latter a particularly strong track with many tight turns and some top-class drumming from Nicola Pedrali. It’s easy enough to keep listing bands; what makes The Beginning a resounding success is its ability to glue such a wide array of moods and influences together into a coherent yet versatile album.

Genus Ordinis Dei uses a host of tools that ensure the album’s continuing unity. The concept is but one aspect of this, though it is a compelling one. Leaving the Bible behind for a much older setting, the album explores the concept of prehistoric tribal religions and what happens when people leave one such tribe. Sketched with plenty of caveman hoo-hah chants, hand drumming and marching rhythms, the band manages to portray the story with more than just lyrics. But that does not mean the vocals are anything to sneeze at, their extensive stylistic range remaining a core fixture in G.O.D.’s arsenal. The narrative would not be nearly as compelling without a vocalist whose talents encompass both technique and storytelling. “For A New God” is a prime example of this. The emotional climax of the album, its structure is fairly simple, but the pain in Niccolò Cadrigari’s coarse screams is evident long before it dissolves into sobs by the song’s end. It’s melodramatic, certainly, often over the threshold of cheesy. But damn if it’s not done so well to be deeply compelling anyway.

Despite still nearing a full hour, The Beginning feels much less bloated than Glare of Deliverance. For one, there is no 16-minute track, only one crossing 7 minutes. For two, it’s a far more multifaceted affair, the majority of songs possessing their own face and identity. A few aspects could be tightened still; for instance, the largely instrumental “Shaman” doesn’t add much value to the album, and opener “Aeternus” wallows in its outro a bit too long. But overall it feels like a remarkably brisk album for its heft. The only real demerit I can levy is the production, which needs more breathing room. Though the DR5 (with most songs hitting DR4) looks worse than it sounds, in part thanks to a solid mix, the orchestral arrangements and drums would benefit a ton from more available depth in the master.

It’s a lone blemish on one of the finest symphonic albums of the year and the pinnacle of Genus Ordinis Dei’s discography so far. December is known to be the pit where shitty albums are buried to not embarrass the labels while blogs and magazines are busy with their top 10s, but The Beginning bucks the trend and delivers front to back. I’ve seen plenty of bands lay claim to a cinematic experience that don’t live up to the hype, while G.O.D. has made this its modus operandi without breaking a sweat, composing an absorbing soundtrack to a narrative of its own invention. When sizing up the year-end candidates, don’t skip this excellent bombastic tale of converted cavemen.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Eclipse Records
Websites: genusordinisdei.com | facebook.com/genusordinisdei
Releases Worldwide: December 8th, 2023

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