Deathspell Omega - Paracletus

By all things unholy, who is Deathspell Omega and where the hell have they been?

With each release this French black metal sect keep getting better, grows more evil, and amplifies its talented discography with relative ease. Between Aldaaron and Deathspell Omega I think France has one hell of a lock on the black metal underground these days. The latest DO release, Paracletus, is a hodge-podge of unique, haunting and majestic beauty that only careful chords could create.

The fifth studio release in a decade is a dark and distressed venture into the cape of solitude and bleak ambience. Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum from 2007 was something of a masterpiece with its swift, yet brilliantly convoluted arrangements, and my hopes were high through the long three-year wait. I was not disappointed. Some of the tracks, while unmistakably black metal, carry some post-rock and even shoegaze elements that make the album all the more viable to fans of this little up-and-coming gangway through the metal spectrum. “Dearth” has these elements throughout, right down to the clean vocal and spoken poetics. The album moves along at one solid pace, separating some tracks only by time changes and educated guesses, which is well and good if a band implements it correctly. To be honest I’ve always loved Deathspell Omega from the first time I heard them, but this real low-key meandering through dismalness is really an added selling point for me. As I said, it’s black metal at its barest subduing, but the overall aura of despair by design is what allows it to retain its luster and charm.

“Epiklesis II” is my favorite track on the album in that it sounds very much like a movie score piece without the insipidity or predictability of a Trent Reznor composition. Without sounding clichéd I simply can’t find a weak track here; the slow ones induce introspection and deep wonderment, where the faster tracks ignite the various fuses geared for the parts of my heart and brain that simmer in the mire that is black metal. For the fan of these select genres this album has everything in various presentations. “Have you Beheld the Fevers?” is an insane ebon-filled chasm of blast beat drumming and harsh, tumultuous vocals over very uneven guitar sounds and scales. If black metal is to be saved, it’s this type of music that will do it, not the face-painted dilution that permeates the scene today. Take heed, you youngsters from America that have never even seen a snowstorm let alone the cold mountainsides of Norway.

It’s really quite a fascinating journey when you’re mind is set just right to swallow whole this intricate venture into a well of black. I simply love it! To suffer within your art is wonderful if the audience you have in mind is ready to understand the pathways there. Only then can music this complex and brilliant truly be understood.

Release Date: November 8, 2010
Label: Norma Evangelium
Diaboli/SOM

TRACK LISTING

1.  Epiklesis I
2.  Wings of Predation
3.  Abscission
4.  Dearth
5.  Phosphene
6.  Epiklesis II
7.  Malconfort
8.  Have You Beheld the Fevers?
9.  Devouring Famine
10.  Apokatastasis Pantôn

Total playing time:  42:34

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

*Comments:

Reviewer: Chris

March 1, 2011