With 2011’s monumental release of “Paracletus”, the latest part in French avant-garde metal band Deathspell Omega’s metaphysical album series of God and Satan, the group firmly cemented their position in the annals of progressive black metal. Now they seek to do it again.
“Drought”, released in June this year, serves to begin something new. But it also extends the previous work done by the band on “Paracletus”, building upon a lyrical and conceptual basis of both soul-scorching sound and majestic, echoing vocals. The black metal sound is all there, but there is also something new. Experimental progression comes naturally to Deathspell Omega. Throughout “Drought”, we see tracks that evolve and change with flowing soundscapes, which are projected through howled lyrics and deafening chords.
Deathspell Omega is not a band for casual listeners of metal; they frequently fall under scrutiny for their peculiarities and unique sound. They don’t have an official website, nor do they publicly list their members. Their lyrics are mostly French, English and Latin, and deal with theological topics, including comparisons of Christianity and Satanism on a metaphysical level.
Comparisons to the Deathspell sound are hard to make, as the band is very progressive. Each track features a rapidly or slowly changing wave of noise. During a casual listen, one may think they have listened to a multitude of tracks, when it is actually a single track that progresses through noise, choir and chaos in short order.
On “Drought”, much like 2007’s “Fas – Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum”, the band varies their musical output between order and chaos. The 20-minute album opens with the slow and brooding “Salowe Vision”, given in short doses of building guitars and short acoustic riffs. However, this soon builds more and more, as we come closer to the more melodical climax and launch into “Fiery Serpents”. The vocals are instant and searingly harsh-growled, with distorted English syllables. If one is able to make out any words, they can be said to be more akin to poetry than tradtional lyrics. Here, the lyrics of “Drought” tell a story of desperation and emptiness, both physically and theologically. “Fiery Serpents” changes its composition several times, before giving way to a brief reprieve of silence.
From here, we launch into “Scorpions & Drought”, which is more of the same sound and style that we hear in “Fiery Serpents”, with a bit of experimentation thrown in. Soon after, the last growled vocal echoes out in empty space, and we come to “Sand”, a slower and grungier metal track with more melody and less speed. However, this is not always a good thing, and the track serves as a low point to the album; a low tempo does not go well with low sounds.
After the barely listenable “Sand”, we come to “Abrasive Swirling Murk”, an evocative track that builds upon what was started in “Fiery Serpents” and “Scorpions & Drought” with a bit more thrash. “Abrasive Swirling Murk” leads quite epically through a soundscape of echoing chords and suspended vocals, which sound almost like a well-produced ripoff of Ukrainian folk black metal band Nokturnal Mortum’s album “The Voice of Steel”. The song lends itself an epic atmosphere, reminiscient of Paracletus’s “Phosphene”. When it ends, we are left wanting even more.
And more we get. “The Crackled Book of Life” ends the album with a full four minutes of melodically progressive metal riffs and choir movements.We are left with a sense of austere majesty and terrible awe after the final shrieked note grinds across the speakers.
“Drought” may not be perfect, as evidenced by “Sand”, but it comes close to, and perhaps even surpasses, the essence of works like “Paracletus” and “Fas”. For those interested in the darker sides of experimental and progressive metal, Deathspell Omega serves as a good initiation into the mysteries of noisome chaos.
