Review by Stephen Pedicino
You’ve heard of concept albums, but how about concept side projects? It seems that Canadian big-leaguers, Kataklysm, have grown tired of lyrics dealing with hockey and mullets and have branched out into the ancient historical side of metal. Every member of Ex Deo, with the exception of the keyboardist, is from Kataklysm. Alas, should we expect an album similar to Kataklysm? Perhaps, but in the end we receive something totally different…..
Ok, considerably different
You ready to hear some Canucks play Roman METAL? Don’t worry; it’s not as bad as it sounds.
The title track is mid-tempo death metal in the vein of Amon Amarth. With faint symphonic undertones, “Romulus” gives you the dark aura of ancient Rome with potent energy. Raise thy swords and shields! “Storm the Gates of Alesia” is an epically sinister track augmented by a guest vocal performance from Nergal of Behemoth. Suited for an overture to battle, it will pump your adrenaline high enough to make you devour power bars while watching Gladiator in high-def. Well, at least it did for me…Keyboards and programmed sounds comprise a good portion of the song. The guitars and drums are solid, but don’t offer enough ingenuity on their own to really embellish the track.
“Cry For Havoc” continues to push the envelope. The rhythm section is sharper and more prominent while still accompanied by faint symphonic keyboards. The middle break crushes and will get your head banging just like those ancient plebeians were famous for. The lyrics deal with the rise of Caesar (on a concept album about Rome, I’m not surprised). You’ll be treated to a minute-long soliloquy that….well, fills space. Kataklysm have been known to use samples from movies, a penchant that seems to have translated over into Ex Deo. I can guarantee that you won’t hear anything from “Twilight” though. “Invictus” is a killer track. It’s groovy, epic, and guaranteed to get you chanting the chorus many times over.
The production is slightly rough but suits the music fine. The guitars have that familiar edgy distortion that pervades the sound of Kataklysm, and Maurizio Iacono heaves an impressive array of screams and growls as he has in the past. The thick texture of his vocals fit the Romanesque nature of the album excellently. The core of Romulus is death metal, but without the frantic harshness of Kataklysm. The ridiculous hyperblasts and speed of Max Duhamel are nowhere to be heard, as the general tempo of the music is reduced.
However, you may find the second half of the album slightly heavier than the first. Tracks like “The Final War (Battle of Actium)” and “Cruor Nostri Abbas” move the attention towards guitar rhythm and force. The album evolves in a way but consistently adheres to the genre at hand, which I appreciate.
The instrumentation isn’t anything flamboyant. You may get a few scarce solos, but the song structures are rather basic. This allows the symphonic elements their rightful space to blossom, most of which are low-pitched horns or ethereal choir noises (nothing overly cheesy like Rhapsody of Fire). I will therefore recommend Romulus to both the death and symphonic metal crowd. It doesn’t exactly bridge the chasm between the two, but it should be a good listen for any Roman historian and open-minded metalhead. Most of the songs are well done, albeit nothing earth-shattering.
“The Pantheon (Jupiter’s Reign)” theatrically closes the album with an inspiring orchestral resonance. Guttural shouts and chants paint the image of Roman legions, as the final sound clip on the album speaks “All empires are built in blood.” Very true…just look at Oprah!
Ex Deo is a novel side project that I wouldn’t mind hearing more from in the future. The concept it unique, and there is still a gargantuan amount of Roman history and mythology to be worked with. With increased rhythmic aggression and creativity, I can see Ex Deo taking symphonic, Romanesque death metal to even greater heights!
HAIL CAESAR!!!!