Article by Lance Viggiano.

Deathspell Omega return with another uninspired and uninspiring record entitled The Synarchy of Molten Bones. Their last record, Paracletus, was built on a foundation of Voivod-lite chords executed with the alt metal sensibilities of The Dillinger Escape Plan. In an effort to build ambience, additional guitar tracks would attempt to produce a microtonal effect without actual production of microtones; just more dissonance. These techniques were then deployed over pop-leaning melodies which become pronounced should one decide to hum the otherwise atonal morass.

This new record sees the band return to the intensity of their watershed title Fas- Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum which at least was black metal in a non-narrative but aesthetic sense. Unlike that record and its successor, The Synarchy of Molten Bones offers no pretension of an emotional lattice to the chaos of both melody and structure here. Devoid of distinct or memorable melodies, even during the intelligible slower sections which merely sound like Earth at double the pace, the music proceeds from section to section in short order enabled by blistering but uninteresting EZdrummer patterns. Vocals are multi-tracked to compensate for worn chords and subdued in the mix; follow the inane rambling lyrics without meter or meaning.

The record begins and ends with brief, obligatory and ambience that neither sets tone nor provides resolution after the fact. The music bursts forth without proper acceleration and collapses suddenly without exhausting its moment. The whole is a half hour flash in the pan which begs the question as to its purpose existing. The least that could be said about preceding efforts was that they attempt grandeur and climax despite how utterly empty the music ended up being. There are no such theatrics on The Synarchy of Molten Bones as it maintains an even but random dialectic between extreme and moderate.

The absence of thematic development or variation such as it leads to narration via internal development of character or spirit would be forgivable if at the least the unchanging center or subject of the work were experiencing significant external events as a form of somatic suffering as was the Satan character of the Fas album. Deathspell Omega are a deleterious artistic failure here as elsewhere save for perhaps the album artwork of which they themselves have never been responsible. At this point the only thing to look forward to with the prospect of a new release is a fairly interesting mythological painting. The musical content therein remains highly underwhelming and an utter betray to the subjects it attempts to address.

Tags: 2016, deathspell omega, EP, france, metalcore, modern metal, post-hardcore, review, the synarchy of molten bones, wanking