Back in 2015, I ordered a Solium Fatalis CD from Canada’s Galy Records, as part of the order, I was granted a free bonus CD. I chose Ordoxe’s May Death Be My Shepard as a completely arbitrary, blind selection. As it turns out, I really enjoyed the band’s super melodic take on Scandinavian black metal, so I was pretty exited when these guys announced another album, and I picked it up late last year from Galy, but HPGD Productions picked up the rights for a full US release.

Featuring members of Slaotvean, Horfixion, Strigampire, the band has been off and off again since 1989, and started as a straight up heavy metal band. And  that influence shows years later despite the shift to more Dark Funeral, Marduk, Dissection-ish tones, as the tremolo picked reliant, black metal delivery has a rock catchiness and melody that’s a predictable, but  enjoyable, memorable listen.

The hawkish vocals of Jean-François Jalbert keep things firmly black and the slicing, seething riffs are frosty and razor sharp with a Cradle of Filth like vibe to them sans the theatrics, and even with the usual black metal tropes, the whole effort come across as rather cordial for a black metal release.

The opening duo of “We Are Eternal” and “The Auspicious One” are a pretty good barometer of the band’s current, rigid consistency, mixing raging, tremolo blasts and slower, somber marches. Later tracks like “Trepas II”, “Soyez Illumines” and “The Essence of Life” are also standouts in the albums later stages, again delivering shrill, consistent riffs, albeit a little too long.

These guys may look like a bunch of AOR/prog metal dads, but they brings the goods on the two albums I have heard up until now, and absolutely delivers a satisfying take on the style that I will continue to check out as long as they keep releasing albums of this quality.

[Visit the band's website]

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