Napalm/Sound Pollution
The need for more genres and new ground to break leads to both digestible and indigestible results. Back in the year of your choice during the days of the Roman Empire they never foresaw this! Fronted by Kataklysm front man Mauriozio Iacono EX DEO devotes yet another album to the rather unbroken territory of Epic Roman Metal. Emperor Caligula gets full focus here, and their brand of heavy metal gets a touch of the many enactments that can be seen in the Mediterranean when you go there in the summer.
What else than an opener called “Caligvla” embellished with pomp in every possible way of that age meeting with modern recording technique and layers of choirs could open up this album? But the next track, “The Tiberius Cliff (Exile to Capri)”seems very elaborate, gloomy and has a great melody, but the voice seems a bit unfit or out of context. The band hovers around death light to heavy metal, and they use many great melodies as well as added choirs. I´d say that most of the songs are quite unexpected, or new to heavy metal as such, but is it what the audience need? Apart from the aforementioned “The Tiberius Cliff (Exile to Capri)” only the keyboard augmented “Along the Appalachian Way” and the tell-tale melodic pomp of “Once We Were Romans” are eyebrow-raisers. The drum sound is quite boring and I feel that there is a lot of melodic potential here that is not ued to the band´s advantage. The death/metal Roman hordes will not last anywhere near the Empire they were inspired by unless they develop more potential to overcome potential dangers to breaking new metal ground.
Track List
Caligvla
The Tiberius Cliff (Exile to Capri)
Per Occulus Aquila
Divide et Impera
Politice Verso (Damnatio ad Bestia)
Burned to Serve as Nocturnal Light (Bonus Track)
Teutoburgh (Ambush of Varus)
Along the Appian Way
Once We Were Romans
The Temple of Castor and Pollux
www.napalmrecords.com www.myspace.com/exdeo
