Second awakening for Ofnus.
Two years after their first release, the Naturmacht Productions outfit consisting of William Philpot (vocals, Asbjorn Daemonium de Noctis, Black Pyre, Asbjorn Perversus), James Ponsford (guitar, Blind Divide), Alyn Hunter (guitar, Agrona, Mors Vincit Omnia, Tywyllwch), Richard Rees (bass) and Ethan Rees-Spargo (drums, Black Pyre) unveil Valediction.
The Shattering immediately blows up in our faces, revealing an icy, majestic rhythm reinforced by furious vocal parts and keyboards, but also piercing aerial leads. The track remains ethereal even during its most virulent moments, with a few choirs backing up the screams to reinforce the theatrical tone that perfectly suits this powerful Black Metal that only stops to join Reflections Of Delusion. Initially much slower and more oppressive, the track eventually returns to its intoxicating melodies, then at times to its furious blast, while haunting screams accompany our progress through this desolate landscape, which is increasingly shaken by rage before giving way to Throes Of Agony, which greets us with soothing tones. But it only lasts for a moment, as the unhealthy, dissonant riffs nail us to the floor, pouring out their darkness at a very steady pace, adopting that veil of melancholy only when the track seems to slow down to accelerate one last time, leading us to Proteus, which in turn envelops us in tenebrous sonorities. The jerky rhythm makes the track rather heavy, but the harmonics and keyboards embellish it with lighter tones to feed the striking contrast that hypnotizes us throughout the eleven minutes, particularly on the impressive final before the lull that leads to Zenith Dolour. It doesn’t take long for the track to expose us to its apathetic heaviness, but also to its rather peculiar rhythm, which breaks to let violin and strange noises introduce the touches of Doom that accompany the break, but also the reprise and the final blaze that hits us before letting us drift on to the eponymous track, Valediction. At first, it feels more ferocious than the previous track, whether in terms of the livelier patterns or the marked pace, but again a wave of calm tempers its ardor before finally letting it out for a moment to curb it once more, releasing luminous, massive tones before joining the devastating Alazia. Shorter but also more ferocious than its predecessors, the track surprises us with its velocity, which eventually turns into an intoxicating, captivating haze that leads our minds into the confines of darkness before suddenly fading away.
Ofnus had no trouble convincing me with their first album, but Valediction does even better, offering us an entire universe of fascinating musical darkness. I sincerely hope that the band will soon be able to leave England to share this with us live.
95/100