The bandits of Outlaw are back.
Two and a half years after their last tour, D. (guitar/vocals/bass, Imperium Infernale, Nahasheol) and T. (drums/keyboards, Spell of Torment, Ondfødt, Void of Hope) are ready to unveil Opus Mortis, their fourth album.
The band kicks off with Jelle (Deathless Void, Destructo, Dödsrit) on vocals for Blaze of Dissolution, a furious yet melodic opening track that immediately highlights the band’s icy and majestic roots. I am immediately captivated by the wave that slows down to pause before offering a martial pace and heading straight into Through the Infinite Darkness, which quickly reconnects with the initial rage while combining occult touches. The uninterrupted flow is tinged with a few mysterious keyboards that perfectly accompany the tremolo picking and devastating drums, but the song eventually intensifies before giving way to The Crimson Rose, where the rhythm allows us a moment of respite before igniting even more fiercely. Jelle returns to contribute vocals, creating an identifiable and striking duet, but one that gives way to an excellent, more haunting instrumental passage where the lead guitar expresses itself freely before returning to its cruising speed to join A Million Midnights. The song remains in this soaring but aggressive atmosphere, welcoming Lucas Veles (Blasphemaniac) on lead guitar to reinforce the already transcendent tones of the composition, nuanced once again by a few enigmatic sounds in the background, then it’s Georgios (Destructo, Dödsrit) on lead vocals and Yan Violador (Blasphemaniac) on lyrics, the band ups the ante with Those Who Breathe Fire, the next track. We can clearly feel that the atmosphere has darkened, reinforcing the heaviest passages, but also giving substance to ethereal tones without weakening the powerful rhythmic base that rages constantly and leads us to A Subtle Intimation, where the musicians give us time to catch our breath before restarting the machine between melancholy and lively pace, calling on Lucas U. (Isfet) to write their striking screamed lyrics, which D. recites with conviction. The musicians pause briefly, then let the torrent resume its course towards its final moments, which inevitably lead to Ruins of Existence, the last composition, which quickly returns to a more raw approach to black metal, more jerky but still icy beneath the screams, before ending with a few piano notes.
Outlaw‘s previous album impressed me, and this one is at least as good, offering as much aggression as mastery and coldness. Opus Mortis becomes more and more intense with each listen, and is promised an excellent future within the scene.
95/100
