Five doom/death songs comprising sixty minutes of music is a risky proposition that lives and dies by one thing: riffs. If you’re going to write songs that average out to twelve minutes in length, the riffs contained within had better be interesting, dynamic, and, of course, crushing. Germany’s Ophis, comprised of members from various German metal bands including the excellent Thranenkind, Sakramortem, and Faulnis, present us with an hour of metal in the form of five doom/death songs on Abhorrence in Opulence, their third full-length album and follow-up to 2010’s solid Withered Shades. This raises an obvious question: did Ophis write both the riffs and songs necessary to make repeated spins of Abhorrence in Opulence worthwhile?
The answer, thankfully, is yes. Ophis’ M.O. doesn’t sound too impressive on paper (play crushing riffs with some melodic riffs, speed up a bit sometimes), but it sounds damn good on wax due to the performers’ instrumental prowess and compositional skills. There’s a lot going on and much to digest in each of the five songs presented here, but Ophis avoids making long songs feel drawn out or the numerous transitions in each feel ill-conceived or forced. Abhorrence in Opulence brings together the suffocating brutality of Ataraxie and Evoken, with the melodic melancholy of My Dying Bride and early Anathema, and they do both with confidence, producing impressive results. “Resurrectum,” the last and best track on the album, not only brings together the above elements flawlessly, but also manages to incorporate a great midsection riff straight out of Asphyx’s early years and a blasting end that brings vintage Incantation to mind. “Among the Falling Stones” is another standout, featuring a small string section that pushes the guitars to the background and is ridiculously effective at setting a beautiful, somber, contemplative mood; a welcome diversion from the doom/death maelstrom.
Abhorrence In Opulence
Tracklist:
01 – Disquisition of the Burning
02 – Among the Falling Stones
03 – A Waltz Perverse
04 – Somnolent Despondency
05 – Resurrectum
Genre: Doom
Subgenre: Death
Bitrate: 320 k
Size: 139.13 MB
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