DEITUS – Irreversible
Release Date: 14th July 2023
Label: Candlelight Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Atmospheric, Blackened Doom.
FFO: Mayhem, Dissection, GG Allin, 1914, Slayer.
Review By: Rick Farley
Formed in 2004 in York, (UK) black metallers Deitus are returning with their third full length album Irreversible on Candlelight Records. Known for their notorious, blood soaked, violent live performances that’s spanned the globe from their home in the UK to the US, Europe, and Mexico. Deitus are a no frills, no nonsense black metal three-piece that’s put a little danger and unpredictability back in the genres live setting. After releasing two highly acclaimed albums, 2016’s Acta Non Verba and 2018’s Via Dolorosa, the band hopes to return to being masters of their craft while also introducing a more diverse and unique sound this time around. Irreversible was engineered by Greg Chandler at Priority Recording Studios, with mixing and mastering handled by Tore Stjerna at Necromorbus Studios.
Truth be told, Irreversible is a record that I won’t revisit much after this review. It manages to blend modern and classic black metal fairly well with twisting and turning riffs, hostile percussion, and raspy growling, but the albums unevenness and overreach of other genres just do not completely gel together fluidly. As stated by the band, it was intended to be a more diverse record. For me, though, it tries to go in too many different directions but never seems to actually meet up anywhere. It creates a flow that gets moving and then totally derails itself on the next song. The biggest example of this is Voyeur, which does a bang up job of mimicking a darker, more sinister version of Lacuna Coil. Which normally wouldn’t be a bad thing, however the doomy track featuring guest vocals from Toni Coe-Brooker sounds completely out of place compared to the rest of the album. It’s not a bad song by any means, it just feels like a different band. Another example of this is As Long as they Fear. A decent song in its own right, but has a verse riff and vocal pattern that’s basically “In my Darkest hour” by Megadeth. Once I realized this, I could not get it out of my head. With this song being the album closer, it left me with an incomplete ending feeling.
Over the course of the albums six songs and thirty-nine minutes, there are some astounding examples of blissful occult themed darkness. Thrashy, jagged riffs that could cut your flesh mixed with relentless blasting from a Scar for Serenity is fiercely aggressive and searing. It gives off traditional metal vibes here and there melody wise, mixed in with its blackened thrashiness that will force your devil horns upward. The straightforward, roaring chaos of Straight for your Throat sounds like it was written in the deepest depths of hell. A bloodthirsty, unrelenting pace that just continuously bashes you into the abyss. Slayer-esque solos over bestial war metal style riffs is a nasty combination that makes my grim heart flutter with content. When you advertise yourself as this type of black metal, this is what you come to expect.
As a whole, though, Irreversible fails to impress. There absolutely is well constructed songs, technically proficient musicianship, and aggressive black metal with a more modern production, but the sum of its parts ends up being enjoyable enough for the most part, but seriously lacking in the replayability department. I can see their regular fanbase being potentially torn by parts of this.
(3 / 5)
