Style: Doom metal, blackened death metal, melodic death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Khemmis, Pallbearer, Hellripper, Insomnium
Country: Denmark
Release date: 11 September 2026

---

Mashing up metal sub-genres is a tricky endeavor since many burgeoning bands struggle even to find competency within their primary niche. The incorporation of multiple sonic styles can result in a fragmented listening experience, watering down a band’s core strength in the attempt to create a diverse and progressive release. When done well though, the melding of various metal flavors has a synergistic effect with the whole becoming greater than the sum of the individual styles. Apparently no one told the two-man Danish act Offernat to pick a primary genre and stick to it, as they blend death-doom, melodic death metal, and thrashy blackened death metal in their third LP, The Ecstasy of Death.

Within The Ecstasy of Death’s four tracks (which span nearly an hour of material), Anders Bork (guitar, bass, and vocals) and Jonas Bangstrup (drums, keys, and vocals) create an expansive soundscape with passages that continuously evolve as the duo shifts between up-tempo blazing blackened death metal and plodding death-doom. To match the sonic blend, Bork and Bangstrup deliver two distinct vocal performances, the energetic sections coupled with a high-pitched black metal shriek while the punishing doom passages are paired with a low-octave cavernous growl. With the frequent tempo and genre changes, The Ecstasy of Death flows fluidly and remains captivating throughout despite three of the album’s tracks running longer than twelve-minutes. 

Offernat infuse mournful, melodious guitar harmonies across The Ecstasy of Death. Opening track “Tears Dissolved in Light” commences with a slowly building …And Justice For All-like guitar fade-in and later incorporates mid-tempo harmonized passages dripping with melancholy. Bork wisely employs melodic lead guitar hooks to accentuate the underlying rhythm section rather than indulging in self-important solos. The seventeen-minute closing title track provides the greatest example of this, as the “The Ecstasy of Death” culminates with a beautiful, unfurling guitar line atop a slow, grinding death-doom lick. Bork gradually builds tension with an ascending lead sequence which culminates in an emotional peak with soaring string bends, giving way to a fittingly somber synthetic organ as the album’s conclusion.

While many metal bands struggle to string together memorable riffs within one genre, Bork apparently has a library full of both involuntary-headbang-inducing blackened death gallops and mammoth death-doom phrases. Importantly, neither style feels weak or forced compared to the other. Often, the transition between genres occurs so naturally the change in tempo is almost unnoticed. The later section of “The Signal’s Origin” contains a slow melody-driven guitar passage that uses tension-building synths as an effective crescendo into an speedy double bass-led hook. The addition of dreamy acoustic passages in “Tears Dissolved in Light” and “The Ecstasy of Death” provide necessary reprieves from the expansive distorted pounding while doubling down on the album’s sorrowful atmosphere

While Offernat does create a diverse and mostly cohesive set of tracks in The Ecstasy of Death, they induce whiplash by slamming on the brakes in markedly decreasing the tempo from the frenetic opener to the lumbering crawl of the album’s mid-section. The transition between vocalists from the “Tears Dissolved in Light” to “The Signal’s Origin” deepens the sharp dichotomy between the shifts in genres. Repetition does plague segments of the vocal performance, most notably during the verses of “Tears Dissolved in Light” in which phrases are repeated to the point of tedium, despite the desperate and raw vocal delivery. This redundancy in such a long track threatens stagnation, which is fortunately prevented by Offernat’s diverse compositions.

In The Ecstasy of Death, Offernat has created an unexpectedly compelling album, which should greatly appeal to those that yearn for melodically infused metal. Plenty of variety lies in wait to appeal to those that require the rabid pace of blackened death metal and those who prefer the suffocating pace of death-doom, alike. Give it a spin, and if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself unconsciously whistling Offernat’s addictive melodies throughout your day.

---

Recommended tracks: Tears Dissolved in Light, The Signal’s Origin, The Ecstasy of Death
You may also like: Hooded Menace, Ancient Death, Temple of Void, Gutvoid
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent Release

Offfernat is:
– Anders Bork (guitar, bass, and vocals)
– Jonas Bangstrup (drums, keys, and vocals)