Review: Ophidian I – Desolate

Style: Technical Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Review by: Dan
Country: Iceland
Release date: 16 July, 2021

Iceland is a barren, volcanically active, largely frozen island country full of small, stocky horses, lamb stew, and lichen. Its output typically includes wool, fish, tourism, and Björk. Ophidian I is none of those things. Even as far as Icelandic metal goes – which tends to be on the blacker, bleaker, more atmospheric end of the spectrum – Ophidian I is breaking the mold.

What you’ll find on Desolate is an absolutely jaw-dropping shredfest of insane lead playing, creative songwriting, and songs that just revel in the joy of their virtuosity. Arguably drawing more inspiration from chaotic eruptions than from glacial winters, this album offers a bit more energy, and a lighter tone than many of their extreme metal countrymates, but still hits hard when it needs to. Though clearly nodding towards Obscura, Gorod, and other legendary tech-death acts, this five-piece has nonetheless managed to craft something fresh and memorable.

Not since Obscura‘s mighty Cosmogenesis has a technical death metal song – in the purest adherence to the genre – managed to get a riff stuck in my head. Enter Desolate opener “Diamonds.” Quickly setting the album’s tone, the blistering kicks belie the bounciness of the riff’s main melody which, to be fair, only pokes its head out between sweeps and noodles. This makes the full scope of the riff infuriating to digest, yet simultaneously irresistible. For me, the most noteworthy riffs that maintain their intrigue even after a dozen listens are those like this: a perfect balance between complexity and hook. The song continues to tease this primary theme with absolutely stellar composition, never growing stale, nor leaving it too far behind. Indeed, the rest of the album follows suit.

The second track, “Spiral to Oblivion” has the band channeling their inner Gorod, and the album closer “Wither on the Vine” feels surprisingly akin to A Novelist’s Folie. Ordinarily, I’d be a bit disappointed by an album where I can point to each track’s primary influence, but on an album like this, it’s hard to be disappointed at all. These songs are so full of life and fire and passion, basking in their own glory for the sheer love of playing music.

It’s easy to pass off music this indulgent as, well, indulgent. You often hear the phrase “technicality for technicality’s sake” used to describe wankery of a similar tempo, but I have to admit, such criticism rings hollow here, despite probably being true. This is undeniably technical. More technical than it probably has any right to be. The flurries of notes whizz by so quickly one can hardly comprehend the spectacular onslaught, but somehow these guys turn this absolute blur into some of the most enjoyable melodiousness I’ve heard in a long time. It’s not 100% shred for every second though – the ten tracks are also filled with hooks and surprises, notable and well-written slower or heavier moments that provide a welcome respite from the deluge of technicality, skillfully giving the listener something real to grasp.

Besides the obvious guitar wizardry, the bass also holds its own. Though not nearly as present in the mix nor as noodly as, say Hugo Doyon-Karout’s almost overwhelming fretless performance on Equipoise‘s Demiurgus, moments like the ending of “Storm Aglow” make clear that bassist Þórður Hermannsson is doing far more than just ‘keeping up.’ The bass is impressively agile, with a bright and punchy tone. This intricate style of playing lets the bass survive in the relentlessly sweltering tempos of Desolate, but I think also keeps it from providing a really thick, powerful low end in the mix. The vocals, while lacking a bit of clarity in their production choices, leave plenty of breathing space for the strings to flourish while providing some familiarity and grounding to the songs. The drums are practically inhuman, with drummer Ragnar Sverrisson playing clean and consistent at tempos reminiscent of Spencer Prewitt’s mind-blowing performance on Archspire‘s Relentless Mutation, mixed with a bit of Ulcerate‘s Jamie Saint Merat’s flair.

The album isn’t without flaw, however, as a subpar editing job ends up distracting a bit from the songs. Lead guitar tracks enter abruptly and leave just as suddenly. Tones change on a dime, as if overdubs were afterthoughts and all the song’s tone settings had already been lost. Tracks enter and drop to build tension and create contrast, but it all serves to make the recording feel a bit less organic, and a little more mechanical and contrived. The production and mix, generally, is quite good, but the choppy editing (which, I’ll admit, is much more noticeable in headphones than on speakers) holds Desolate back from perfection.

Minor gripe aside, this is hands-down the most impressive tech-death album to come out in quite a long time. The musicianship is stupendous, the compositions are thoughtful and creative, with a good balance between showy shredding and tangible hooks, and the palatable 38 minute runtime zooms by in the blink of an eye – always a sign of a good album. If you want one album to be wowed by from in 2021, this is the one album you should listen to. BRB, gotta go pick my jaw up from the floor.

Recommended tracks: Diamonds, Storm Aglow, Sequential Descent, Jupiter, Wither on the Vine
Recommended for fans of: Equipoise, Gorod, Obscura, Augury, Ominous Ruin, Decrepit Birth, Spawn of Possession
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Season of Mist – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

Ophidian I is:
– Ragnar Sverrisson (drums)
– Daníel Máni Konráðsson (guitar)
– Simon Thorolfsson (guitar)
– Þórður Hermannsson (bass)
– John Olgeirsson (vocals)