Ophis - Spew Forth Odium (2021)Release ID: 32046
I originally became aware of Ophis via their 2010 album Withered Shades, but found it to be nothing special and promptly put the band out of my mind until hearing a track from Spew Forth Odium (Default Empty) on the Academy Fallen playlist for December (many thanks, Ben) and, in truth, I couldn't even believe it was the same band. This is right up my street as far as death doom goes, being crushingly heavy and filthy sounding, but having melodic enough riffs to make each track remain long in the memory. A lot of the album, but especially opening track Default Empty, sound a lot like classic era My Dying Bride, but with all the gothic pretensions stripped away. There is a desperation and yearning permeating the album that you can feel in the depths of your soul, as perfectly expressed during the melancholic, but majestic, Of Stygian Descent. Other tracks have a more aggressive stance with some powerful death metal riffing, Conflagration Eternal, for example, kicks off like something from early Incantation before slowing to a more deliberate pace as Philipp Kruppa's gurgling growl intones the futility and hopelessness of existence. This is exactly how I want my death doom to sound, morose but defiant!
Spew Forth Odium sounds fantastic and it is a fact that it is no longer necessary for death doom to have muddied production values in order to sound menacingly melancholic. It is a constant source of wonder to me how some bands can still sound so bereft of hope and filled with futility whilst remaining crystal clear, as is the case with Ophis' latest. The bass rumbles along, underpinning all and shaking the foundations like a seismic warning tremor, as Ole Fink's drums batter away, every cymbal crash or double bass kick heard in perfect clarity.
Ultimately this is an album you have to surrender yourself up to and immerse yourself in, allowing the thick riffs to grab hold and drag you deep into it's cloying heart and if you do and are any kind of fan of death doom, then I seriously doubt you will feel short-changed by Spew Forth Odium.
On early listenings I had this pegged as a solid 4/5, but it keeps calling me back (when I should be clearing up my end of year lists!) and every time it does I get even deeper into it, to the point where I can't in all conscience give it anything less than five stars. What's more, I've now got it sitting as my Album of the Year, in a year which I feel has had some excellent releases, so that should tell you exactly how highly I rate it.
