DEATHSPELL OMEGA Paracletus CD Digipak

Deathspell Omega is a band that I am always pleasured to behold. They have a sound that is all their own and it is something that I consider truly unique. From beginning to end, this album is monumental and seems much larger than itself because of its thick atmospheric varnish.

There are very soft, slow portions that contain some of the most atmospheric black metal I have heard. These moments provoke uncomfortably, desolation and wonder simultaneously. The ambience in the background, including basic noise and screaming, creates an unnerving and eerie impression. The guitar and drums slow down and utilize peculiar structures that contribute significantly to the album's complexion. Taken together, this consistently peaks my curiosity and while the fast, chaotic and technical divisions are superb, the engulfing atmosphere of Paracletus is what really stands out and brings me back to it.

As I mentioned, there are sections filled with chaos, where the band moves away from low tempo character towards a more violent and oppressive sound. They use a variety of time signatures, an extensive mixture of sharps and flats, and many different chords. These segments are overwhelming in many regards, they are very fast and don't seem to have an easily identifiable structure, they are challenging listens. This is a very good thing, I think Deathspell Omega intended for these parts to be confusing and I also think this adds to the atmosphere of the album and plays a role in its tale.

The production on Paracletus is impeccable, every single instrument can be picked apart and are given a dynamic range, including the bass lines, which are particularly illuminated on Phosphene. This holds true for all segments of Paracletus, from the tranquil to the tumultuous, exists clarity in its production. This, of course, does not take away from the albums dissonant atmosphere, in no way is this a squeaky-clean black metal boy band- this album is still dark.

Apart from the atmosphere, another very special attribute of Paracletus is synergy. Nothing feels out of place on this album, even the ambient screeches can be placed into a bigger picture when combined with the story and the album artwork. I, for example, believe these are the screams of souls engulfed by the Paracletes. The fast and slow portions mix together and create dynamism, rather than individuality. From start to finish, there are fluid transitions between the songs, allowing the album to tell a progressing story through its music

The album artwork looks fantastic. The cover is polished and the booklet is made from a high quality material, is filled with lyrics and has two well-done illustrations. The cover depicts a hydra in fire, of whom may be Paracletus (the holy one) emerging from hell. The artwork in the booklet show illustrations of the lyrics, or perhaps just give them deeper meaning. The lyrics are philosophical in nature and there are several resources dedicated to deciphering all of them. It is for this reason I will not talk about their contents because there are people who do this much better than I could, the reddit page, for example, is surprisingly detailed. Neither a nice cover nor good lyrics to dissect are necessary in a black metal release, but they are really nice things to have and help push this album towards monolithic status. With all things said, and after many listens, I give this album a perfect score.

"When the scribe questions Angela concerning the position of the saints in heaven,
Angela experiences an ecstasy during which she sees the All Good and yet she sees nothing she can speak about.
She sees the All Good accompanied by darkness,
because it surpasses every good, and every good thus appears to be just darkness"