SOTHIS - De Oppresso Liber
December 5, 2008, 15 years ago
(Candlelight)
Despite its enduring popularity, symphonic black metal gets a raw deal from the unseen elite, and so when an American band make their devotion to Dimmu Borgir, Emperor and their pioneering brethren plain for all to hear, you can almost hear the backlash snapping at their heels before you’ve reached the end of the first song. Fortunately, the ignorant whining of a few friendless purists soon fades into oblivion when Sothis are in full flight. This is not significantly original and nor is it likely to add much to the subgenre’s evolution as a whole, and yet everything is so convincing and brimming with heartfelt, furrowed brow fury that it promises to sweep the open-minded listener along, amid showers of sonic gleam, percussive clatter and a thick haze of malevolent ambience. For a debut album, this is remarkably assured and mature; evidence, perhaps, that Sothis have what it takes for the long haul. Either way, songs like ‘Lunar Descent’ and ‘The Cold Disconnection’ strike the same diabolic chord that this band’s inspirations have been subsisting on for the last 15 years, and if your hunger for drama, brutality and theatrical devilry is insatiable, you won’t find many more satisfying banquets than this.
