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Another podcast episode, another death metal band to muse about. Reflecting on the year to date, it’s staggering how many bands of this strain have unfurled new material, and yet more is to release in 2021’s remaining two months. Phrenelith, 200 Stab Wounds, Archspire, and Worm (granted, their album just released, but it is ace), give us plenty to look forward to as the daylight decays in the northern hemisphere. However, of all the death metal albums we’ve yammered about this year thus far, none compelled us to cobble together some rambles quicker than Ophidian I’s Desolate. I think it took the two of us, at most, fifteen seconds of the album’s opening track “Diamonds” to compel us to prepare this word salad for you.
Ophidian I was founded back in 2010. Within a year of their formation, they dropped a three-track demo followed by their debut album, Solvet Saeclum, in 2012. Then the project mostly fell silent. According to an interview with Echoes and Dust, members of Ophidian I journeyed on to other projects, but after a handful of years, some of them regrouped to revitalize the band. And instead of picking back up where they left matters off, they decided to reinvigorate every fiber of the project’s being. The result: a tech-death marvel that is as blistering in its speed and ferocity as it is exhilarating in its melodies and sharp arrangements.
We knew we were going to struggle in dissecting Desolate, as so much kinetic energy is bottled within every track, but nonetheless, we made it through. Thank you so much for tuning in, and we sincerely hope you enjoy our exchange.
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You can acquire a physical or digital copy of Desolate via Ophidian I’s Bandcamp page. You can follow the quintet on Facebook and Instagram to stay tuned in on new developments from them.
If you’d like to support us beyond listening to our podcast, you can do so by becoming a patron on our Patreon page where you can read all of the notes we typed in preparation for album reviews and gain early access to upcoming episodes before their official release. If Patreon isn’t your jam, we recently set up an FCU Venmo account (@From-Corners-Unknown) and a Ko-Fi account in case you want to support us via other channels.
Next week, we’ll be dropping another episode. This time around, however, the episode will be in a new format we’re going to adhere to going forward. Expect more albums, more recommendations, and a deluge of banter. Thank you for your continued support.
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