De Lirium's Order - Veniversum

Review by Tentaclesworth.


The band in question today is De Lirium’s Order. Their signature brand of tech death is unparalleled. Everything about their latest offering Veniversum is tasteful and unique. The guitar playing in particular is the bands biggest draw. Right off the bat, the track ‘Autistic Savant’ smacks the listener with some of the most prolific guitar playing since Death. The note choice, phrasing and harmonies that the guitarists come up with is simultaneously catchy, melodic and very original. Now, I mention Death for good reason. Fans of Death will be familiar with Chuck Schuldiner's innovative soloing, signature harmonies and groundbreaking riffs. De Lirium’s Order guitarist Juha Kuplainen really fleshes out and expands upon Schuldiner’s style (circa Sound of Perseverance) in a way that I’m sure Chuck himself would be proud of. Essentially bridging the gap between Death and spiritual successors, Obscura. By using Death’s style as a foundation, De Lirium’s Order have created their own unique style that is instantly recognizable. A true feat considering how many parallels can be drawn between bands these days.

There are also a lot of really progressive elements about Veniversum. They manage to sneak in a lot of outliers like symphonic elements, bluesy solos, piano sections and more apparent things like the odd bout of clean singing. Every little subtlety they put into their music gives each song it’s own identity nullifying the typical ‘it’s death metal all the time and eventually it just sounds like bleh’ complaint that a lot of death metal releases suffer from.

Even if you’re turned off by the notion of death metal, I urge you to give this album a spin. Just to get a taste of the intricate and unique tones and riffs. You won’t be blown away by the vocals or drums, but it’s easy to appreciate the uniqueness of De Lirium’s Order.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]