Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice

After releasing two very much old school BM releases, the legendary French band Deathspell Omega decided to change things up a bit (even though past interviews state anyone meddling with the BM sound should be killed.) The result was SMRC, an avant-garde release if you will. It’s very much hailed by those who have heard it. I’m part of a small majority that thinks this album is indeed flawed. While not particularly bad, I find it to be hollow and empty.

The album opens up with one of three “prayers.” These prayers are essentially interludes and aren’t songs per se, but they go beyond a simple break between songs. Each one develops itself as it goes on and has its own vibe. I have to say these three prayers are actually my favorite part of the album. Each one is actually quite powerful, though all very simple. These prayers divide the album up into sections. Each section includes three songs including the prayer, with the 4th section beginning with Carnal Malefactor.

While it’s evident that DSO put a lot of effort into this release, the music itself is lacking. The riffs are what I find so…blank. Yes they’re original and out of the ordinary, but I fail to find anything within them. DSO utilized a lot of riffs on the higher end of their fretboards throughout the album, a lot of them trying to evoke a very powerful or emotional feeling, with Carnal Malefactor being the most obvious example (as well as the most effective.) These riffs are thrown in with lower-ended, “heavier” riffs. I must say that this doesn’t work well at ALL. The songs that came out the best are the ones that stick to one side or the other, like Jubilate Deo. It’s confusing as to which DSO wants to be assaulting you or placing you in a state of awe, because you’re thrown from each side of that spectrum way too often. Even when you’re not, the riffs just don’t evoke anything a lot of the time other than sounding kind of cool or interesting. The drumming is varied to an extent and can be very good, but most of the time is blasting its way behind the riffs. The vocals are pretty high in the mix and there sure are a lot of them. They sometimes take the focus off the music itself because of their sheer presence. But they’re quite good, and it’s clear that DSO take their metaphysical Satanist beliefs very seriously. The lyrics are very good and eerie in that it’s almost unclear as to which DSO are singing about god or satan. Examples of this are in the song titles, like Jubilate Deo (O Be Joyful In The Lord) and Blessed Are The Dead Which Dye In The Lord. Obviously these are about Satan, but it’s the manner in which they talk about him which can be very eerie.

The album is not without its moments. As I said, the prayers are all great. Jubilate Deo is a great, powerful song. Carnal Malefactor is also very good. While it starts out rather cheesy it gets very good. There are a couple of great riffs and the chants in the middle are beautiful. The closer Malign Paradigm is kind of cool too. But overall the riffs are kind of useless. They’re all very original and well thought-out, but they lack substance. I think this album is all flash in a way. It all SOUNDS cool and evil, but a lot of the riffs, upon examination, really aren’t. There’s no depth. I’m sure there’s an absurd amount of people who disagree with me, and I truly do see why this album is so praised, but I think it’s a album that with a closer look is very lacking at its uttermost core.