Entry 672 - Deathspell Omega - The Furnaces of Palengiea

Style: Dissonant black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Philosophical themes

Thoughts: The instant this album starts the seasoned ear will know this is Deathspell Omega. Deathspell have an instantly recognizable guitar tone and riffing. They effortlessly combine overdrive and deep distortion inserted expertly with the melodic yet dissonant riffs. There is only one band that does this, they are Deathspell Omega.

The Furnaces of Palengiea is a bit of a return to form for the band. The previous album was short and unremarkable (outside of the excellent album title). It could have easily been considered an EP rather than a full length due to it's length. In fact the band has several EP's that are longer. Furnaces resolves all those conflicts and offers us what is the proper follow up to Paracletus.

Furnaces feels very much like a continuation of the style that was explored on Paracletus - chaos intermixed with melody and ambience. Furnaces has a sense of arrogance and reverence to it that few bands ever achieve. The way the riffs are constructed scream "we know that we are good, we know that we are one of the best bands doing this. If you think you can do better, prove it."

The music on Furnaces balances dissonance and melody on a razors edge. In one moment the band will be playing a riff that I have difficulty wrapping my head around. The next they have gone into a deeply melodic section - seemingly with no transition. That said, the band writes it's music with a deep reverence for melody. In fact I think that Furnaces may be the most melodic that the band has been in their dissonant era. 

These aren't traditional melodies per see, but they are hooks that bore their way into my head - and stay there. This is often paired with moments of the chaotic beauty. The combination will have the makings of an excellent album, but not nearly as innovative as we may have come to expect from the band.

Furnaces of Palengiea feels more like a refinement of Deathspell Omega's sound. The album feels immense and epic like the best of their works, but rather than building something new they have gone the route of the master blacksmith perfecting their art.

Written January 29th 2024