Genus Ordinis Dei – Glare of Deliverance (Eclipse Records)

Thursday, 17th December 2020 By Matt Coe

Rating: 7.5/10

Deciding to craft a record almost like a ten-episode television series arc isn’t surprising to this scribe – especially when you look at how bands these days work on bold/ambitious concept albums. Italian act Genus Ordinis Dei for their third full-length Glare of Deliverance sequence a storyline of Eleanor being persecuted by the Holy Inquisition – the band incorporating symphonic death and groove metalcore overtures to convey the tumultuous, drama-filled atmosphere in a churning front to back experience. The diverse elements of bombastic orchestration/keyboards, growls/screams from the extreme edges, plus the additional narrative/sound effects make these songs bristle with intrigue, never staying stagnant in terms of blistering tempos or neglecting the need for melody in spots.

Guitarists Tommaso Monticelli and Niccolo Cadregari set up a song like “Edict” with interesting subtlety in the calmer, clean opening sequences before the crushing rhythms serve up a progressive death meets djent back and forth nature, Niccolo as a vocalist shifting between rhythmic mid-range barking / caustic screams from the grave. Many of the songs contain longer instrumental volleys, where the rhythm section has to navigate around the shapeshifting riffs, the mood of the songs can change in an instant for a more morose offering like “Examination” all the way through to a slightly more melodic and groove-driven “Abjuration” where the additional choirs and orchestration flourishes enhance the wondrous proceedings. The final track “Fire” is also the longest at 16:07, throwing in all the proverbial bells and whistles for progressive time signature maneuvers, some stunning thunderous to tranquil guitar passages against cinematic/orchestration exploits, including an interesting semi-Jaws feel around 5:40-5:57 driven to a calm, orchestral conclusion. There are times where you feel things could be tightened or shortened a pinch – as 72 minutes of material can be a bit exhausting to pour through each listening session – but the diversity will win most over for those who love genre crossing.

Fleshgod Apocalypse, Insomnium, and a bit of groove-metal a la Sybreed come to mind – along with that additional djent/metalcore curveball aspect to make Glare of Deliverance if nothing else an interesting, exciting aural adventure to partake in. Genus Ordinis Dei could be a name to look for as they develop album to album.