{"id":93916,"date":"2019-07-19T11:00:05","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T16:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/?p=93916"},"modified":"2019-07-19T10:51:09","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T15:51:09","slug":"review-dekadent-the-nemean-ordeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/review-dekadent-the-nemean-ordeal\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Dekadent – The Nemean Ordeal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you remember from your days as a mythology nerd, Heracles (Hercules in the Roman tradition) was driven mad by Hera and killed his wife and daughter. Stricken by grief, Heracles visited the oracle at Delphi to receive his penance. He was instructed to serve a king for twelve years and do whatever requested. The result is known as the Twelve Labors, one of the most metal sagas in Greek mythology. The first speed bump Heracles coasted over during the Twelve Labors was the Nemean lion. A shape-changing beast that, disguised as a woman in distress, lured unsuspecting warriors into its cave where it devoured them and gave their bones to Hades. Its claws could rend any armor; its golden fur was impenetrable. For Heracles, no problem (ignoring a minor issue with getting a finger bitten off). Heracles simply strangled it to death with his bare hands and skinned the golden pelt with the lion\u2019s own claws. Dekadent<\/strong>\u2019s fifth album,\u00a0The Nemean Ordeal<\/em>, takes its title and narrative from this episode and crafts an album worthy of its namesake.<\/p>\n

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Hailing from Slovenia\u2019s capitol city of Ljubljana,\u00a0Dekadent\u00a0<\/strong>have been tooling around the metalverse for over thirteen years and play a brand of atmospheric, melodic, deathened, doomened black metal unlike any I\u2019ve heard. Where most bands in any of these categories prefer to wade through melancholic waters, Dekadent<\/strong>\u2019s general atmosphere is uplifting and occasionally downright triumphant, mirroring the Herculean victory of its title. The general mood reveals itself immediately through the opening transition from short intro track, \u201cPaean I,\u201d into first proper song, \u201cShepard of Stars.\u201d \u201cPaean I\u201d weaves delicate synths with periodic toms and steady cymbal rides to open. As the synths dissipate, \u201cShepard of Stars\u201d blossoms with a pounding double bass fill and scaling leads, conjuring daybreak over distant mountains.\u00a0 It\u2019s an impressive moment that sets the soaring tone permeating The Nemean Ordeal\u00a0<\/em>and distinguishes it from its genre brethren.<\/p>\n

This is not to say that the album is bereft of darker moments. Indeed, Dekadent<\/strong>\u2019s deft interlacing of shadow and light through carefully structured songcraft is another reason this album stands out. For instance, \u201cSolar Covenant,\u201d the centerpiece, and longest track of the album, begins with a contemplative and dreamy melody augmented by occasional bursts of brass before descending into the depths with Bolt Thrower<\/strong>-esque riffage. Although the original melody emerges on the other side, it comes through evolved and colored by its descent.\u00a0 \u201cLevantine Betrayal\u201d adopts a similar structure but combines it with the best metered vocal work on the album, a soaring crescendo, and crashing climax. It\u2019s my favorite song on the album and a testament to the emotive highs Dekadent\u00a0<\/strong>can accomplish.<\/p>\n