My favorite part about discovering bands is seeing who has potential to become something big and who is going to fade into obscurity. The latter is the most common, obviously, because there’s only so many metal bands that strike it “big.” There’s a photo somewhere where it says Finland has the most metal bands per 100 people or something like that, yet how many Finnish bands can you name? Only the strong survive, and seeing that grow from a band’s first few releases is truly amazing. I was lucky enough to see that happen with Ghost and Nails as Opus Eponymous and Unsilent Death were being released, and I’m hopefully seeing it again right now.
Ophidian Spell is a French progressive death metal band from Stasbourg, France, who have just released their debut album, entitled Nux / Hêmera. France has slowly been churning out notable bands in recent years, with death metal titans Gojira being the first to come to mind, also including blackgaze pioneers Alcest and metalcore outfit Betraying the Martyrs as well. Essentially, there seems to be a metal scene thriving in France, and it’s generally great to hear that said scene isn’t producing the cookie-cutter brand of metal. Ophidian Spell are well versed in their influences and their instruments, but most importantly they have clear and dedicated ambitions set before them if Nux / Hêmera is a clear indication of where they are going.
Obvious right away is how Ophidian Spell make their influences clear, yet they are not attempting to rip any of them off. The vocals conjure a similarity to Ihsahn of Emperor fame, while the keyboards range between Amorphis and early Abigail Williams influences, all the while throwing in several unique and adventurous ideas and niches for good measure. Ophidian Spell may remind one of other, larger bands, but thankfully they never end up trying to capitalize on what makes those bands work, which is clear on the album’s opening track “Revenge.” Much ground gets covered in about four and a half minutes of heaviness, and generally starts things off on a good note.
That said, it’s the second half of the album where I feel this band really comes into their own and shows just what they’re capable of. Accompanied by occasional female vocals, the album takes full advantage of the “progressive” elements in their music before putting the “death metal” aspects into play. “Lake Manzala” ends up being the album’s highest point, featuring plenty of dynamics, a memorable chorus, and setting up a strong ending to the album. “Mental Universe” goes into an industrial-esque bridge before carrying the album out, which had the potential to come across as cheesy or even trendy by US-metal standards, but manages to avoid that trope and make it work in the context of the song.
While the songs are well constructed and the individual musicians are all notable, the production is where the album becomes hit-or-miss. Ultimately, what I’ve discovered is that a good guitar tone needs a bass to back it up for that extra impact. Maybe it’s the bass player in me, but if the bass were louder and more audible in the mix, certain moments on the album would hit harder and the sound would be just a bit more full. It’s not entirely inaudible, but combining that sound with that made by two guitars would have given a much beefier impression during select moments throughout.
Said potential for the band isn’t squandered by a production problem, fortunately. A good portion of the album showed that Ophidian Spell is capable of writing varied songs, each one having it s style while still feeling united within Nux / Hêmera. As said earlier, it’s great to see the potential in some bands, and even with a rewarding first album it’s great to see just how much Ophidian Spell may be able to accomplish. Songs don’t break the seven minutes mark, but Ophidian Spell play the “no bullshit” card that many bands in their genre seem to be unable to employ. With that, going forward and based on what is being done on Nux / Hêmera, it wouldn’t surprise me to see longer, more epic songs in future releases that really dive headfirst into the progressive side of the band, as well as anything generally creative this band may be able to conjure.
At its conclusion, Nux / Hêmera is a solid debut that creates a professional image for the band. The later half of the album displays some fine moments of brilliance and songs never go on longer than they need to, which is a welcome change of pace from bands trying to drag their songs out. Despite some production issues this album is definitely worth the time and effort the band clearly put into it. Here’s to hoping we hear from Ophidian Spell again in the future, as this is a band that clearly has the ability to build off of the foundations that they’re currently laying.
Nux / Hêmera is available now through iTunes, Spotify, and other streaming means. You can listen to “Revenge” below. All live photos used here can be viewed with the rest of them at ZircomPhoto.com
