Known for being an illustrious, atmospherically gifted part of the ever-climbing sophistication of second wave black metal per a romanticist orchestral muse Sandefjord, Norway-based black metal artist LIMBONIC ART return for a ninth full-length album in continuation of their second life, a solo act with an entirely different approach, sound and focus. You will not find fan service which harkens back to their best-remembered “symphonic” wiles on ‘Opus Daemoniacal‘ but rather a personally declarative and somewhat ambitious guitar driven black metal record which carries the chaotic spiraling dread and malevolent command of mid-to-late 90’s craft but finds its own elaboration into the present day. Rather than regress for the sake of others here ser Daemon aspires toward his own standard and statement, a cyclone of malice and sinister affirmation seemingly unwilling to slop in the usual trappings of “brand” driven nostalgia.

Limbonic Art formed circa 1993 by way of Vidar “Daemon” Jensen and four others, most of whom had left the band by the end of the year, leaving the duo of Daemon and Morfeus as the heads of command for the next nine years. Traditionally when one references the band’s early work, usually in describing the early sound of symphonic black metal, they are referring to a primarily keyboard driven experience which’d never emphasized its guitar work as much as their most common comparisons, Odium‘s sole LP and Emperor‘s ‘Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk‘ and well, they -were- on Samoth‘s label for the duration of their first life after all. In truth their debut (‘Moon in the Scorpio‘, 1996) and its “reigned in” follow up ‘In Abhorrence Dementia‘ (1997) were both patient, artful productions full of operatic dramatism and darkly glowing tones to the point that they’d set a standard for black metal cinema distinct from any direct Norwegian comparison at the time. Today if we were ballparking that early sound it’d make more sense to point to a band like, maybe Summoning for a comparison due to their high fantasy mood and orchestrally minded vision, tangentially speaking of course.

During the ten year run of the band from 1993-2003 there were plenty of other groups exploring keyboards in similar ways but that didn’t mean they’d ever found a match in terms of composition. Many would become even more popular soon after, but these folks had one of the earliest, most accomplished (and prolific) showings in this style. If there is an underrated masterpiece in their discography for my own taste it is the old-made-new wiles of ‘Epitome of Illusions‘ (1998) not only for its surreal expansion of the sound of ‘In Abhorrence Dementia‘ but for its memorable (for me, as a teenager) lyrics and imagery. Folks who’d grown up in the United States and experienced popular metal magazine coverage of black metal at the time of its boon will recall very little of it being kind to or particularly interested in the sub-genre prior to 1997 but once this type of band broke through in smaller ways it certainly stood out. The mostly implied depth and magickal artes qualities of Limbonic Art made discovery an exciting thing at the time, though they were one of many by then. Eventually their high fantasy keyboards would give way to increasingly electro and industrial rock influenced sounds and stagnating production values before the band called it quits in 2003, citing a job well done. Their final album from that era, ‘The Ultimate Death Worship‘ (2002) was insightful on some level, still had a vision at least, but it was easily the worst thing ever released under their name.

When people talk about Limbonic Art today they are more than likely carrying nostalgia for one of their first three or four full-lengths and rarely the mostly Daemon-lead vision of the band beyond their reformation three years later in 2006. Of course this is not always true but in terms of reissues, nostalgia, and the cyclic return of 90’s black metal traits as popular trends often makes reference to or counts the early works of this band as either influential or exemplar. The main reason for this is solo compositions from Daemon‘s sensibilities are more traditional when it comes to meter, specifically drum programming, with fewer breaks in pacing and simpler overall performances conveyed beyond faster-thrashing black metal guitar work. Said guitar work overtakes the keyboards as the main driver of speed and intrigue on ‘Legacy of Evil‘ (2007), the only post-split album to feature the core duo, would crystallize a brief suspension in the middle of past and (then) present. A few years later as a solo act via Daemon ‘Phantasmagoria‘ (2010) would attempt something simultaneously more melodic and yet entirely straightforward as a guitar driven black metal album exploring slower pacing and (eventually) slightly more chaotic atmosphere when their most recent album released in 2017. If there is any realistic precedent to be considered for ‘Opus Daemoniacal‘ today it is that this ninth album is more related to where they were at seven years ago but, I’d suggest that it is at least a slightly different approach.

Though I suggested up front that Limbonic Art return without intending to present new music which panders to their past and imitates it there is some conscious attempt on ‘Opus Daemoniacal‘ to capture the thick atmosphere and cinema of their classics, though they’ve done so with guitar and vocal layers rather than keyboards. In fact I’m not sure you’ll hear a single chime of a keyboard or piano on this record but instead the focus is general upon the leadership of the riff and the cadence further implied by the vocals. The pleasure of this layered experience becomes much more obvious when the far more tuneful second half of the album realizes but up front we are fed a chaotic wall of slow burning atmospheric guitar work via “Ad Astra et Abyssos” which does ultimately reveal itself as a tuneful strand as its statement reads mostly consonant beyond its fourth minute. Layers of choral hum, snarling lead vocals, and tension building dual rhythm guitar riffs all have the storming menace of olden Norwegian black metal but with the signature patiently set build of this composer’s hand where he rarely, practically never interrupts the flow of his thought. This virtue means we are set upon ‘Opus Daemoniacal‘ in the rush of the waves, pushed along but never capsized by its droning thrusts.

If we can pull back in time and recall the outsider-looking-in conversations about black metal back in the mid-90’s the emphasis in journalism was the invocation of evil via the riff, implying malice and sinister mysteries through guitar work which dignified the second wave in many fans ears. Norwegian black metal was certainly gifted at this once the death metal muscle memory had eased and I hear some of that muse and memory in the landscape that “Deify thy Master” paints. Of course this is perhaps the least interesting song on the album for the sake of how straightforward and droning it is ’til some orcish group-grunted vocals help make an event of things but the impact of this song is perhaps plain and typical ’til they begin to switch things up in the last third. Considering how memorable the rest of the album eventually becomes I wasn’t sure why Side A of this album begins in such a dryly traditional mode other than invoking their own version of a Norwegian black metal statement or two.

To take command of thyself. — To be frank ‘Opus Daemoniacal‘ doesn’t really burst from its skin and grip the throat with conviction until we are met with the dark hand of “Vir Triumphalis”, an upward struck guitar forward song which grants us more immediate addressal. Again serving us a mid-song transitional moment there is a nauseated declarative sensation which builds here and eventually breaks into one of the better riffs on the album ~3:34 minutes into the song. The inarguably most memorable song on the album and for my own taste the peak of its profundity arrives with “I Am Your Demon”, pointing us in the direction of their mastery more squarely. This accessibly stated and very “heavy metal” set of statements from Daemon deepens the sense of defiance and singularity black metal should inherently reach for when intending its most classic state. Of course the impact of this piece is best served in context of its surroundings as it serves both delirium and memorable riff in one grand run-on statement, building in its focus as the song pushes toward its final minute. Per my own experience this was the song and the moment that’d take me away from thoughts on what Limbonic Art were in the past and enjoying what they were doing in the present, it’d unlocked the charm of this record rather than their reputation past.

From there I believe the listener has enough of a Rosetta stone built up in their banks to interpret the language of Daemon’s approach and will likely become most immersed in the proceedings as the final two songs on ‘Opus Daemoniacal‘ are their most elaborate and lengthy beyond the opener. At ~50 minutes this album is admittedly a little bit too long and features quite a lot of redundancies of rhythm which do little to craft a profound experience beyond sheer erosion. At least one piece could’ve been clipped and the album’d still have soared in its own way; Though I feel the album art work (via Esther Villela) and layout are well-considered and production values entirely appropriate I’d felt uneasy about finding any canonical (read: direct musical, compositional) link to Limbonic Art‘s discography here beyond maybe the meandering waft of “Ars Diavoli” at the end, unable to resolve any connection to the past apart from each version of the band playing black metal. This is not a major point of contention but rather the obvious benefit of using this name is branding rather than any direct musical relevance to its history. Was I entertained? Absolutely, though the second half of the album is resoundingly superior to the first three songs and I think that’ll be a considerable hill to climb for many listeners. A moderately high recommendation.

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