From the eye of the obsidian temple’s pyramidal peak to the carbonized gates of yet unnamed sacred mysteries Norrköping, Sweden-borne black metal legendry OFERMOD hail from glory to glory as they wrench loose all earthly illusions on this fifth full-length album. A series of nine movements toward death’s manifestation in praise of the eternal reign ‘Drakosophia‘ carries on the orthodox black metal wroth that’d earned their infamy while bringing some new fellowes into the fray, ensuring their latest attains an even higher standard than the last. Though just as spiritually charged and riff-driven as their previous release here we find a fifth angled point of refraction in their efforts, a bent which is equally cutting in its precision accost but built upon increasingly grand and grotesque gesturing.

Incited circa 1996 by the dark miasmic fist of Belfagor (ex-Nefandus) for the sake of conveying the left hand path ah via theistic Satanism Ofermod are generally regarded as a key figure within the orthodox black metal idealism of a certain era. Beyond strong appreciation for theme and various lyrical contributions over the years my main interest in this band’s discography steams from observed consistency and identity which lines up with interest in classic Swedish black metal and (for my own taste) an idyllic approach to black metal riffcraft beyond the late 90’s. Rather than roll through ~thirty years of history once more I’ll defer to my overwhelmingly positive review of the band’s ambitious fourth full-length album (‘Mysterium Iniquitatis‘, 2021) where I’d detailed the general landscape the artist carved over the years. That album is also the best primer for what to expect from ‘Drakosophia‘ as the band’ve aimed for a similar level of impact and ambitious loft here while featuring a few new faces as well as many longtime collaborators and cohorts in order to extend the reach of these nine pieces.

The new faces here include United States-based vocalist Adeptus on lead, who bears almost identical cadence with Nebiros, as well as drummer Florian Musil of Theotoxin and Agrypnie. Together these two folks enhance what is already glorious, a distinct sound which Ofermod‘ve never floundered with over the years. What I would say is that you shouldn’t expect facsimilia of ‘Mysterium Iniquitatis‘ directly as it’d featured some pronounced melodic guitar work early on and developed its use of chorales and synth/keys in a more abrupt way. Here these features are developed into the main voice of ‘Drakosophia‘, particularly as the full listen wheels towards its mid-album drive. “Malat Atat” is generally the catalyst for this development and “Zazas Zazas Nasatanada Zazas” is the full black-winged resplendence unveiled.

Otherwise I’d been most impressed by the precision brutality which awakens the full listen as ‘Drakosophia‘ opens with the engaging curse of “Aichah Kandisha”, a bristling act and a successful lure into the headfirst pummel which initially characterizes the album. That first song paired with “Vinyards of Gomorrah” were quick to remind of the force Ofermod are capable of, not only in terms of wrathful tempo but the teeth-grinding riffcraft which directs their action an approach which I consider classics-minded, or, classics exaggerative in their ominously scaling reach (see also: “Nox Draconis”.) It’d be fair enough to suggest that the album has places to go beyond this point, as evidenced by the pure death-sorcery achieved within its middle portion, but with these first couple of songs it is both clear what band we’re listening to and that their spirits are not waning in the slightest.

As was the case with the previous LP from Ofermod their focus on the riff, ripping pace and choral accompaniment (see: “Nox Draconis”) produce a thread which never strays from its purpose be it spiritual or rhythmic. In this sense ‘Drakosophia‘ is a true, unadulterated black metal album and an unfaltering, obsessive experience which doesn’t allow for a single wasteful moment. This unflinching attitude has made for droning, hypnotic releases in the past but in this case there is a sort of triumphal “heavy metal” spiritus which guides us toward the end, particularly as we approach the almost melodic black/death metal roiling closer “The Painful Movers”. In the greater context of the full experience this song is brilliantly energetic as an endpoint, a piece which uses escalating repetition in stages to reveal its strand and one that’d struck me as an early favorite on an album which finds no point of falter, attacks with zero uncertainty in its purpose or capabilities.

The overall endorsement for this record is clear enough, particularly for longtime fandom, as Ofermod once again deliver with conviction and purpose beyond the majority. Even if the spiritual significance of their exploration is largely lost on most their work yet achieves a high standard for black metal riffcraft above and beyond the usual doldrums. ‘Drakosophia‘ is otherwise an escalation of their greater function, a continuation which sustains and embellishes their work that makes for a great listen no matter how you digest it. A high recommendation.

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