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Band: Stratuz
Album title: Osculum Pacis
Release date: 26 April 2022
Label: Sliptrick Records
Genre: Doom Metal, Death Metal, Gothic Metal
Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. Morning Star
03. Father Amorth(e)
04. Holy Grail
05. Caelibatus
06. In The Name Of God
07. Back To The Sun
08. Sodomized
09. Dawn
10. Left
11. Condemned
It's not so often that we receive such good stuff from a country like Venezuela; I don't even remember when was the last time that a band from this country settled down so strongly in my mind. Then it came to the cult band Stratuz, formed back in 1984 (!), disbanded in 2006 and re-awakened three years ago, with two members remaining of the early line-up, vocalist/keyboardist Franklin Berroterán and bassist Leonardo Rangel. Nevertheless, the band with new guitarist Gerónimo Egea and drummer Diego Cabrujas Palacios works like a unity that is together ever since. I must admit that Stratuz's recently released fourth studio full-length is my first encounter with the band, but because it hit me hard in a very positive way, I decided to check on its entire discography.
The band's first full-length, In Nomine..., was (after some demos and one split album) released in 1994, and it's mainly a death metal thing, not bad, though. The second album, The Last Angel, released in 1999, was deeply influenced by Scandinavian gothic metal like the early Theatre Of Tragedy or Tristania, and its third opus, Spirit Seduction (2000), brought some tasteful death/doom metal. And, right before disbanding in 2006, Stratuz released the highly recommended, epic cinematic gothic/doom/death single, "Without Original Sin". Now Stratuz is back, and Osculum Pacis is one hell of an album, showing that the Venezuelan band knows how to do things right, from the songwriting process to the production and everything in between. Too often carelessly labelled as a death metal album, Osculum Pacis is way more than just that.
The music of Stratuz in 2022 is a captivating mix of doom, death, symphonic and atmospheric gothic metal. Those who miss the sound of the late 90s and early 2000s gothic/doom will find their joy in these 11 gloomy tracks. Yet the music is fresh enough, and it's not an easy task to find justifiable references. Thick, dark and atmospheric, vibrant, with great melodies, evocative patterns, powerful rhythms, and a breezy touch of melancholy. Lyrically Osculum Pacis deals with abuses of the church and its deafening silence. It also deals with mass manipulation and injustice, while at the same time, it speaks of the awakening of consciousness, of death as a process of transformation, and the need to change ourselves to rise and banish our miseries. It, therefore, speaks also of raising the awareness of who we are.
The album opens up with a haunting evocative intro and continues with the mesmerizing hard-hitting melodic doom/death piece named "Morning Star". The track already settles the tone for the entire thing to follow with an amazing vocal performance, saturated with deep dark understandable growls, great cleans, soul captivating symphonic elements, eerie synths, seductive melodies, some tasteful guitar leads and semi paced yet destructive fat rhythms. What follows is based on such elements, though, wrapped in the veil of delicious melancholy, yet every single track has its qualities and dynamics. For example, the emotive "Holy Grail" is a solid building up in tensions of gloomy gothic/dark metal piece with great atmosphere, emotive piano touches, and mainly clean vocals. Here and there, you can find some minor references to Moonspell, Paradise Lost or My Dying Bride mixed with Ghost Brigade or Insomnium, especially in the tracks like "Caelibatus" or "Back To The Sun". Lush symphonic and orchestral elements, together with several choir insertions, majestic deepen up the atmosphere and make it somehow cinematic thus multi-layered. "In The Name Of God" is a track with a main death metal vibe and connects the 2022's Stratuz with the one from the 90s.
Massive and atmospheric, dynamic and dark, the band doesn't limit itself - therefore, you can find some 80s metal influences in the vein of Celtic Frost, and perhaps, Bathory in "Sodomized" and "Dawn", as well Stratuz is not afraid to show its vulnerable side with some acoustic lines, emotional parts and sensitive female backing vocals. The lustrous melancholy of the gothic/doom masterpiece "Left" is another example of perfective songwriting and qualities of Stratuz. The rather theatrical closer "Condemned" with classical elements perfectly rounds up this album with all of the already mentioned qualities into yet another excellent piece of dark metal music. Osculum Pacis is adventurous, fillers free, enjoyable in every moment, and Stratuz doesn't need to hide from renowned names, contrary, it should become one of them. Osculum Pacis is a perfect example of how atmospheric doom/dark/death metal should sound!
The review was written by Tomaz
Rating: 8,5/10
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