the death metal of Deus Otiosus (Denmark): Rise (Deepsend Records)

Deus Otiosus (Denmark): Rise (Deepsend Records) Deus Otiosus is a band that Matt Harvey from death metal old-timers Exhumed would appreciate. A couple of months ago Matt published some thoughts after he read the book “Extremity Retained.” Matt’s main point, you could say, was that death metal used to be primal, and it was that way before bands began to act as if they had to show that they were skilled musicians, and not just zombie-gore-horror untalented morons. Before the big change happened, the musicians did not care if people considered them a bunch of worthless commercially unviable two-chord grunting hacks. As the years went by —perhaps due to the pressure exerted by the rising thrash of the time and its move towards the progressive, the technical, and the epic, and also the money-making success of thrash— death metal musicians started to flaunt their skills.

Deus Otiosus plays death metal as if they do not care if someone considers them a gang of unemployed, criminal low-lifers making worthless music that will never be financially successful. This band knows that. They are not going to pay the mortgage with this music. If anything, it is the opposite: this band has probably been a money and time-sucking entity for them. When a band does not care if people think that they are stupid, they write a song and give it the title: “Don’t **** with Dead.” That’s Deus Otiosus.

Basically, one way of explaining Deus Otiosus is that they like the sound and vibe of a band like Master, Autopsy, old Bolt Thrower, so on and so forth. Upfront, traditional sound of guitars, bass, drums and vocals; Deus Otiosus makes sure that the songs are not too busy, and they incorporate some “brutality,” but with this production, one can still hear the riffs because this is the contrary of the clicky production of “modern death metal.”

The main idea is: early death metal 1983-1987, and death metal 1988-1991 (there is some Suffocation/Deicide riffing and ”brutality” in the vocals). Or, call it “simple death metal” or “just death metal” or “the original death metal,” that would be fine, too. At the end of the day, we are talking about a death metal album for those devoted to the more traditional, rawer, uglier style of death metal; and it is death metal, without the necessity of any qualifying adjective because this sound is what people meant when they said death metal in the first place.

www.facebook.com/deusotiosus.dk www.deus-otiosus.com www.facebook.com/DeepsendRecords www.deepsend.com

Deus Otiosus - "Iron Rule" (Rise)

Deus Otiosus - "In Harm's Way" LIVE