ALBUM REVIEW: Hortus Venenum – Officium Triste
With a style self-referred to as ‘Rotterdoom’, OFFICIUM TRISTE have been evolving their sound and style over the last three decades. Initially, the six-piece began as a straight forward death metal outfit, but they have since developed a doomier and melodic edge that has led to their position as luminaries in their chosen genre. A legendary mantle is sometimes banded about when a band or artist have been kicking around for a number of years and sometimes is an exaggeration of their output; that is not the case with OFFICIUM TRISTE. Every accolade is deserved and with the calibre of the music on Hortus Venenum, it’s hard to find another superlative to be used for the Dutch musicians.
A simple synth line opens the album with Behind Closed Doors which might take some aback at first. Then, the weight of crushing doom opens up complete with deep, guttural vocals. It’s a powerful introduction; the melody is intoxicating and the wall of sound is rounded out with a heavyweight rhythm section and swirling soundscape. Guitar lines are allowed to run free with a soaring elegance that enraptures and serves the powerful emotive phrasing perfectly.
If death-doom can be described as catchy, then OFFICIUM TRISTE have encapsulated that feeling on this, their fifteenth album. While they have consistently expanded on their melodic styling over the course of their back catalogue, Hortus Venenum takes this to new heights and seeks to deliver some truly memorable moments. Tracks like Forcefield and Anna’s Woe will remain imprinted long after the closing of the record, both for different reasons. Forcefield dynamically flows between death, melodic death and inexorable doom all within approximately five minutes, offering up a smorgasbord of what OFFICIUM TRISTE are all about and executing this to a superb standard. Anna’s Woe purveys some sumptuous guitar-led melody work and delicate piano lines juxtaposing the deep vocal growls. While not unique to the band, the songwriting and execution is sharp and powerful enough to showcase why the six-piece are considered legends in their genre.
The mix and production throughout the album is, in a word, lush. The delicate embellishments picked out by the synths, string pads and guitars are all brought to the fore and afforded as much attention as the grand rhythmic textures. The finely attuned balance of the instrumentation affords the music space and enhances the overall captivation. Each track delves deeper into emotive melody and memorable hooks. There is never a misplaced step or track that appears out of place. From track one to six, this record delivers with a grand confidence that stays the right side of indulgent and encapsulates the best aspects of death-doom.
It can of course be easy to get swept up in the momentum of an album and throw complementary descriptors to try and elevate the release. However, it is entirely justified to describe Hortus Venenum as an exquisite piece of work. It has the power to captivate from the opening notes to the very end. The six tracks on offer are an example of how a band in their 30th year can still provide music that sounds fresh and exciting while retaining their foundational DNA. It is an album that will enthral and deliver transportive melodic highs, all while the death and doom weight is maintained with the guttural vocals and behemoth riffs and rhythms.
Rating: 9/10
Hortus Venenum is set for release on September 6th via Transcending Obscurity Records.
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