ALBUM REVIEW: Deus Sive Natura – Evohé
The great Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza held the ideology that God and nature are interchangeable, or that there is no distinction between the creator and the creation. Why is this important in a music review, you might ask? Well, this view of ‘God or Nature’ translates into Latin as Deus Sive Natura which, as can be ascertained by the title of this article, is the name of the third album from French black metallers EVOHÉ – and their first for eight years. There are two debuts on this record, namely their first release via Folter Records and the presence of vocalist Valravn, previously of Nehëmah where he was known as Coven.
Given the band’s lyrical content surrounding mythology, Old Beliefs and (most prominently) Paganism, the album transitions between both classic and Pagan black metal, usually mid-song. For the most part, it works well – the icy blast of album opener Different Worlds is complemented well by the softer chanting that appears towards the end, especially with Valravn’s shrieks that contrast the more ethereal, clean backing vocals. The same holds true for The Tears Of Forgotten Times, with a harsh landscape given colour by the ritualistic voices that ring out across the song. However, by the time that …Of Ancient Lores comes around, it’s beginning to lose its effect and the concern that Deus Sive Natura is about to descend into a repetitive slog is growing apparent. Thankfully, that all changes with Flygja which offers a short, acoustic interlude that is a lovely mid-album breather and stops the record falling into disarray; the title is Icelandic for ‘flies’ and the band take the opportunity to sing in that tongue as well, which is a nice touch to boot.
From here, the records picks up well, and it wouldn’t be too controversial to suggest that the second half shades the first in terms of quality and delivery, not least with the epic, seventeen-and-a-half minute closer The Thousand Eyes Of A Lonely Soul. Evoking vibes of DIMMU BORGIR – sans overblown keyboards – and the progressive tones of WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, the song sprawls impressively without ever getting bogged down and it could be argued that if EVOHÉ wanted to pursue this side of them more in the future, it wouldn’t be a bad move whatsoever. Prior to this, the trad metal guitars from Abyssd and Furthass in Eola Monumenta mix well with Oldar’s drumming power in a slight step away from the usual output that EVOHÉ are known for and whilst A Thunder Of Misfortune again features the chanting and blast beats of before, there’s a nice groove and rhythm that underpins the track and keeps things interesting for its duration.
Will this be the best black metal album you hear this year? Most likely no, the genre is having a phenomenal year and Deus Sive Natura doesn’t quite reach those heady heights. But there will be far worse released than this, and for a band who haven’t produced any studio material for nearly a decade, EVOHÉ deserve great credit for crafting something that isn’t going to get suffocated immediately by the output around them.
Rating: 7/10
Deus Sive Natura is out now via Folter Records.
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