Review by Chris Pratl on June 5, 2018.

From the first time I heard these Danish monsters on Murderer back in '10, I had a hunch that there was going to be a long line of great albums that would emerge. Deus Otiosus dispels with the distorted production and over-the-top nuances that many death metal bands today try to infuse into the music to make it interesting. What you hear is what you get, and if you like your death metal raw and raucous with a good polish over it then you'll dig what you have here.

Rather than rely on speedy, tempestuous assaults throughout the music, Deus Otiosus cuts a very fine line between basic death metal and thrash on its newest effort, Rise. Make no mistake, however; this is about as deathly as the metal can get. From the first track, "Rising War" you hear the riffing that makes quality death metal so strong and encompassing. The familiar chugging that can literally shatter a door frame is what these Danes do best, and this effort only shows the band getting more interesting as it goes. There is a general air of heaviness and suffocation that hangs over the music that doesn't embellish the natural aura and doesn't make the album come off as sparse or dim. When you engage a band like this, the element of 'thickness' is almost expected in order for the band to successfully put across its message, and that isn't missing from this album.

The guitar work here touches all areas of death metal goodness and throws in the occasional 80's thrash riffing to satiate every taste and era. I really enjoyed "Vultures" with its slower, almost traditional metal sound that never fully crosses that line by keeping that crunchy feel in the tone that could never be accused of fully passing over to the 'other side.' When a band can neatly mix up its album with different styles and tones without losing the flow of the album, it's always a major coup for the naysayers who think death metal is one-dimensional and an otherwise stultified genre. All doubts are summarily removed when "Walk the Shadows" kicks in and the galloping returns with a vengeance. The mid-section has a very cool slow-down that, once again, relies heavily on the blurred lines of genre-jumping, and yet once again it fits perfectly without disrupting the flow.

If you aren't yet familiar with Deus Otiosus (for shame!) the vocals are your throaty death metal bellowing that are mixed clearly and don't get lost in a mire of guitars and drums. As for the rest of the band, picture if you will a tight formation of guys that have a fine knowledge of the genre and the others that surround it and you'll find yourself immersed in the fascinating chasm that is this band. When I say to you that everything is found in this album, make no mistake that I am being completely accurate in my humble assessment. You can hear some Swedish old school, some modern German touches, and a very brief hint or two of Norwegian blackness thrown in for measure. There are no weak moments here.

Rise manages to take everything that's ugly and brilliant about death metal music and mix it so perfectly with other a select couple of genres, creating a veritable hybrid of stylistic darkness not often found without compromise or repetitiveness. The band just keeps getting better, and I keep coming back for more.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

(Originally written for www.metalpsalter.com)

Review by Alex on September 2, 2019.

If you don’t mind mixing punk rock influences into your black metal then Byyrth’s 2019 EP Cold Autumn Shadows might be the record for you. Birthed in the United States, well...., Byyrth, emerged in 2016 with a demo which was then followed by 2 full length releases. The first being Saviors of Armageddon and Echoes from the Seven Cave of Blood; both of which received favorable reception upon availability. Their music on those 2 releases could be generally classed as a blend of raw, first and second wave back metal that leaned more toward the latter. A certain level of grooviness could be heard in their music along with heavy metal and rock influences. These elements gave Byyrth their own sound and painted an image that allowed them to stand out amongst the humongous raw black metal niche. Cold Autumn Shadows offers more of the same but more conspicuously done; in addition, you could say the production is also clearer on this lap. 

These bats generally sing about occultism, death and vampirism among other topics generally represented in the black metal scene, but their delivery is not quite the typical. Yes, the rawish production can be pointed out along with the loud screeching vocals that sound like they’re being fed through a television displaying static, but it's the way in which Byyrth puts together their compositions that makes each song stand on its own. What would usually begin on one note, whether it be 1st or 2nd wave black metal or even punk rock/doom, usually at some point along the line begins to open its arms welcomingly to incorporate a multitude of other elements. You can hear this on ‘Infernal Abomination’, ‘Cold Autumn Shades’ ‘Parasitic Twin’ and ‘Archaic Triumviate’ that either begin leaning on the side of punk rock or black metal then does a sort of magnetic blend as the tunes progress. 

Amidst the healthy variation is an overtone of melancholy that stretches throughout the playtime of Cold Autumn Shadows. Sort of menacing sometimes as it changes the shade or tone, especially given how much punk rock is utilized on most songs; hence the sorrow comes off as being ominous as if a bright blue sky slowly begins to turn grey and gather dark clouds like Summer making way for Autumn. Think that's a truly notable aspect about Byyrth’s music on Cold Autumn Shadows, their ability to fluently weave through their compositions and modify the character each exudes without sounding in-cohesive or rushed. After listening to Cold Autumn Shadows I can say that's what I admire the most about Byyrth, is that just when you get too comfortable with whatever direction the music is heading, without warning, they pull you off that path and onto another that is just as good or better. 

In comparison to Byyrth’s previous efforts, I think Cold Autumn Shadows is a greater representation of the band and how they truly intended to sound in my opinion; they're still raw to some degree hence the toned down "noise", but more detail is made available in their music with this production that I would imagine was used in regards to the punk rock mannerism. Supporters of Byyrth’s older material need not worry, Cold Autumn Shadows is just as strong if not stronger and is worth standing beside Echoes from the Seven Cave of Blood and Saviors of Armageddon. Thus said, I think going forward we will get more of this sort of production and musical approach for future installments into their blood drenched catalogue, or maybe we won't; perhaps Byrrth does something entirely unpredictable and still manages to gain approval; such remains to be seen. For now, enjoy the sounds of the darkness set in as the night season gains dominance over the earth. 

Rating: 7.6 out of 10