Review by Adam M on December 9, 2025.

This is an interesting album that further cements the band as a top runner for best progressive metal band with a futuristic approach that is one of a kind and interesting.  They are still relatively heavy on this release and it happens before their later album, which become somewhat generic sounding because they are a bit dry.  The level of being interesting ends up decreasing in the long run and that is what makes this such a worthwhile listen.

In terms of musicianship, there is a very focused guitar vibe that is technical and melodic at the same time.  Songs like “From the Flame” resonate with a compelling nature that is hard to match and very interesting.  Einer Sonberg puts forth a strong performance vocally and this is one of the strongest aspects of the album.   There is a general quality to the performances that is of the highest standard and this resonates strongly.

In terms of flaws, the album was already surpassed on earlier albums like The Congregation as well as Bilateral.  It is very interesting and has a great deal of cool songs, but still not quite their best effort and this is seen time and time again.  One comes across with a slight less than satisfied feeling with the record as it not quite their best, but still interesting and compelling.

Overall, this was a solid and enjoyable album with a lot going for it, though it is beaten by a couple of their other albums.  It is still better than recent output and a very worthy release overall.  Fans of the band’s other renowned albums will find a lot to like here.  There is a really neat modern quality to the album that gives it a one of a kind appeal.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by chrisc7249 on May 12, 2022.

It's been quite some time since we've seen any new material from Ophidian I - 2012, to be exact, was their last release (single notwithstanding), an ambitious full length debut that was certainly commendable, albeit not a must listen for fans of the genre. Their brand of spastic, melodic tech death was certainly enough to grab my attention for future releases, but I must admit I was not ready for an album of this caliber when I first started listening to it last year.

In the 9 years between their last effort and this one, the band has seen a switch up in their drum and vocal position, but the string section has remained the same. So, with that in mind, what differences can we expect going from the debut to this album? Well, for starters, this album has a much better sound. Solvet Saeclum wasn't a bad sounding record by any means, but it certainly wasn't as crisp and clear as this album.

Songwriting and musicianship have both taken massive leaps forward. I can only remember bits and pieces of the first album, but Desolate is incredibly catchy and memorable despite its seemingly overwhelming technicality. The lead guitars are mind bogglingly intricate, with just about every technique in the book being utilized to great extent throughout the duration of this album. There's captivating and beautiful leads that make one feel warm inside, and then there's suffocating riffs that will come out of nowhere to strangle you out of your state of peace. The songs are short, sweet and to the point - there's no meandering or interludes, just killer riffing, brain warping solos, pummeling drumming and brutal vocals.

The vocals may actually be this record's weakest point. John is a good vocalist for sure, I just think he needs to add some more range of emotion and feeling into his style. The music is so colorful and vibrant, which does at times work well with the bleak and dark vocals, but other times can feel stagnant. Even just including some black metal shrieks from time to time will easily fix this. But hey, sometimes we shouldn't fix what's not broken, so I could be completely wrong on this.

2021 was a brilliant year for technical death metal, and I don't know where this one will quite sit when I've officially finished taking in all the tech highlights of the year. Right now, it's neck and neck with First Fragment's "Gloire Eternelle" (an album it's actually very similar in some regards to.) It's certainly one of the best technical death metal albums to come out so far this decade, and I definitely consider this to be an instant classic. Incredible work from the boys from Iceland.

FFO: Allegaeon, Inferi, First Fragment

Favorite song: 'Spiral To Oblivion'

Rating: 10 out of 10