Review by Raphaël on July 18, 2024.

Hailing from Jordan, Esodic has been around for quite some time. Starting in 1995 under the name Purgatory, they later changed to Esodic and released a demo in 2003. Now, in 2024, drummer Zed Amarin is living in L.A. and is now accompanied by guitarist Michael Nolasco and bassist Kevin McCombs. Earlier this year, they unleashed De Facto De Jure and with it, I hope, will cement their place as an unavoidable name in the metal world!

Now first things first, the fact that this is only a 12 minutes, 4-song ep, is a crime against humanity! In the sense that it leaves me wanting SO much more and will be torture to wait. Their blend of death/thrash and traditional middle eastern music is so unbelievably well executed, it’s mind-blowing. They do not simply add samples of generic sounding folk instrumentation in between the metal, it is expertly woven through, making the mix of both worlds an inseparable whole, completely intrinsic. They use real instruments, such as ouds and riqs, instantly adding layers of atmospheres, or darbuka drums, adding new dimensions to the rhythm section. Mixing traditional middle eastern music with metal is not new, but with this flavor of metal and this well done, it’s a first for me. The sheer brutality of death metal, the speed of thrash and the mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful atmospheres and melodies created by the folk instrumentation are the perfect vessel to express all of that hate and resentment for leaders and the powerful, in Jordan, the middle east and therefore, the United States of America. Immediately, just by looking at the cover art, which is an artist depiction of Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolating, you know it’s going to get deep into the political realities of the region (for reference, Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolation is widely understood as the spark for the 2011 Arab spring).

So, it’s fair to say I cannot wait for the full album and by that, I mean it’s going to be physically draining to do so! I truly hope they continue making music for a long long time.

Rating: 9.9 out of 10