De Oppresso Liber (CD - 2008)

Audio Mixer: Andy LaRocque.

Recording information: Sothis Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Winslow Court, Hollywood, CA.

Black metal has been a predominantly European phenomenon (at least as of 2008). Most of the well-known black metal bands have come from Europe -- especially the Scandinavian countries, although there has also been plenty of black metal activity in Poland, the U.K. (home of Cradle of Filth), Holland, and Germany. But predominantly European doesn't mean exclusively European, and some worthwhile black metal bands can be found in the United States if you know where to look for them. One of those American black metal bands is the Los Angeles-based Sothis, whose first full-length album, De Oppresso Liber, was recorded in L.A. but mixed in Sweden. This 2008 release isn't groundbreaking or remarkable, but it's a decent effort that manages to be both vicious and atmospheric. De Oppresso Liber isn't as musical as some of the European bands that are considered symphonic black metal; Sothis don't have the extreme vocals/clean vocals contrast (all of the lead vocals on this album are a stereotypical black metal rasp), and they don't offer the really lush melodies that some of Europe's symphonic black metal bands have favored. In other words, this 48-minute CD is relatively melodic, but not ultra-melodic and not ultra-musical in a way that would cause it to be described as "black metal for people who don't really comprehend black metal." Nonetheless, keyboards are used, and there is definitely an atmospheric element on blistering tracks such as "Lair of the Benighted," "Beneath a Black Boiling Sky," "The Cold Connection," and "Lunar Descent." De Oppresso Liber won't go down in history as one of 2008's essential black metal releases, but it is still a noteworthy, albeit derivative, example of the fact that black metal doesn't have to be from Europe to be legitimate. ~ Alex Henderson minimize