Ophe - Somnium Nocte Mendaciis

Angry Metal Guy

Latin—language of ancient history’s classiest empire, known only by nerds with and without PhDs, and vernacular of choice for many a metal act. Somnium Nocte Mendaciis (Night’s Dreams of Lies) continues Ophe‘s foray into the world of incomprehensible titles, and nearly as incomprehensible music. In the time since 2018’s Litteras Ad Tristia Maestrum Solitude, sole member Bargnatt XIX has only doubled-down on the weird. Now forgoing clean vocals entirely, as well as almost all things approaching a melody, the album is the exact opposite of easy listening. Noisy and strange, the supposed comparators Blut Aus Nord, Dødheimsgard, and Ævangelist appear apt. My esteemed colleague Dr. Grier judged Ophe‘s former output as falling short of comparison to these renowned acts. Does the newer effort raise this estimation?

Somnium Nocte Mendaciis takes exclusively those elements that make avant-garde metal inaccessible, with little supplementation. Rasping, wailing vocals are often buried beneath a thick layer of noise, as are the guitars. Repetitious ambient, dissonant, or tangled soundscapes that evolve not one jot are frustratingly interspersed by moments of oozing dark atmosphere. Compositions confound with inaudible samples (“Partum Chimerae”), ritual chanting (“Decem Vicibus II”), and eerie electronic squeals (“Odalisk Incursio Sub Methaqualone”). All those, done well, could make for truly unsettling modern post-metal, and Ophe does sometimes succeed in this endeavour. However, the majority steps too far over the line and threatens to lose even the more dedicated gluttons for audial punishment.

Ophe play post-black metal quite well; it’s when they focus on the experimental that things go south. The grand, melancholic melodies of “Squirting Cadaveribus” and “Flores Vere A Peccatis” carry a tangible atmosphere and are layered well with hypnotic riffing and the omnipresent distortion. The latter in particular has a dark groove to it that belies its song companions. It’s a shame that the former track is possibly the worst-titled song of 2022. Nonetheless, they perhaps stand leagues above the rest only because they are not unpleasant to hear. At the opposite end of the spectrum lies “Partum Chimerae,” which is borderline unlistenable. An interview sample sits in a soundscape of horror-movie screams, squeaking hinges, and half-played tunes; feedback droning behind. Likewise, “Odalisk Incursio Sub Methaqualone”‘s intermittent whining and screeching sounds, and vocal warping, and the violent cacophonous “Noctis Ames” resist listenability. At least the latter is only a minute long. The former is over twelve.

The common theme with the failure of the experimental is a resistance to evolution. Nine and a half minutes of “Decem Vicibus II”‘s ten and a half is monotonous choral chants, with zero progression. The final minute suddenly leaps into a surging refrain that’s stirring, but is not worth the wait. “Odalisk Incursio Sub Methaqualone” similarly drags out both its early portion of droning fuzz, and its later endless muffled black metal. There are points—when an eerie synth line creeps in or the guitar surfaces above the mire—that imply progression. But little comes. Even the comparatively good “Squirting Cadaveribus” and “Flores Vere A Peccatis” are—by normal standards—dull. It’s for this reason that Somnium Nocte Mendaciis is hard to listen to. It’s frustrating if it’s not downright jarring.

All this adds up to an album that ultimately lacks presence. There is no build and release, no sustained atmosphere, and the faster sections tend to be entirely lost under feedback. What makes matters worse is the inconsistent production that in this way robs heavy sections of their heaviness, yet at other times allows full clarity for the droning of “Decem Vicibus II,” and throws the grating samples in “Partum Chimerae” into focus. As a result, it can be hard to stay with and even appreciate those parts of it that are decent, as the preceding material loses one’s attention.

Avant-garde metal is never going to please everybody and even the most prolific acts garner upturned noses from many a metalhead.¹ But Somnium Nocte Mendaciis falls down not because it’s weird, but because its experimental gambles just don’t pay off. There may be some who will get enjoyment out of this, but for the time being I won’t be partaking in Ophe‘s mad visions.



Rating: Bad
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: My Kingdom Music
Website: facebook.com/ophebm
Releases Worldwide: May 20th, 2022

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