Year: 2021
Total Time: 48:38
Label: Napalm Records
So here we have to do with the fourth personal full length album of Maurizio Iacono, the Canadian Frontman of the Death Metallers KATAKLYSM. Since the beginning of EX-DEO, he has the rest of KATAKLYSM with him, including the very talented guitarist/composer/producer JF Dagenais whose role is huge in EX-DEO regardless of the fact that Iacono presents EX-DEO as his personal project. So, wanting to honor his Italian heritage, Iacono formed back in 2009 a band that refers in its lyrics huge chapters from the glorious (or even controversial) Roman Empire, in concept albums that concern personalities such as Romulus, Caligula, Hannibal and now Nero.
The recipe remains the same. Many orchestral elements from Clemens Vijers (he is the guy who makes the orchestras in CARACH ANGREN) with the addition of Death Metal guitar melodies and stormy riffs, and with a massive and flawless production, something unique is presented in the field of extreme metal (the only bands that comes to mind are SEPTIC FLESH and FLESHGOLD APOCALYPSE). However, the main question is: does “The Thirteen Years Of Nero” offers anything new compared to the previous three albums? The answer is….no! It follows exactly the same patterns, without any exceptions. The good thing is that it is much better than the previous “The Immortal Wars” album, which was their weakest work. But the ultimate album “Kaligvla”, the masterpiece that made history back in 2012, is not be reached in any case. Note also that the cover is once again a creation of Seth Siro Anton!
The tracks that stand out are definitely ‘Imperator’, which is accompanied by an amazing video clip, “The Fall of Claudious”, and “The Head of the Snake” tracks that really stay in your mind. The rest of the tracks are not far behind and the whole album sounds pleasant, travelling you to other eras, as long as you have the lyrics in front of you!
The album has also a collaboration with Britney Slayes (Hayes) from UNLEASH THE ARCHERS who does guest vocals on the song “Boudicca (Queen of the Iceni)”. I consider it completely “invalid”, not matching with the style of EX-DEO at all, although the song is probably the strongest of the album. So to summarize, “The Thirteen Years Of Nero” is a pretty good album, but has nothing new to offer…
Rating: 6,5/10
Editor: Dimitris Argyrakis
Related Link: EX-DEO – Facebook Page
