EX DEO is the project of KATAKLYSM frontman Maurizio Iacono. Released this month through Reigning Phoenix Music, the new EP Year of the Four Emperors is equal parts heaviness and ferocity with a monstrous groove.
Truthfully, I normally wouldn’t even check something like this out. I don’t know what my issue is, but EPs bug me for some reason. I’m very much in the “give me full-lengths or give me death!” camp. I know, I have issues.
So, without further ado, let’s see what’s going on with the four tracks that comprise this slab of death metal. Right away, I was instantly taken with “Otho,” but not before the opener, “Galba,” came down around my ears like a hammer.
My other favorite was Vespasian, and Vitellius mines the winning formula to great success. All told, Year of the Four Emperors’ is very well done—so much so that I may have to rethink my stance on EPs going forward.
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Vespasian,” “Otho”
RATING: 10/10 (or 5/5 if we had an EP-only scale… it is half the length, after all.)
– THE MAESTRO
