Nekros Manteia — Deus Otiosus

Deus Otiosus (Latin for Idle God) is the first full length release from Australia’s Nekros Manteia.  The band consists of Poltergeist (ex-session drummer and vocalist from Drowning the Light) and various musicians.  A some-what complex work to categorize, lots of influences are included from Bethlehem to Virus to Emperor with a few surprises thrown in to keep the listener guessing.

The best way to describe Deus Otiosus is one word: striking.  From the inhuman vocals (provided by Poltergeist along with George Kosmas and The Curator), avant garde guitar phrasing, classical nuances, various samples, free-form jazz to bombastic drumming; the music created is twisted in every direction.  While lyrically the themes are on the depressive, somber side, they are also esoteric and philosophical. 

In “Deus Vult”, chaotic time signatures entwine with dissonant aggressive melodies. While in “Gloom Perfidious” (an absolute stand out here) loops of screams are combined with creepy ambient noise.  Anguished spoken word and acoustic drums create a spiraling, desolate atmosphere.  Included in the lyrics and booklet are excerpts from Aleister Crowley and Austin Osman Spare.

Together it paints a stark, enlightening and powerful picture.  Though at times it seems like a tribute to the never ending futileness of life; it is also a call to destroy boundaries, those of the mind and the barriers of free will.  To quote the cd notes “Nothing is in the intellect that was not first in the senses”.