The RMR crew got to know Deathless Legacy when their 2018 piece Rituals of Black Magic hit our turntables. A record not without its (pretty severe) shortcomings. But they had that perfectly balanced song – Dominus Inferi – on the tracklist. And that is what finally made the cut over at the office tower. Saturnalia, the EP, improved matters some, whereas Mater Larvarum left mixed feelings behind yet again.
So, the band’s latest Damnatio Aeterna has been rummaging about the deepest recesses of our review pipe for a few months now. They got picked up and then dumped again, over and over. But now, at the very end of 2025, this crew decided to explore the reasons for these delays a bit more in detail. The dog ate my homework? Perhaps.
The first listen of Damnatio Aeterna left a pretty confused RMR crew in its wake. Songwriting, ideation, arrangement, all the good components are prominently available. The musical prowess of the band doesn’t seem to be the problem, either. Steva, the vocalist, seems to be in fine form as always. The thundering drums appear to be feisty as usual, and the delivery of abundant keyboard delights seems to be up to par.
At first sight, things should look really promising. Right? Well, take a step back and let’s have another look. Ever since RMR covered Deathless Legacy, the only track that REALLY stood out from the crowd was the aforementioned Dominus Inferi. Yep, that one last track from Rituals of Black Magic. It’s got grit, rough-hewn power, and a spicy quality that complements Steva‘s raspy roar. A track backed up with an equally stellar clip. What’s that have to do with the price of butter, you may ask? Well, the backbone of this track is the grimy guitar sound, with the keys coming in second only. And complete with a pretty snazzy solo, too.
That is true power writ large with all the elements Deathless Legacy has in its quiver running on all pistons at once. THIS is what we should have more of. But sadly, it never came back ever since. Now, returning to Damnatio Aeterna, you’ll find a bonanza of keys on full display, complete – again – with solos from the same instrument. This isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, of course. But if you relegate the guitars mostly to the second rank and condemn them mainly to rhythmic duty, things will go sour. And this has happened on this record. And there are instances of the axes coming in a bit more front-center (Communion, Miserere, for example). But this is nothing compared to really using the mighty vox of the strings to your best advantage.
Sure, the ominous sound of a Hammond-like keyboard that seems to emanate straight from Dracula’s castle does have its allure. Yet, the scarce use of one of the most powerful items in your toolbox won’t let you get to greatness. Interestingly, an undeniable stomp in their sound found its way into the songsmithing. A vibe that could be used mercilessly to juice things up some. Yet, the band won’t kick the amps and delivery up a few notches to get noticed. Instead, you’ll find a production that’s evened out and compressed into a homogenous morass devoid of crevices and spiky bumps.
You see, the denomination Horror Metal should open all doors for fear-inducing occult shenanigans. And we’re not talking about reinventing Black Metal, invoking the fiend, or impersonating the masked one of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But this whitewashed, politically correct mash of a confused sound salad really started to grind on our bones after a while. And this culminated in droll little tidbits, such as the track Spiritus Sanctus Diabolicus. How in Hel’s kitchen could a bland and ridiculously boring song be garnished with such a stellar title? That’s an enigma to us.
In the end, the geezers at the RMR Review Desk started on Damnatio Aeterna overexcited and full of expectations, but left underwhelmed and disappointed. In a way, the piece always seems to be a day late and a dollar short. A record made by a band with great talent that isn’t used quite to its full potential. If Deathless Legacy starts to inject energy, grime, grit, and true occult fear, this band will be up to great things. If not, they will just continue scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Undeservedly so.
Record Rating: 5/10 | Label: Scarlet Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 7 March 2024