Single Review: Genus Ordinis Dei - The Entropic Queen
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
Genus Ordinis Dei are a symphonic death metal band from Italy who formed in 2009 and have released a total of three albums and an E.P. to date. New single The Entropic Queen is the first new material since the 2020 album Glare Of Deliverance which was the most expansive and ambitious release the band had released to date.
The single itself manages to cram plenty of ideas and variations of sound into a 4 minute and 39 second sound. You get a mixture of riffs from the chuggy to more melodic death metal inspired sounds. Keyboards are used throughout the song from the build up of the intro to some atmospheric background sounds to the symphonics that make up a good chunk of the band's sound. The melodic chorus with the use of choirs is particularly effective in conveying that epic feel along with the aforementioned symphonics.
The pace of the song is quite restrained for the majority of the song being very much a mid-paced song though things pick up about two thirds of the way through with a gorgeous melodic lead guitar solo being accompanied by some very effective blast-beats. The vocals on the whole are a harsh death metal style though there are moments throughout the song where the vocals utilise a distorted spoken word effect.
The Entropic Queen manages to fit a lot into its relatively trim length but also achieves much. It is a song that utilises atmosphere and melody with the aggression very much toned down. It is a solid but not altogether mind blowing song though the epic choruses and that sweet melodic lead guitar solo were definitely memorable moments. I don’t know whether this is a lead single from an upcoming album or just a standalone release but I have enjoyed previous albums from Genus Ordinis Dei and look forward to hearing what they come up with next.
