Album Review: Outlaw - Opus Mortis
Reviewed by Sam Jones
I’ve covered my share of thrash and death metal from Brazil but not too many black metal acts. It’s for that reason Outlaw are notable, forming in 2015 out of São Paulo, where their take on black metal is decidedly Scandinavian in influence though the band now reside entirely in Germany today. Releasing their first full length, Path To Darkness, in 2018, it set the standard the band wished to run with for come 2020 Outlaw would release their second album: The Fire In My Tomb. 2023 would see them sign on to AOP Records for the distribution and release of their third record, Reaching Beyond Assiah, and once again through this label Outlaw seek to unleash their fourth studio album, Opus Mortis, for an apt Halloween release. It fascinates me how you can go years without hearing of a band, but that one upcoming record reveals how much material they’ve beforehand done. Seeking to sharpen my teeth upon some Brazilian black metal I was more than ready for Outlaw’s new album.
Sending forth a multitude of blast beats and blackened riffs the instance Opus Mortis begins, Outlaw demonstrate how willing they are to get things underway as soon as possible. The quicker their songwriting hits its stride, the quicker their audience will be on board with their performance and, while the blast beats may subside, the residual energy thus injected hardly fades, for their momentum harnesses an urgency that’s impossible to deny. Even when the tempo relaxes you always get the impression Outlaw are constantly looking to get you moving; their songwriting will throw altering pacing at you but even when they’re taking a breather it’s reminiscent to a lion eyes it’s target, gathering strength, waiting for the time to pounce.
It’s curious we don’t see more black metal bands from Brazil, the country’s affinity for extreme metal would surely make it a hotspot for black metal. Whilst Outlaw play black metal straight and true, the way classic bands of the style did in the early 90s, you can feel the South American influence all across their songwriting. Where classic black metal was wintry and isolated, Outlaw’s variation feels much more punishing and on the nose. Rather than songwriting that sweeps and immerses you, Outlaw’s approach is more stabbing, visceral, it’s the complexion of hate-spewing bile as your own face grows pale and cold. In addition, Opus Mortis’ riffs feel especially sharpened as if one would lose fingers upon grasping the guitar. It aids the band in crafting this unrepentant, grossly apathetic product.
Curiously however, the riffs aren’t the kind that bludgeon your face in. Though Outlaw’s sound is without mercy and wouldn’t be for extreme metal newcomers, the guitar sound is one that seems to wrap round the band, over each instrumental and vocal component, and back again. The result is a more encompassing, enveloping soundscape that sees us fall wholly under their spell; it is immersive but, despite my earlier point, Outlaw are immersive without establishing atmospheric effort. The immersion one experiences herein is built solely through instrumental means with zero impetus on crafting an atmospheric element. It is through the thrust wall of sound alone that Outlaw bind us to their work.
The vocals are excellent here for they seal the tone Outlaw are aspiring for. While their riffs and drums evoke wondrous devastation, it’s the vocals that bring the slaughter to fruition, amplifying the horror one experiences throughout Opus Mortis. Much like the riffs the vocals are always caught in this enveloping rapture, where their impact isn’t so direct but seeks to keep you in chains whilst their songwriting destroys you. It’s a delivery where you won’t pick up on what’s said much but the tone, the cadence, the razor blades frontman Daniel Souza vomits up are impeccable, perfectly capturing the harrowing anguish one would feel should such an immersive soundscape befall us.
In conclusion, Opus Mortis is the kind of record that opens your eyes wide, revealing the promise of a band you never beforehand recognised. Considering Outlaw’s commitment to writing black metal that doesn’t stray far from classic sounds nor tones, there’s often something new waiting round the corner. With songs often pushing seven minutes long I never found myself wanting for something more, where I felt something was lacking or absent, especially when their variety of riffs and aesthetics doesn’t alter too much either. Brazilian black metal isn’t something I was previously acquainted with but if this is the quality that such a nation’s black metal is capable of, I’ll certainly need to keep my eyes open for more like this. Outlaw are clearly a band who know what they’re doing which makes Opus Mortis more than worth your time in my eyes. A thoroughly enjoyable record.
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