Review
Minacious Webzine

Ophis is Greek and means snake, Ophis is also a German Doom/Death Metal band that has been around since 2001, this is their second full-length album, they have also released one demo and one EP. The music is the marriage between the more classical, early Doom Metal and the old school Death Metal scene of the early nineties. With the focus on the heavier side and the rawer side of both musical genres. With an occasional injection of mournful and eerie melodies, really effective in creating an dark, negative and desolate atmosphere. For everybody into genuine and pure Doom/Death Metal.

Author: Mordant

Review
Metal News
6/7
01.06.2010

Es brodelt im deutschen Extrem-Metal-Untergrund; zumindest kann man dieser Tage deutlich mehr bis in die letzte Faser ihrer Kцrper motivierte, zumeist hochinteressant vorgehende Formationen dabei beobachten, mit welcher Unverbrauchtheit sie an ihre Arbeit gehen. Auch wenn diese nicht – wie im vorliegenden Fall – erst gestern aus dem Boden geschossen sind, so kann man hier durchaus noch von Aufsteigern/Neulingen im metallischen Allbewusstsein sprechen. Zum Spitzenfeld dieser inhaltlich und technisch absolut ьberzeugenden Gruppe zдhlen die Hamburger von OPHIS, deren zweite LP meine Anlage schon seit einiger Zeit fьr sich allein beansprucht.

Rein дuЯerlich als schwarzmetallische Offenbarung die Bьhne betretend, badet “Withered Shades” in scheinbar endlosen Death/Doom-Lavastrцmen, gespickt mit einem sehr geschmackvoll dargebrachten Sinn fьr dynamische Verдnderungen innerhalb der einzelnen Songs sowie einem hinunterziehend monumentalen Sound, der tonnenschwer an den Trommelfellen liegt. Zwar wьrde die Mannschaft keinen Blumentopf fьr ihre innovativen Bemьhungen, das Sub-Genre auf den Kopf zu stellen, gewinnen; allerdings wьrde ich es als sehr stцrend empfinden, wenn um jeden Preis versucht wird, weitere Elemente in dieses so schon dichte Geschehen einzubinden – denn wie heiЯt es so schцn: Besser gut geklaut als schlecht erfunden. Natьrlich fallen einem die Vorreiter des Death/Doom-Wesens in den Sinn, wenn man so Klangepen wie “Suffering Is A Virtue” hцrt, das fдllt jedoch angesichts der nahezu perfekten Hervorhebung dessen heraus, was diese Musik von Anfang an so fesselnd macht, weit in den Hintergrund: Spitz in den Boden rammende Gitarrensдulen, endzeitliche Stimmung, variabler Gesang und ein enorm tiefenlastiger Druck von der Rhythmusfraktion sind die konstanten Begleiterscheinungen wдhrend dieser einen Stunde.

Und wie schon weiter oben angedeutet, ist der Inhalt dieser Ummantelung weiЯ der Teufel wie geil ausgefallen: OPHIS wissen es, gerade die richtige Menge an Abwechslung in den Songfluss einzubringen, um sich weder vorwerfen lassen zu mьssen, langweilig zu sein noch mit allzu vielen Details zu stцren. Ьberhaupt gibt es so gut wie gar nichts an “Withered Shades” auszusetzen… auЯer vielleicht der Tatsache, dass es nicht genug Leute da drauЯen zu devoten OPHIS-Anhдngern bekehren wird, weil die Masse es vorzieht, vertonte ScheiЯe zu hцren.

Author: Michael Bambas [Micha]

Review
Brutalism.com
5/5
24.06.2010

This is another new addition to ever increasing, ever more monumental Solitude Productions list of releases of high quality of Doom Metal and this depressing monster is about as heavy and as morbid as you get in the genre’s of Traditional Doom and Death Doom. Ophis stand out among their label mates in as much as they more Traditional than most other bands on the label especially from the perspective of a Death/Doom hybrid. What you get here is 5 really long songs, all 10 to 15 minutes or more in length, all mostly very slow and extremely crushing but they do throw in some in unexpected tempo changes in when you least expect it. If you are looking for a reference point, then Centurians Ghost, Ahab, Skepticism meets the more Traditional sounds of Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus would be the obvious statement to make. The concepts on “Withered Shades” seem to center around the doomed planet we live on and the ultimate demise of that entire human race. The subject has been dealt with many times before but Ophis descriptive writing style gets the point across better than most although you will need the lyric booklet to understand it as the vocals are done in the guttural style made famous in Doom Metal by Esoteric, Skepticism and Ahab.

Even though there is 5 tracks on the album, they really don’t change much at all so going into detail about each piece seems pointless but there is some surprises along the way. First track “The Halls Of Sorrow” crawls along with the weight of a German tank, seething and extremely bleak for over 15 minutes but towards the end you get a tasty thrash/death metal section when you least expected it. Other times there is some more acoustically driven sections but for the most part, it is centered around one crushing riff after another but there is a underlying deathly melody to all of it. This is much darker, colder and more harsh sounding than their 2007 debut “Stream Of Misery” and these 5 tracks can put you in a trance-like state if you let it. If you like your Doom Metal to put across a feeling of sheer pain and anguish then “Withered Shades” will satisfy that craving and if Doom Metal is about some kind of emotional pull, then they succeed at doing that too. Stand out tracks are the opener “The Halls Of Sorrow” and “Necrotic Reflection” mainly due to more light and shade than the other three beasts on this disc but those tracks are great tracks in their own right also.

If there is a downside to the album, its a bit samey throughout most of its 64 minutes and the extended running times of each cut can test your love for Funeral Doom. The vocals could also be a sticking point for some listeners, i know from emails and comments i get regularly the deathly growling vocal approach is getting a bit predictable and tiresome for some folks out there but personally i dig the vocals despite the cliched approach. The production on the album is massive, thick and heavy. The songs contained some of the most hellish riffs recorded in recent years even though the band does sound more like something from the 90′s than anything new coming out now. Its heavy, melodic in small doses with enough uniqueness to make “Withered Shades” stand out as a timeless recording in the genre. I have a feeling this will be one of those albums that will be regarded as a classic in years to come. “Ophis” is Greek for “snake” and which seems fitting for a band that plays like a snake moves, slithering, mysterious but can strike with real aggression when you are not ready for it.

A couple of points to be aware of, the artwork on the album is very much in the Black Metal vain with a pentagram and a inverted cross embedded in their logo but this has nothing to do with Satanic Metal at all, so that is a little misleading. That may seem like a trivial observation but some people might be put off by that, please don’t be though because this is 100% Doom Metal pure and undiluted by any other musical influences apart from the odd tempo change. The line up of Philipp Kruppa – Vocals/Guitars, Jan Baum – Guitars, Oliver Kröplin – Bass and Nils Groth – Drums are accomplished musicians as this album shows. Lets hope we don’t have to wait another 3 years for the next installment from this fine German band.

Author: Ed

Review
Femfogacs Webzine
9.1/10
08.07.2010

„…elpusztíthatatlan testbe költözöm, azután pedig kimérem önmagamat fogyasztóimnak.”
/Jean-Paul Sartre – A szavak/

Nem tudom, ki hogyan van vele, de hazánkban (sőt a világon is úgy globál) működik a skatulyázás, elsőre ítélés, legyen szó emberről, vallásról, politikai identitásról, nőről, borról, megváltásról… ha a hamburgi Ophis logójára nézek nekem sok minden eszembe jut, csak az nem hogy doom-deathben utaznak, elsőre black metalra tippelnék, abból is az okkultabb, elszántabb félére, ám e helyett, mint már említett lassú morajlás lesz a társunk. Ez az egész amúgy az én szégyenem is, hiszen még névről sem ismertem az amúgy 2001 derekán alakult formációt, pedig túl vannak egy demón, egy kislemezen és két nagylemezen is, utóbbi miatt olvasol róluk éppen itt és most a Solitude Productions jóvoltából.

A hangzás, mint minden ilyen stílusú banda esetében mély és ahogy egy jó barátom szokta megfogalmazni az ilyesmit; életről levivős, haha. A lassú témák néhol súlyos középtempóval, kopogó duplázokkal és pár témánál rövidebb ideig old school death metal csépelésbe torkollik. Bár a csapat műfaja a doom-death én mégis olyan hatásokat hallottam ki az egy órás játékidőt is elkerülő anyagból, mint a korai Gorefest, Benediction, Bolt Thrower. Természetesen a gyakran hosszú sodrású akusztikus vezeklések egyike se mutatkozik az említett nevek palettáján olyan komolysággal és intenzivitással, mint az Ophis idei korongján. Haldoklás és feladás pillérei omlanak le itt a réges-régen épült magányos várban, melyet eső mosott és fagy mart, gazdagon felvértezve remek dallamokkal, s valahol a háttérben a nyugalom, mint megnyugvás és feloldás evickél az ember a sorsdöntő hatalmas kövek között. Depresszívvitását a Bethlehem korai anyagihoz tudnám hasonlítani, annyi különbséggel, hogy az Ophis nem zaklatott, inkább zakatoló vonat a Halálba. A háttérben természetesen olyan nevek húzódnak még meg, mint korai Anathema vagy My Dying Bride, de úgy gondolom ezek maguktól értetődő hatáselméleti síkok az ilyesmi doom-deathek halmazában. A külsőségekért Dusan Belohlavek a felelős, a booklet lehangolt koszos egyvelege jól egészíti ki a nem túl életvidám szövegeket, s hogy visszakapcsoljak a kritika elején említett előítéletekre; bizony a borító is inkább black hordára engedne következtetni, mint arra, amiben az Ophis utazik. Remekül összerakott dalok és szépen kivitelezett építkező dallamok lesznek a társunk ebben a hosszas vezeklésben, karöltve az önpusztítás és öngyilkosság minden szegmensével. Erőssége a Withered Shades összképének az a koncepció, mely a doomtól, a deathen át a mizantróp black metalig vezet, rengeteg féle váltással és felvezetéssel, a lendületestől, az intenzív csépelésig, no meg persze egy hatalmas süppedésbe…
…ez a lyuk simán képes lenne elnyelni az emberi lelket, de hallhattunk már ennél mélyebben tátongó űrt is, azért a beszippantás öncélú reinkarnációja ez esetben is élő és magától értetődő!

Author: haragSICK

Review
Aristocrazia Webzine
12.07.2010

Secondo album per la band tedesca di doom/death metal Ophis che entra a far parte del nutrito e ben assortito roster della label russa Solitude Productions.
Tenete conto che “Whitered Shades” dura circa un’ora e cinque minuti ed è composto da sole cinque tracce quindi ci vorrà poco a capire che vi attendono episodi la cui lunghezza è “importante”, siano la breve (si fa per dire) “Suffering Is A Virtue” con i suoi nove minuti e mezzo o la lunga “Necrotic Reflection” di quasi sedici, comunque la proposta rispetterà i canoni del genere che le da vita.
L’abisso oscuro creato dai profondi solchi rilasciati da un riffing dilatato ma sprigionante sensazioni cineree pari a una fitta coltre grigiastra verrà più volte allietato (prendete l’aggettivo in questione con le pinze) da incursioni melodiche o irrobustito da cambi di tempo che tramutano le desolanti ritmiche monolitiche in altre maggiormente propense a colpire l’ascoltatore.
Un monoblocco che vi si pone dinanzi e a cui è difficile resistere, il brillare plumbeo delle composizioni è alquanto suadente tanto da riuscire (a mio avviso) a conquistare anche gli amanti del doom più classico e che prediligono sonorità heavy oriented come i classici Candlemass o Solitude Aeturnus.
Il sound degli Ophis ha raggiunto una maturità e un equilibrio stabile fra la carica del death, l’atmosfera funerea e le melodie melancolico/nostalgiche, è per questo che adesso la probabilità d’insidiare anche orecchie di chi proprio non è interessato generalmente all’estremo è aumentata.
Certo è che quando il piede pigia sull’acceleratore non perdono l’1% in potenza o solidità, nè tanto meno l’animo di “Withered Ashes” muta il suo umore che rimarrà costantemente cupo.
L’album è nero, lo stile vocale di Philipp Kruppa ringhia incattivito e profondo come se le parole venissero a galla dal sottosuolo liberando puro dolore, rimembrando act funeral doom quali i connazionali Ahab o i paladini del genere Skepticism, il che non può che suscitare una piacevole sensazione.
I teutonici hanno confermato quanto di buono fatto con “Stream Of Misery” ed è già tanto esser capaci di bissare un bel disco come quello, per alcuni magari “Withered Shades” sarà superiore al primo nato per altri no, resta il fatto che gli appassionati dello stile si ritrovano con l’ennesimo titolo da inserire in lista acquisti.
Se avete un disperato bisogno di soddisfare il vostro desiderio di sofferenza spirituale giornaliera, gli Ophis sapranno come accontentarvi!

Author: Mourning

Review
Metal.de
9/10
13.07.2010

Stillstand kann tödlich sein! Der Meinung bin ich im Allgemeinen auch, aber es gibt Bands, die können scheinbar problemlos an ihrem Stil festhalten, ohne sich selbst zu wiederholen. Bei OPHIS war das schon der Fall, als “Stream Of Misery” als Nachfolger der EP “Nostrae Mortis Signaculum” erschien und mich trotz geringer Entwicklung in den Bann zog. Mit “Withered Shades” geht man nun das Risiko ein, auf dem zweiten Langspieler auf der Stelle zu treten.

Großartige Veränderungen lassen sich im Stil der Hamburger wieder nicht feststellen. Allerdings beweist gleich das Monstrum von Opener “The Halls Of Sorrow” wie genial ein beinahe 15 Minuten langer Song im OPHIS-Gewand sein kann. Es werden gerade so viele Details eingestreut, dass der Song nicht langweilig wird, aber noch genügend Monotonie geboten, damit man die Tristesse des Songs wie eine schwere Last auf den Schultern spürt. So geht es eigentlich auf dem gesamten Album. “Withered Shades” setzt sich aus dunklen, tonnenschweren Riffs und gezielt eingestreuten bekümmernden Leads zusammen. Die tiefschürfenden Emotionen, die “Withered Shades” verströmen, dürften so mancher Suicide Black Metal Band die Tränen in die Augen treiben. Denn entgegen der oftmals langweiligen und oberflächlichen Darbietung menschlicher Depressionen erwecken OPHIS neben Authentizität auch das Gefühl im Hörer, dass dazu führt sich, in der Platte zu verlieren, den endlos zäh dahinfließenden Songs zu lauschen, in den dynamischen, zermalmenden etwas schnelleren Parts zu versinken und sich vor den tiefen Growls und dezent verwendeten Screams wegzuducken. Dabei spielt der Sound ebenfalls eine gewichtige Rolle, denn für eine Doom Platte gibt es nichts besseres, als wenn die Gitarren einen zerdrücken, die Leads aber genügend Spielraum bekommen und das hallende Schlagzeug den Eindruck eines modrigend Kellers vermittelt – das steht dem Album perfekt.

“Withered Shades” ist das bisher Beste aus dem Hause OPHIS. Das soll in keinster Weise die vorangegangenen Veröffentlichungen herunterspielen, aber auf ihrem zweiten Werk stimmt so gut wie alles. Die Gefühle, die das Album erwecken kann, wenn man sich darauf einlässt, sind derart ergreifend, dass man sich kaum entziehen kann, und wer sich bei den Gitarren in “Necrotic Reflection“ nicht innerlich dem Tode nahe fühlt oder zumindest vor Verzückung ob solch genialer Momente sprachlos ist, der sollte sich weiter an seinen Kinderzimmer-08/15-Black Metal Ritzereien weiden.

Author: The.Beaver

Review
Pavillion666
7.5/10
15.07.2010

Ophis nous vient d’Allemagne et nous fait…du doom/death métal.
Et cela se sent dès les premières notes du premier titre de l’album : rythme lent et lourd, guitares oppressantes et riffs tristes, chant grave et torturé…voici ce que vous avez au menu en écoutant ce nouvel album nommé “Withered Shades”.
La pochette en elle-même est le reflet parfait de l’opus en question : des tons grisâtres, ternes, comme symbole d’une certaine vacuité et d’une certaine mélancolie. Le bonhomme aussi semble totalement décharné et cruellement rongé par les remords et les regrets …

La production est moyenne, sans doute pour renforcer ce côté doomesque, si aérien mais pourtant si écrasant. Cinq titres composent cet album, cinq titres longs et remplis de peine, cinq titres tristes et sombres, lourds…Prenez votre courage à deux mains pour vous plonger dans les ambiances terribles et parfois dynamique de Withered Shades. Car à certains moments, le death prend le dessus, si bien que le rythme s’accélère d’un coup et que tout devient alors moins pesant. L’alternance des riffs tantôt death tantôt doom est assez intéressante. Quand le tout redevient doom, un riff long, presque interminable, empli l’atmosphère, comme représentant d’une peine quasi éternelle.

« The Halls of Sorrow » peut prendre aux tripes, notamment lors de l’espèce de marche funèbre, où les guitares nous jouent une mélodie des plus tristes, accompagnées de roulements de batterie. Quand la basse arrive, tout devient encore plus sombre, et nous voilà perdu dans un océan de noirceur. « Necrotic Relfexion », lui, est un des titres les plus écrasants, tant par la lourdeur des guitares que par le chant, désespéré, grave, sombre.
Un album pour tout amateur de tristesse et de désespoir !

Author: Matai

Review
Mtuk Metal Zine

Signed to prominent Russian doom label Solitude Productions, Germany’s Ophis offer up five lumbering slabs of utterly miserable doom/death in the traditional vein with their second full-length ‘Withered Shades.’ The songs balance elongated passages of brooding and claustrophobic riffs, relentlessly chugging up-tempo sections and dimly-hopeful moments of melodic catharsis dragged across runtimes of anywhere between ten to sixteen minutes.

Opener ‘The Halls of Sorrow’ starts with a stark and despondent clean guitar-line that could easily be from Bethlehem’s ‘Dark Metal’ album before plunging into some crushing, wounded and lethargic riffs whose style and momentum remind very strongly of Irish doom band Mourning Beloveth’s trademark sound. This is contrasted with to a warmer, sorrowful, meandering melody tinged with a Celtic air that makes the resemblance seem even more explicit, as do the pained-sounding guttural growls that accompany the music throughout. Just as the song begins to establish itself as a slow-burner however, it gears up for a few moments before suddenly launching into a dirty, up-tempo and catchy-as-hell groove that ambushes the listener with its urgency, the song then doubling in speed again as a passage of rumbling death metal kicks in, pitting wrenching, melodic hooks against relentless, clattering drums and reminding more than a little of the heavier side of My Dying Bride in the process. This bridge collapses as quickly as it appears, to be replaced by the sound of distant winds, a persistent martial drumbeat and delicate, quietly reflective strains of clean guitar, whilst anguished, rasped bellows creep in to signal the imminent return of leaden doom. Said weighty riffs then dutifully return, immediately recapturing the momentum built up before the bridge and running with it, embarking on another winding, reflective little detour before faithfully coming back to the main underpinning lethargic riff and hammering it home repeatedly, by which point it becomes hard not to imagine Mourning Beloveth scrambling for the nearest phone to call their lawyer. Whilst at first glance might seem legitimate to throw accusations of plagiarism in Ophis’ direction however, closer inspection reveals a band who display an impressive grasp of pace and progression, not to mention tone, that is evidently backed up with no little amount of passion, with the songs on ‘Withered Shades’ regularly brimming over with intense and cathartic emotion as a result. With this in mind then, it’s probably fairer just to say that the band are keen to wear their influences on their sleeve and get back to enjoying the miserable riffs instead.

Second track ‘Suffering is a Virtue’ takes the album in a different direction, trudging along in the gutter to the accompaniment of sinking harmonised guitars before rising up with a rousing riff that strides forwards purposefully with renewed vigour to an eclectic quick-march beat, the song plateauing with a dissonant and grinding little melody punctuated by hammering drums and tormented screams hurled skywards before it plunges back down the other side of the slope again, the mournful dual guitars pulling downwards once more as the song slowly winds back down to a stop. As a composition it’s pretty simple and predictable, but also immensely effective, gearing up and back down again in a gratifyingly inexorable manner that pitches fatalism and resignation against brief moments of reckless hope in the way that good doom should.

As the album continues it becomes evident that there is good progression not just on each song but across the album as a whole, which seems to be slowly losing its inertia as it goes on. Third track ‘Earth Expired’ starts with a brief, up-tempo outburst but quickly settles into a monotonous, funeral-doom-like pace with deep growls suddenly drained of emotion, and whilst the song does slowly regain its momentum via some menacing-sounding, chugging riffs firmly in the My Dying Bride vein alternated with surging, up-tempo passages and moments of frenetic melody, the majority of the song is given over to a mixture of sombre and drawn-out clean guitars and crawling and increasingly colourless riffs. The sense of the album’s lifesblood draining away increases further with subsequent track ‘Necrotic Reflection’, which starts off feeling moribund and takes an age to breathe, the vocals feeling more lifeless and the riffs more flattened than before, the song taking on a more funereal and dissonant feel in places yet ultimately revealing faint glimmers of warmth with the momentum seeming much more hard-won now but for one brief galloping peak. The song progression reminds of Mourning Beloveth once again, but less blatantly so than before, and is in any case superbly done. By final track ‘Halo of Worms’, the vocals have degenerated into deep ethereal grunts and the riffs feel increasingly cavernous and monotonous, staggering on for a prolonged period in a directionless fashion before descending into one last murky, lurching riff loaded with malevolent finality and dread and accentuated by a few last dying clean notes before fading into nothingness.

Whilst ‘Withering Shades’ offers up nothing that is really new, it’s an immensely gratifying and atmospheric listen with considerable depth and consistently excellent presentation, from the fluid compositions to the powerful, nicely-balanced production to the accompanying album-booklet, which comes on shiny silver acetate paper adorned with monochrome images of tormented faces expertly realised in stark oils. Whist it might display a persistent tendency to imitate others, ‘Withered Shades’ remains a commanding and intense listen that balances a masterful use of momentum with a murky, sepulchral atmosphere and plenty of raw emotion, ultimately culminating in an underground gem of an album despite its flaws.

Author: Ross Taylor

Review
Kronosmortus
9/10
31.07.2010

BRIEF SUM: Old-school style death/doom metal with the mood of shady graveyrads and dark caverns. Another valuable stuff from my favourite label.

Kedvenc kiadóm, a Solitude Productions ismét megörvendeztetett egy kiváló, értékes anyaggal. A német Ophis zenekar ismeretlenként indult nálam, pedig már két nagylemez és több mint tíz év zenekari tapasztalat áll a hátuk mögött. A rendkívül igényes, ezüst és fekete színekben játszó borító már önmagában egy művészeti érték. Régen találkoztam már a síri, sejtelmes hangulat ehhez hasonló megragadásával. A belbecs még nagyobb értéket képvisel, derült ki a lemez meghallgatása után.

Lassú, mélyre hangolt gitárdallamokkal indul a Halls of Sorrow, majd mennydörgéshez hasonlóan betör a ritmusszekció az emberi tudatba, hogy együtt vontassák tovább a halál lassú, dübörgő szekerét, melyen a kocsis pokoli hörgéssel szórja átkait Isten teremtett világára. Később belekerül egy gyorsabb rész is, sok blastbeat-el, de ezután minden hang elhal, és csak az éjszakai szél suttogása, valamint egy pergő dob monoton ütemei hallatszanak. Fokozatosan tér vissza az összes hangszer, egy egyszerű gitármelódiára ráépítve a folytatást.
A Suffering is a Virtue felépítésében hasonló, bár a dallamok itt annyira nem megkapóak, viszont van benne egy ikerhörgős rész, ahol a magas kicsit emlékeztet Varg Vikernes hagjára, ezzel megidézve a Burzum hangulatát.

Az Earth Expired nem gitármelódiával, hanem kőkemény riffeléssel indul. Persze ez is felveszi egy idő után a vontatottabb tempót, de az egész lemezen ez a szám közelít leginkább a korai black metal stílushoz. Egy kiállás után egyedül a basszus kezd játszani, és erre épül rá egy gitárdallam, majd később a riffelés. Befejezésként ismét egy gyorsabb, black metal-osabb téma következik. A Necrotic Reflections a leghosszabb track a lemezen a maga 15 percével. Talán ez a legkevésbé fogós dal. Itt is a vontatottság, az egyszerű gitárdallamok képezik az alapot, de valahogy kevésbé sikerült változatosságot csempészni az ütemek közé. Apró váltások vannak, de nem olyan erőteljesek, mint az ezt megelőzőekben.
A záró Halo of Worms disznóölés hangjaival indul, majd karcos, lassú doom metal riffeléssel zakatol tovább. Itt a leginkább korai My Dying Bride hangulata kerül megidézésre. Ez sem kiemelkedő szerzemény, de kétségtelenül benne van a doom/death stílus esszenciája.

Az Ophis-nak sikerült egy nagyon jó lemezt összehoznia, melyet bátran merek ajánlani bárkinek, aki fogékony az efféle sötét, földöntúli hangulatú anyagokra.

Author: gwanath

Review
Heavy Impact
8/10
06.08.2010

e ha senso chiedersi cosa è oggi, dopo la venuta ad essere di correnti come il Funeral Doom ed il Drone, il Doom/Death Metal, a tale quesito potrebbero dare degna risposta i tedeschi Ophis. La band formatasi nel 2001, con questo “Withered Shades” da alle stampe il secondo album e lo fa in maniera davvero ottima, anche se bisogna subito mettere in conto che la proposta tutta elude i lidi della facilità e si colloca entro un baratro confortevole unicamente agli ascoltatori più avvezzi al genere in esame.

Una della cosa che mi spinge a dire questo è prima tra tutte la durata delle tracce che vanno da una durata minima di dieci minuti ad una massima di sedici. I brani presentati sono cinque e si contraddistinguono per il proprio essere devoti ad esperienze dolorose e cupe, queste si adagiano perfettamente nei meandri dei riffs lisergici e nei momenti riflessivi, di forte impatto emotivo, che man mano la band mette in campo. Trattandosi di Doom/Death Metal è anche costante il ricorso ad accelerazioni ed a strutture più complesse, rispetto a canoni standard del Doom o del Funeral. Ottime le vocals di Philipp Kruppa, impegnato anche alla chitarra, che scavano solchi profondi e nerissimi grazie ad un utilizzo del growl sempre attento a restare bene ancorato a tutto ciò che gli anni 90 hanno offerto in ambito death classico.

Le tracce presenti sono tutte ottime e spesso si stagliano sulla soglia dell’eccellenza, come per “Suffering is a Virtue” vero e proprio manifesto dell’album, un brano ombroso all’inverosimile capace di far riaffiorare i ricordi delle primissime produzioni Tiamat, anche se al feeling più sognante e poetico degli svedesi, qui si sostituisce una vena rassegnata, pregna di rimandi da fine incombente.

Un lavoro tanto difficile quanto affascinante. Una cortina di dense colorazioni scure e di sensi escatologici da fine incombente, chiusi meravigliosamente da quella “Halo of Worms”, testimone sonora di trapasso e di larve affamate di carne putrida.

Author: Andrea Angelino

Review
Metal Crypt
4/5
18.08.2010

Massive album of bellowing Doom/Death, leaning much more heavily on the Doom. Ophis meld a heavy-as-fuck guitar sound to some excellent riffing and an oppressive atmosphere of evil and decay. The vocals are a low growl highlighted with s few raspier parts. They aren’t the greatest, but they don’t detract. The heart of this is the big, big guitar sound and the big, big riffs. With the looong songs, this is much more Doom than just slow Death metal, and even approaches Funeral in places. Overall this is just a solid disc of pummeling Doom. Fans of old Morgion or like bands should check this out.

Author: Sargon the Terrible

Review
Imperiumi
6/10
10.08.2010

Ophis voisi osua kantensa perusteella vaikkapa depressiivisen black metalinkin genreen, mutta niin vain harmaiden kansien sisältä löytyy hitaampaa ja surumielisempää tavaraa. Saksalaiset ovat erikoistuneet kaivamaan doom metalin genreviidakosta useammankin mädän hedelmän, joista syntyy yhtenäinen mutta silti monipuolinen soppa.

Ophisin juuret ovat vanhan liiton doom/death metalissa, joka ei tuskaisimmillaan ja jylhimmillään ole kaukana alkuaikojen My Dying Bridesta kolkkoine tempoineen, surumielisine kitaroineen ja muhkeine murinoineen. Kuten brittisynkistelijät, myös Ophis uskaltautuu rikkoa etenkin levyn alkupuolella kaavaa rivakammalla menolla, ja esimerkiksi levyn helmessä, Suffering is a Virtuessa, alkaa olla sävyjä jo Dance of December Soulsin aikaisesta Katatoniasta angstisesti etenevine riffeineen. Myös muutama sadepäivän lakonisuutta kuvastava näppäilyosuus nousee hienosti pintaan.

Mitä pidemmälle Withered Shades kuitenkin etenee, sitä enemmän Ophis tuntuu uppoavan funeral doomin maailmaan, missä yhtyeellä ei tunnu löytyvän enää samanlaista innovatiivisuutta. Niinpä keskittyminen herpaantuu niin bändiltä kuin kuulijaltakin, ja musiikki menettää alkupuolen jännitettään. Erinäiset hetket vielä kannattelevat kokonaisuutta kuten kuulas lopetus Halo of Wormsissa tai vahvat melodiat Necrotic Reflectionissa, mutta kyllä 64 minuutin mitta alkaa potkia pahasti levyä vastaan toisella puoliskolla.

Ophis ei siis pysty hyvistä ainesosista leipomaan aivan parasta piirasta. Withered Shadesin rouheassa soundimaailmassa ja yhtyeen soitossa ei ole mitään vikaa – etenkin rumpali Nils Groth iskee tavallista doom-raahautujaa ilmeikkäämmin – mutta ideapussi tyhjenee nyt liian nopeasti.

Author: Antti Klemi

Review
Diabolical Conquest Webzine
8.4/10
23.08.2010

Solitude Productions’ slew of ‘melancholic’ and ‘gothic’ death/doom can often become tiresome to sort through, but it certainly is made worthwhile when something like Ophis’ newest record is on the table. Having released their debut Stream of Misery three years ago, the North German group established themselves as another propagator of the cold, dark, almost mechanical death/doom that bands like Ataraxie have mastered. Ophis are another constituent of the small collective of European death/doom that focuses on the alienating themes of loss and depression without an overt gothic aesthetic, simply relying on the gloomy melancholy straddling a strong death metal foundation – and they’re all the better for it. While this slower and more drawn out style perhaps is not so accessible or popular as your everyday Swallow the Suns or Draconians (thank God), nor do they appeal as much to the underground death metal community due to their lack of a ‘real’ death metal feel, it’s a rather excellent niche of the genre that while expands only slowly, differentiates itself well from its contemporaries.

What is most marked about bands like Ophis is their inability to really progress their sound. Ataraxie attempted to mix things up after the success of their 2005 released Slow Transcending Agony, and the result was the bitterly disappointing Anhedonie, an album that was still Ataraxie but without any of the band’s previous drive. Ophis itself has hardly changed since the release of Stream of Misery, and while to the disillusioned or the easily bored listener this may be problematic, it ultimately makes little difference to the effect Withered Shades has on the sub-genre. Ophis deliver more of the same, which itself has a number of faults, but nevertheless retains that balance between despondency and aggression that these bands strive for.

The relationship between Ophis’ two records is almost identical to that of the relationship between Process of Guilt’s two records. Process of Guilt, a very similar band hailing from Portugal, found their own variation of the sub-genre’s style (arguably not really a ‘variation’) and maintained it almost exactly with little maturation over the course of three years – there was no progression, merely expansion. And Ophis follow this blueprint almost exactly; this itself is not a bad thing, but a characteristic of the genre they are working in. Due to their simplistic methods and focus on eschewing so called ‘progressive’ elements, their music remains what it is – if you’re a fan, then you’ll certainly remain so.

While the mechanical and rigid structures of the songs on Withered Shades are in stark contrast to their occasional toying with melody, there is more Ataraxie or Evoken to be heard here than, say, Mourning Beloveth – while Ophis and Mourning Beloveth do share much in common, straight out death metal sequences such as the opening of ‘Earth Expired’ or the climactic segment in the monolithic ‘Halls of Sorrow’ firmly place Ophis into the hands of the more iniquitous continental Europeans. Similarities to Ataraxie are very much abound, in perhaps all avenues of criticism, from the guttural vocals to the interchanging between slower, apocalyptic passages and frenetic death metal-inspired aggression. It can be argued that Ophis are pushing it a little with their ‘colossal’ approach – the record has only five tracks but goes longer than an hour, and the songs themselves are not incredibly technical nor varied. That said, the atmosphere conjured makes it more than bearable.

Withered Shades is an ideal propagator of this particular death/doom style, one which is gaining more and more popularity. For someone such as myself, the hordes of melodic death/doom and (generally Eastern European) Eurotrash doom metal makes it very hard to trust any European band that calls themselves death/doom, but Ophis stand head and shoulders above such mediocrity. The record is not original, nor is it incredibly special, but it’s well executed and delivers exactly what fans of this style are thirsty for, which is undoubtedly a good thing. If anything can be said to Ophis, it’s simply this – ‘keep it coming’.

Author: Berkay Erkan

Review
Music Scan
8/10
21.08.2010

Man darf und muß sich vielleicht berechtigt fragen, wie es eine Band wie OPHIS schafft, zu überleben und immer noch, auch nach ungezählten Jahren, motiviert zu Werke zu gehen. Newcomer sind die Jungs aus Deutschlands Norden nun wahrlich nicht. Hört man in die ersten Takte des neuen Werkes “Withered Shades” unverblümt hinein, dann muß man sich ernsthaft fragen, ob diese Musik ehrlicher Ausdruck innerer Befindlichkeiten ist. Eigentlich wünscht man das keinem, denn das würde bedeuten, daß die Bandmitglieder bald schon mit Antidpressiva vollgepumpt in der geschlossenen Abteiling proben. Soviel Nihilismus tut fast schon weh. Aber, wir bewegen uns hier im Bereich Doom Metal und da kann man OPHIS nur gratulieren, denn kaum je hat sich Nihilismus, absolute Verzweiflung und bleierne Schwärze einen konsequenteren musikalischen Ausdruck gesucht. Das wird immer Musik für Spezialisten bleiben, aber mit diesen neuen fünf Songs, die es auf über eine Stunde Spielzeit bringen, haben sich OPHIS übertroffen. Herzergreifend düstere Doomriffs, mittelschnelle Passagen die mitreissen und eine Produktion, die nichts an Druck vermissen lässt. Ob das etwas für den Live-Genuß auf den Weltbühnen ist, sei einmal dahingestellt. Aber, für Tage, an denen alles schief zu laufen scheint, die Welt aus Grautönen besteht, dafür ist “Whitered Shades” der perfekte Soundtrack. Dagegen wirken selbst My Dying Bride wie eine

Author: Daniel

Review
Doom Metal Front
9/10
29.08.2010

Es ist schon bemerkenswert, mit welcher Routine und handwerklichem Geschick die vier Hamburger Jungs von OPHIS ihren brachialen Death Doom Sound auf ihrem nunmehr zweiten Komplettalbum „Withered Shades“ zelebrieren. In fast schon gewohnter Qualität quellen diesmal die fünf Songs „The Halls of Sorrow“, „Suffering is a Virtue“, „Earth Expired“, „Necrotic Reflection“ und „Halo of Worms“ bitter böse aus den den Boxen. Der morbiden, bereits aus den Titelnamen ableitbaren, Anziehungskraft wird über die gesamte Spieldauer der wirklich großartig arrangierten und viele interessante Wendungen enthaltenden Stücke jederzeit genüge getan. Über allem thronen dabei erneut enorm diabolische Vocals, bei deren Klang sich wahrlich die Hölle auftut und welche den Hörer erbarmungslos aus, zum nachdenklichen Innehalten verführenden, Passagen schmettern. Sporadisch beigemischte Samples wie eisig heulender Wind oder wunderbar makaberes Schweinegequieke verfeinern darüber hinaus die tödliche Tonkunst, welche von dem silbrig, glänzendem Verfalls-Cover-Artwork adäquat umhüllt wird. Mit diesem, noch für 2010 auch als Vinylpressung geplanten, Gesamtpaket hat der Hansestadt Vierer die Genre-Messlatte beeindruckend hoch gelegt und seinen Status als eine der ersten deutschen Todes Doom Adressen mit internationalem Format weiter verfestigt. Einfach nur STARK!

Author: Slowmas