Band: SILENT LEGES INTER ARMA
Country: Germany
Title: Ad plures ire
Label: Independent
Year: 2022
Style: Melodic Black Death Metal

Review:
15 years after the band was founded, and no less than 10 years since their debut album, SLIA return with a second opus, self-released in exceptionally looking 3 panel Digipak CD with a 16 pages booklet that seems massive because it's printed on offset matte paper, and looks really expressive due to the artowork it comes with that somehow replaces or fills the empty left by the lack of printed lyrics. Musically speaking Ad plures ire is not a instant hit, and to be honest its debut sounds quite mediocre or unimpressive, but as it develops over its 7 tracks / 45 minutes of playing time, it constantly grows on you and reveals complex and varied soundscapes, balancing between Black and Death Metal with a pronounced melodic edge that also very varied and doesn't follow a certain pattern but multiple. By the time you reach the last track you'll feel totally connected with the band, this fine balance and sequence between the rough, brutal passages and the melodic, soothing ones, is what will get you at ease with the band's harmonies. I would have liked a bit more varied vocals part, or a bit more guitar hooks like leads and solos (or a bit more upfront), but even without that Ad plures ire concludes into a beautifully packed and delivered Black Death Metal with a bit of everything for everyone. Lyric-wise the band follows the epic of Gilgamesh, and I really don't remember when I last heard a band talking about Mesopotamian mythology, pretty cool. Also worth mentioning is that two of the tracks are instrumental, one completely on guitar, the other on piano, which in contrast with the otherwise rugged nature of the band's music are exactly what the listener needs to fully embrace the whole experience; really well played! Not sure how well the band was known a decade ago, but if they still have followers from that period I bet they were not disappointed by the long wait.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10

Contact:
silentlegesinterarma1.bandcamp.com

Review to be published in the upcoming issue of Slowly We Rot print magazine!