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EX DEO

Year Of The Four Emperors

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JFD Studio (@jfdstudio_) • Instagram-Fotos und -Videos

Line up:

Maurizio Iacono - vocals
Jean-François Dagenais - guitars
Stéphane Barbe - guitars
Dano Apekian - bass
James Payne - drums

Track Listing:

Galba

Otho

Vitellius

Vespasian

Dark and mighty for a year of war and blood

Mastermind Maurizio Iacono and his faithful, Juno-nominated Legion EX DEO strike back with an epic and mighty EP: "Year Of The Four Emperors" released on January 10, which is a true flaming outburst of 2025 at its very beginning.

Epic and mighty but not overly symphonic. I mean, symphonic yes, it is, but not too much. Deep and dark melodies and first-class instrumentation are the motto. Vocals are harsh, apprehensive, commanding, or frantic depending on the events narrated. Events narrated with terrific lyrics. Cinematic and mysterious yes, but mainly focused on Melodic Death Metal. After all, surely three of the four tracks can be added to any metal compilation, even to those compilations without symphonic ingredients. "Year Of The Four Emperors", released under Reigning Phoenix Music and Mixed and Mastered at JFD Studio) is still grandly anthemic like the previous records yet alluringly approachable. A moment in the history of the Roman Empire is anyway still the protagonist. Ex DEO is relenting history transmuted into giant lyrics, and giant music.

Indeed, after 4 full-length albums ("Romulus", "Caligvla", "The Immortal Wars", and "The Thirteen Years of Nero") EX DEO dispenses us with another unique flash of the chronicles of the Roman Empire bringing us back to another very important and scary moment of history, precisely to Anno Domini 69. After Nero's death, Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian succeeded each other as emperors in war and blood. This whole turmoil happened in only one cruel year. A year of civil war. Galba was murdered on the orders of Otho, who became emperor in his place. Otho then committed suicide after a decisive battle against Vitellius. After another brutal battle for Rome, the battle between Vitellius' forces and the armies of Vespasian, Vitellius was executed by Vespasian's soldiers on 20 December 69.

O tempora, o mores. I remember I studied at school this chapter of Rome but this record let me realize that, in one way or another, the figure of Emperor Otho didn't come up in my mind anymore. The irony is that "Otho" is the track I love the most from this EP, although all four songs are a benediction to my ears.

"Otho" is dark, mesmerizing, resounding epic yet not truly symphonic, rhythmically punctuated. The bass guitar vibes add intensity and obscure mystery as a counterpart to the biting and harsh vocals while the guitars design strong riffs worthy of extreme metal. An amazing melodic Death Metal track.

"Galba", the first tune of this EP, unleashes a great power and is maybe the most symphonic of the four tracks, yet enchanting, bitter and melodic hooks cannot remain hidden.

“Vitellius” is also very dark (available as Lyric Video too), maybe the more pounding track, the heaviest composition on the EP album. Throughout the song, an incredible feeling of sinister melancholy is choking the soul with a touch of romantic despair. To tell the truth, lyrics apart and considering the musical path only, this track could be the background for a documentary of all modern wars too, the Second World War included. In my opinion, the retro feeling of the first half of the twentieth century is here equally strong as the ancient Roman grandeur and forlornness.

The track “Vespasian”, which was launched as the first single with a lyric video in December 2024, portrays the last of these four emperors and closes the record very strongly and (again) melodically, maybe it's the track that as pace reminds the most of Kataklysm. "Vespasian" is haunting, even brutal in its drama. heavy and somehow menacing. Maurizio Iacono comments: "The EP's closing track is an anthem of resilience and renewal. Vespasian emerges as a figure of stability amid the chaos, and the music reflects his calculated strength. Triumphant melodies intertwine with thunderous percussion, capturing his consolidation of power and the restoration of Rome's fractured empire. The lyrics exalt Vespasian as the harbinger of a new era, culminating in a resounding declaration of victory and legacy. His reign ushers in the Flavian dynasty and a semblance of peace."

In one word: Monumental.

review by dalia di giacomo

The band is now on tour in Europe with DARK FUNERAL, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE and KAMI NO IKARI

(Let The Devil In Tour). A North American tour in the spring with SEPTICFLESH and VLTIMAS will follow

"Let The Devil In" - European Winter Tour 2025
w/ DARK FUNERAL, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, KAMI NO IKARI
Presented by Metal Hammer, metal.de & Decibel-Touring
03.01.2025 DE Hamburg - Markthalle
04.01.2025 DE Oberhausen - Turbinenhalle 2
05.01.2025 BE Sint-Niklaas - De Casino
07.01.2025 UK London - O2 Academy Islington
08.01.2025 FR Paris - La Machine du Moulin Rouge
09.01.2025 FR Toulouse - Le Bikini
10.01.2025 ES Burgos - Sala Andén 56
11.01.2025 ES Madrid - La Sala del WiZink Center
12.01.2025 ES Barcelona - Sala Razzmatazz 2
14.01.2025 FR Villeurbanne (Lyon) - La Rayonne
15.01.2025 IT Trezzo sull’Adda (MI) - Live Club
16.01.2025 CH Zurich - Komplex 457
17.01.2025 DE Munich - Backstage (Werk)
18.01.2025 HU Budapest - Barba Negra
19.01.2025 HR Zagreb - Boogaloo
21.01.2025 AT Vienna - SimmCity
22.01.2025 SK Kosice - Collosseum Club
23.01.2025 PL Wroclaw - Centrum Koncertowe A2
24.01.2025 CZ Prague - MeetFactory
25.01.2025 DE Leipzig - Hellraiser
26.01.2025 NL Utrecht - TivoliVredenburg *
* w/ FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE only

30.01. - 03.02.2025 US Miami, FL - 70,000 Tons of Metal

"Modern Primitive In North America Tour 2025"
w/ SEPTICFLESH, VLTIMAS
Presented by Hard Impact Artist Management & Continental Touring USA
10.02.2025 US Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
11.02.2025 US Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
12.02.2025 US Albuquerque NM - Sunshine Theater
13.02.2025 US Mesa, AZ - The Nile Theater
14.02.2025 US San Diego CA - Brick By Brick
15.02.2025 US San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
16.02.2025 US Los Angeles, CA - 1720
17.02.2025 US Las Vegas, NV - Sinwave
19.02.2025 US Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater
20.02.2025 US Lawrence, KS - The Granada Theater
21.02.2025 US St Paul, MN - Amsterdam Bar & Hall
22.02.2025 US Joliet, IL - The Forge
23.02.2025 US Cleveland, OH - TempleLive / The Asylum
24.02.2025 CA Toronto, ON - The Concert Hall
26.02.2025 CA Ottawa, ON - Overflow Brewing Company
27.02.2025 CA Montreal, QC - Le Studio TD
28.02.2025 US Worcester, MA - The Palladium (Upstairs)
01.03.2025 US Albany, NY - Empire Live
02.03.2025 US New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre

Year Of The Four Emperors

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