Artist: Oraculum
Country: Chile
Label: Invictus Productions
Formats: LP/ CD
Year: 2026
Formed in 2011, Oraculum from Chile features members of amongst others Wrathprayer and Deathwards. Very early on they struck a union with Invictus Productions from Ireland, a collaboration that goes back to 2014, when the band released their first EP ‘Sorcery of the Damned’ on the label. A companionship of patience, that was enforced by the 2017 EP ‘Always Higher’ but then met a lengthy period of silence. A time, spent to hone skills, to tweak the musical formula, all culminating in one of the first records to see the light in 2026, the inevitable Oraculum debut album ‘Hybris Divina’.
Oraculum plays mood-driven old school Death Metal mainly inspired by the bands from various corners of the world that peaked in the late 80’s and early 90’s. There is a strong sense of ‘Lost Paradise’ era Paradise Lost and Germany’s Poison in the atmosphere, while riff-wise there are clear references to early Morbid Angel and Death and the French bands Mercyless and Agressor. But certainly a flair of Bolt Thrower, Morgoth and Asphyx cannot be denied either. The guitar are low in their tuning, but they aren’t overly distorted or “cavernous”. Instead, the production has a clear old school analog vibe, feeling powerful yet not overproduced. A perfect fit for a dynamic old school blend of Death Metal, that often takes thing to a lower tempo to build tension, flaring up in controlled violent bursts with the occasional all-out commitment to ferocity.
While ‘A Monument to Fallen Virtues’ is merely meant to set the tone, it immediately transfers me back to the early 90’s sound of Paradise Lost. A great prelude to ‘The Great One’, the next lengthy track with threatening drums. The vocals that join in can be beste described as a mix of Chuck Schuldiner on the first few Death records, Marc Grewe of Morgoth and Max Otero of Mercyless. Like all the songs, Oraculum continously plays with pace, often blending low to midpaced riffs with rather frantically shifting drums. At the same time, guitars rise and fall, sometimes manifesting as a furious whammy solo, at other times as a weeping melody. This is all aimed to build an atmosphere in the track, often culminating in a furious and fast outburst, but with a sense of control that’s rather uncanny. Take for instance ‘Mendacious Heroism’, with a restless start with shifting tempos and building riffs, but also delightful rhythms and a few whirling solos. Yet I wouldn’t call the music technical or chaotic per se, just energetic and dynamic. It’s as if the band continously flirts with chaos, lashing out momentarily while it builds a looming darkness.
‘Carnage’ is another great track, rapid intially, more crushing as it progresses. The duo of guitar solos that weave into each other evolves into a beautiful sense of melody contrasted by intense vocals cries. Or ‘Dolos’, a more eerily strumming track with nervous drums and rising guitars. Perhaps the highlight is ‘Spiritial Virility’, a song with a buzzing main riff and an incredible headbanging urge, with wildly barked vocals in the old school style. The band certainly can’t hide their South American roots here, with the trademark untamed energy of the continent’s Extreme Metal scene seeping through in the song structures. Finally there’s ‘Posthumous Exultation’, a song with a massive beginning that carries some beautiful guitars and has an almost epic undertone to it, despite the chaotic outbursts contained within.
It makes total sense that ‘Hybris Divina’ took nearly 8 years to be completed. Everything about the album reeks of meticulous focus on quality, on minute details that set the song on the right path of building the atmosphere in the right manner but keeping true to that unpredictable violent energy within. I have felt so fatigued by a lot of Death Metal in recent years. But bands like Oraculum give me hope that the old school Death Metal spirit is still very much alive. Highly impressive album!
