The Magus concluding Necromantia's chapter with the album "To The Depths We Descend..." -with which he honored his longtime collaborator Baron Blood who passed away so suddenly in 2019- found himself at a crossroads. He had to choose between retiring after a long and successful musical career and charting a new path. He didn't hesitate at all. He chose the hard way. Necromantia no longer exists, but the protagonist is here, on the ramparts, ready for new journeys in abyss. For a whole year he secluded himself from worldly affairs and devoted exclusively to the composition of "Vissodomontas", which is the title that seals the debut album of his new project THE MAGUS. When we announced the signing with The Magus a few months ago, having only heard a part of the pre-production album, we had written verbatim: "We can assure that The Magus is at his most creative stage. To the question of whether the new material moves in Black Metal era, our answer is yes, but not only. He managed to create an album full of diverse melodies that transcended the rigid cliches of the idiom. Once again The Magus did not follow the easy path and prepared something really enormous from every point of view that will remain underserved in time." Well, listening today to the final result, we could add a lot more. Or rather we should ask: Is there room in raging black metal for choirs? For operatic parts? Would Blues fit into Black Metal? Can the legacy of Dead Can Dance be combined with traditional heavy metal riffing when at the same time the abyss trumpets eerie sounds? All these questions are solved at once when the baguette is in the hands of an experienced composer like The Magus. Yes, "Vissodomontas" can well be characterized as extreme, raw & aristocratic black metal, but at the same time there is much more that is slowly revealed to the listener. "Vissodomontas" is an album that is meticulous down to its last detail. Every note, every riff & chorus, is not by chance where it was placed. Except El (Guitars) & Maelstorm (Drums) who make up THE MAGUS, a host of well-known musicians participated adding their personal touch (King Dude, IDVex (1/2 SOUTHERN NORTH), Hel Pyre (W.E.B.), Iraklis Gialatzides (SWAN CHRISTY) & Christos Antoniou (SEPTICFLESH) who did the arrangements for the live choir. At the same time, five graphic designers tackled the artwork of all formats and captured in an exemplary way on paper the nightmarish thoughts of The Magus. Finally, a special mention is needed for the amazing production, mixing & mastering, done at Pentagram Studio by George Emmanuel.
