In the days of antiquity, after the embers of a funeral pyre had died, the bones of the deceased would be gathered together in a funerary box and given a place of reverence to withstand the ravages of time. Ossilegium stand upon these burnt offerings of the past while forging onward into new realms of darkness, where even light fears the eventual entropy of universal death.
One of the best-kept secrets of the Chicago metal scene, Ossilegium is the creation of Exhul (Empyreus, Kommandant, Withering Soul) and Valr (Amongst the Fallen, Blackened Temple, Kommandant). Together, the duo build upon extensive influences from the worlds of heavy & extreme metal along with influences from literature, sci-fi, and fantasy gaming.
Initially formed as Empyreus from 2009-2019, Ossilegium debuted in 2020 after extensive lineup changes. Largely inspired by the ’90s black metal scenes of Sweden and Norway, Ossilegium bring forth their own style of Blackened Metal of Death with their long-awaited debut album, The Gods Below. Indeed, the record is aptly titled, for the alternately ice-cold / burning-hot majesty the duo unleash here reinvigorates noble old tropes – namely, the days when melody was married to death metal crunch and when leathery black wings enclosed it, flying far and free across a landscape of blue-purple emotion. To say that The Gods Below could’ve been released on No Fashion, Black Sun, or Wrong Again Records back in the day is not to suggest there’s “retro” pastiche at play; rather, Ossilegium truly LIVE this style of metal and prove it with incredibly dynamic songwriting and impassioned performance. Hearing is believing, and buttressed by haunting acoustic passages, the duo’s debut album becomes an all-immersive experience no matter the decade.
On evidence of The Gods Below, Ossilegium deserve to be included in the conversation of classic works by Necrophobic, Sacramentum, Unanimated, Gates of Ishtar, and Sweden’s Dawn and Naglfar. The past is alive, and it’s only just begun!
2. Serpentine Shadows
3. The Winds of Astaroth
4. Beyond the Clandestine
5. The Heart of Darkness
6. To Reach The Eternal Ends
7. Constellationrise
8. The Gods Below
9. Planar Nexus