STRATUZ is a Death/Doom Metal band from Venezuela. Lyrically, the album “Osculum Pacis” speaks of the abuses of the church and its deafening silence in the face of so many denunciations of abuse. It speaks of the manipulation of the masses, injustice, but at the same time, it also speaks of the awakening of consciousness, of death as a process of transformation, the need to change ourselves in order to rise up and banish our own miseries. The album has eleven songs. Following the mostly brass “Intro,” is “Morning Star.” The sound reminds me of AMORPHIS…deep Death Metal vocals tinged with Doom. There are also some clean vocals in the mix.

“Holy Grail” features piano and other symphonic elements, which really help to round out the sound, and the Doomy elements keep the song buried in mystery. “Caelibatus” has a more rousing sound with some chords in major keys. The subtle us of symphonic elements and meaty bass notes propels the song forward. “In the Name of God” is a combination of thick Doom and Death Metal with a few moments of levity. Much like the Melodic Death Metal genre, the moments of levity help the aggressive moments to stand out more. “Sodomized” carries with it the overall theme of the album…the nasty church indiscretions we don’t talk about, in a landscape of Doom so depressing, it almost breaks your will to live.

“Dawn” might be the realization that there is life after injustice, but you wouldn’t know it from the music. The lead guitar runs are fantastic in the song, and the band flexes some of their strong musicianship. “Left” is the actualization of what remains after a serious trauma. The deeply depressing and hopeless tones combine with anger at times, in a slow grind that will simply wear the listener down by the end. “Condemned” closes the album, and is this the fate we are left with? Perhaps. Despair comes through mostly in this song. What the band does best on the album, besides their attention to detail, is construct a well-told story where the music matches the themes, with a variety of instruments to tell the tale. This is thoughtful Death/Doom Metal, with a heaping of torture for extra measures.