DECEPTION were initially formed as ART OF DECEPTION in 2013. From 2019 onwards, they are active as DECEPTION. The Death Metal outfit comes from Stavanger, Norway, and released two EPs and three full-length albums. Their album number four is called “Daenacteh” and it has a length of about 45 minutes. “Daenacteh” was mixed by Martin Skar Berger (BLOOD RED THRONE; ZEROZONIC) and mastered by Robin Leijon (EQUILIBRIUM). It was released via Danish Thrash, Death, and melodic Death Metal specialists Mighty Music. No official video has been released yet.

The album has a strong start with the symphonic Death Metal inspired “Sulphur Clouds”. It is a dark track with chilling melodies, intensified by the orchestral arrangements with the brass leading the charge. It is a track with some complexity in the song structure with many tempo and rhythm changes during the track. The guitar riffing is very aggressive and so is the drumming with a few blast-beat attacks. The growling vocals are versatile and are across the whole guttural range. “Sulphur Clouds” seamlessly transitions into “King Of Salvation” and this one has a fast start with flesh-ripping guitar riffing. It is a pummeling track for most of the time with tempo changes ranging from a measured tempo up to parts blisteringly fast driven by blast-beat thunderstorms. The melodic framework is spine-chilling, especially during the slower parts of the track. The orchestral arrangements are very prominent and follow their own patterns at times, mostly led by the strings and the brass. “King Of Salvation” is an excellent piece of symphonic Death Metal and one of the album highlights. Darkness prevails in “Iblis’ Mistress”, which starts with a grim piano part introducing the main melody. It is a slow track with epic and melancholic melodies. The growls are two-parted with a mixture of deep lying growls during the verse parts alternated with higher pitched screams during the chorus parts. The orchestral arrangements are well balanced with the guitars and contribute very well to the track. Even though “Iblis’ Mistress” is a slow song, a couple of short fast blast-beat attacks are included and give the track an extra layer.

“Assailants” starts with devastating, blood-freezing riffs at a measured tempo, transitioning into a mid-tempo verse part. There are numerous twists and turns in tempo and rhythm throughout the track, while the melodic framework contains neo-classical features at time. A few progressive elements are also present, which adds something extra to the song. The orchestral arrangements are prominent at times, if so, they give the track some epic features. “Monophobic” starts pummeling with a short blast-beat attack followed by a double-bass driven part. The track is mainly at mid-tempo with the characteristic twists in tempo and rhythm. The arrangements are mainly driven by the strings, and they are at times prominent, but at times also in the background. What sticks in mind are the relentless blast-beat parts and the first lead guitar solo of the album. The final part of the song is spine-chilling again with the devastating guitar riffing accompanied by the brass. “Dhariyan” is a slow track at a measured tempo with an almost stomping rhythm, with powerful riffing, dark melodies, which are melancholic at times, and a few oriental inspirations. The growls are mainly deep lying, but with a few higher pitched screams. The arrangements are again very prominent with mainly the strings and the brass providing a grim sound. It is a typical album track, which comes with complexity in the textures and changes in tempo and rhythm. Even though, it is a slow track, there are also some crushing parts at crazy speed.

“Beheaded On Your Way” is a mid-tempo track during the verse parts, with a blast-beat driven bridge and faster chorus parts. The riffing is thunderous, and the basslines are crunching. The orchestral arrangements are led by the strings, and they are again well balanced with the guitars, bass, and drums. “Beheaded On Your Way” contains another very contributing lead guitar solo. The album finishes with “Daughters Of The Desert”. It has a quiet, guitar-driven start with orientally inspired melodies. The quietness of the track does not last for long as it is soon interrupted by another blast-beat assault leading into a slow verse part at a stomping rhythm. It is a track with two faces: the slow, doom-laden parts with melancholic features in the melodies and deep-lying growls, and the crushing parts driven by the blast-beats and the aggressive higher pitched screams. In between, DECEPTION do what DECEPTION do best, they distort the song structure, change rhythm and melodies at every opportunity and add as much complexity as they can. All is kept very well together not least by the orchestrations. As the final track is more than 10 minutes long, there is also time for a punishing extended lead guitar solo at blistering pace. “Daughters Of The Desert” is surely the album highlight.

DECEPTION deliver an excellent symphonic Death Metal album. “Daenacteh” is crushing, spine-chilling, epic, and melancholic at times. The orchestrations are always contributing and add an extra dimension to the album sound. As often in this genre, all songs are complex in the song structures and have some degree of technicality. DECEPTION create their very own Death Metal sound with the songwriting being their strength. The album is well produced. “Daenacteh” is the best DECEPTION album to date and a must-have album for symphonic Death Metal fans.