Sepulchrum Exuro Ornus is the eleventh studio album by Swedish doom metal band Yggdrasill Burning, released on April 2nd 2010. It is preceded by 2008's Dusk Ragnarok, and is the band's return to their original Napalm label after signing two albums (Nú Mun Hon Søkkvask, Dusk Ragnarok) with Vindictive Records.
Background[]
After 2008's Dusk Ragnarok, Yggdrasill Burning spent most of 2009 touring across Europe to support the album. In November of 2009, Michael Tägtgren confirmed on his blog that Yggdrasill Burning would be releasing an album for 2010, and that recording would begin in December. Following the release of the My Dying Bride tribute album by One of Beauty's Daughters, a side-project of Tägtgren's, many speculated he would be devoting his time entirely to this and that Yggdrasill Burning's album would be put on hold. He denied this on his blog, saying that both bands would release albums in 2010, and that at the moment he is devoting his time entirely to his main project, "Yggdrasill Burning". In January 2010 the band posted on their website that the new album would be darker than any before it, and that the album would feature inspiration from the Victorian era, and would be a very gothic album. The band confirmed that the album would be released on April 2nd.
Reception[]
Some reviewers were allowed a pre-release look at "Sepulchrum Exuro Ornus" and reception has so far been positive. Critics have praised the band for a new lyrical focus.
M. Sharlac of MetalHeaded said: "Like My Dying Bride's "Turn Loose the Swans", Yggdrasill Burning's Sepulchrum Exuro Ornus is Bram Stoker for the ears. Deeply gothic, heavy guitars, Michael Tägtgren's vocals are on top form as usual as he drifts effortlessly from death growl to clean singing. The opening track "Rot With Me" is a foreboding and hope-derived song, beginning with dredging guitars and reaching full force as soon as Michael Tägtgren launches into a heavy growl. "Lay Thee To The Soil" and "Lamentations" among others show the band still has a gentler, but no less dark, side. There really isn't anything to complain about here. Quality of sound is brilliant, the band have effortlessly made the switch back to Napalm, all the band members are on top of shape, offering a plethora of gloomy sounds. This is doom at it's finest, a great way to kick off 2010".
Metalix said: "Yggdrasill Burning are no doubt the Swedish kings of gloom and doom, and Sepulchrum Exuro Ornus is another strong offering. From their 90s Norse-heavy beginnings to their middle era Tolkien lyrical fascination to more darker themes recently, the band transcend doom into so many ideas and stories. Michael Tägtgren has one of the finest voices in doom, and it is excellent here, as is his dark poetic lyrics, brilliant as always. The two part "Danse Macabre" is a highlight of the album, from its ten minute first part to the 8:45 second part, the two-song offering is a doom and sorrow-ridden tale of loss and anguish, something Yggdrasill Burning have done to a fine art form. "Victorian Times" paints the bloody portrait of a Dracula like character, and "The Truth Behind the Stone" is a crushing doom likened to that off My Dying Bride's latest. An excellent near-perfect doom record, and definitely one of the contenders for album of the year".
Later reviews following the album's release were equally appraising, such as the review from DoomCentral:
"Yggdrasill Burning are one of the finest doom metal bands in the same vein as My Dying Bride and Novembers Doom, and Sepulchrum Exuro Ornus, their eleventh effort, proves this. The band are at their musical and creative peak, and choosing to enter the studio after 2008's brilliant Dusk Ragnarok was a good decision. A different lyrical direction here though, which may perturb some fans, but it is no less grounded in that perfected Yggdrasill sound. From their early days as a rising Swedish doom band with an obsession for Nordic lyrics and myth, to their middle era of Tolkien-appraisal and appreciation, to their later different-album-different-theme approach. With Sepulchrum Exuro Ornus it is a dark and macabre Victorian-esque setting, with an equally entrancing list of songs. Another strong effort from the Swedish doom-gods, which reaffirms the genius that is Yggdrasill Burning"
Track listing[]
- "Rot With Me" - 6:44
- "Damned Masquerade" - 8:56
- "As I Rise From My Crypt" - 6:00
- "Claimed By the Night" - 9:00
- "Victorian Times" - 8:45
- "Lamentations" - 9:34
- "The Danse Macabre Part I" - 10:00
- "In Your Beauty and Death" - 5:44
- "The Danse Macabre Part II" - 8:45
- "Lay Thee To The Soil" - 4:00
- "The Truth Behind the Stone" - 5:36
- "Symphony of Loss" - 10:00
The album art for Sepulchrum Exuro Ornus