Time can be quite an interesting thing for all that it can unfold so long as we simply allow it to roll on. For music, in particular, it should be a no-brainer for virtually everybody that it can unveil some of the most fascinating talent of all sorts. Typically, though, a band with promise oftentimes needs more than just a couple of years to allow their performances to grow into something that really catches people off-guard and shows us what they can do. Ofnus already displayed great promise within their debut two years ago, but it’s throughout this new opus that it becomes clear Ofnus used their gift of time incredibly well and didn’t waste a single second of it.

Given the excellent reception that Ofnus rightfully received for its debut album, “Time Held Me Grey and Dying”, it only felt natural that a band which really captured the essence of what proper atmospheric black metal can be when it’s approached from the right angle and given the breadth that such themes deserves would be closely watched to see what it pulled off next. Evidently, the matters of the soul have weighed greatly on Ofnus during the time since with “Valediction” a spectacular and potent approach for grief and all the traumatic emotions that come with it. From top to bottom, it would be crude of anyone to claim that Ofnus was not perfectly fitted to bring this task to life in such a meaningful and impeccably executed form. Laced with captivating melodies that are brilliantly soaked into the enriching atmospheres that pull you ever further into a wounded realm that seeks healing and eventually does find it in spite of the seemingly desperate circumstances, it’s the whole of “Valediction” that entrenches the listener into some of the band’s darkest moments that everybody should be able to effortlessly connect with, making the album all the more powerful upon the fragile soul. Pile on top of all that a tremendous understanding of the style and bucket loads of talent that have been evident from day one, Ofnus more than earns its place back in the conversation of what it means to deliver atmospheric black metal that’s able to become so much more through meticulous craftsmanship, a compelling evocative nature, and no less than immensity that one cannot help but fall into.

Immeasurably multi-dimensional while constantly pulling the listener into all sorts of different directions that have long defined the genre as a whole without a bit of compromising when it comes to the core themes of the sound, what Ofnus has put forth here should not be seen as anything short of genius from beginning to end. Time can only tell when a new name of atmospheric black metal is finally able to come around and deliver excellence the likes of which cannot be denied, and it’s throughout every gorgeously macabre minute of “Valediction” that we can bear witness to the rising of an act whose power we simply should not ignore.

“Valediction” releases on February 28th via Naturmacht Productions!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Valediction” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Ofnus on Facebook here.