Genre: Black metal
Origin: Poland
Released: 2006
Website: Non Opus Dei
Label: Pagan Records
Uploaded: 09.04.08

Well this is not your everyday black metal. Non Opus Dei steps out of the mould and breaks endless amounts of boundaries, creating something I�m not sure if I�ve ever heard before. �Avantgarde black metal� would probably be the easiest way to describe The Quintessence, but the phrase just doesn�t do the album justice. I�ve listened to it many, many times now, but I still have absolutely no idea how to describe it. I�m not sure if it�s just too complex for me to grasp, or what, but it sure sends out a schizophrenic vibe. The tempo is mostly mid-paced, but with the occasional grinding stirring things up. And as soon as I think I might have a grasp on the sound they fuck me up again in ways I cannot describe. Absolute aural madness! The closest band I can possibly come up with for comparison is �And Oceans, but that�s still no way near. If you have an open mind and are in the mood for some disturbing metal, keeping you on the edge of your seat then this is definitely for you. I, on the other hand, will probably not listen to this album too often. It�s not that it�s bad, I just feel physically ill and mentally unbalanced after just half the album. Progressive, avantgardistic, complex and stereotype smashing is what this is, by damn fine musicians and a harsh vocalist.

Tracklist:
01. 21 XII 2004
02. Neither by time nor space
03. Kolejny obr�t kola
04. The wordless galactic ceremony
05. Naga matryca zycia i smierci
06. Oczy tej kobiety
07. Energion: the quintessence of the new spirituality
08. Gdy imperium upada...
09. Das ist krieg
10. A beauty made of steel
11. The eternal dance
12. To stop the everturning wheel
13. Gdy faun poszedl na wojne...