Ex Deo

Montreal, Canada's Ex Deo is a side project formed in 2008 by <a href="spotify:artist:7kozeGeawfP7IEEL6dddrM">Kataklysm</a> frontman Maurizio Iacono, who wished to combine his death metal experience with his passion for history -- in this case, specifically focused on the Roman Empire, as evidenced by the title of 2009's debut album, the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Nuclear+Blast%22">Nuclear Blast</a>-issued Romulus. With Iacono handling all lyrics and vocals, the recording lineup was fleshed out by <a href="spotify:artist:7kozeGeawfP7IEEL6dddrM">Kataklysm</a> members Stéphane Barbe (guitar), Jean-François Dagenais (guitar), François Mongrain (bass), and Max Duhamel (drums), as well as <a href="spotify:artist:6babBcPlEkSZCsXKf7wFnD">Blackguard</a> keyboardist Jonathan Leduc and also featuring guest appearances by <a href="spotify:artist:3v3VSKylQE69ztn5TUVlFE">Nile</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:0ikESMnIqVDnp3mSOyQ4xA">Karl Sanders</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1Oos40mD8hfvswQWVjkbg5">Keep of Kalessin</a>'s Obsidian C., and <a href="spotify:artist:1MK0sGeyTNkbefYGj673e9">Behemoth</a>'s Nergal. Also worth noting is that the album itself boasted a far more melodic brand of death metal to back those mythical/historic lyrics than the ultra-complex and inaccessible style typically favored by <a href="spotify:artist:7kozeGeawfP7IEEL6dddrM">Kataklysm</a>. The band moved to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Napalm%22">Napalm</a> for its 2012 sophomore outing, Caligvla, which featured guest appearances by Seth Siro (<a href="spotify:artist:5MlEt7qqXqNSReeX76xK6b">Septic Flesh</a>), Mariangela Demurtas (<a href="spotify:artist:2EOmvmVtYMTgn45w9mWUTV">Tristania</a>), Stefano Fiori (<a href="spotify:artist:4XJZ7zUJzQuayqyAVJowKX">Graveworm</a>), and Francesco Artusato (<a href="spotify:artist:7GkGdNLPzWw4e6ctwKvI2x">All Shall Perish</a>). In 2017, after a five-year hiatus, Ex Deo returned to the studio and delivered the ambitious Immortal Wars, which used the Punic Wars -- a bloody trio of wars between Rome and Carthage led by legendary generals Hannibal and Scipio Africanus -- as its narrative foundation. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi