Country: Ukraine
Genre: Progressive thrash metal
Single: Path of Illumination
Format: Digital
Label: Nocturnus Records
Release date: February 13, 2026
Having been silent for some time, a Ukrainian band that was making a name for itself opening for Artillery and Dying Fetus, and recording albums with a few notable guest musicians, has returned after a ten-year hiatus. During this period, founding member Metal Priest focused on his other bands: Bestial Invasion, Tria Prima, Lord Erektus, and Cosmic Jaguar. His unending passion for pushing boundaries in metal remains evident, as he continues to develop new ideas for these projects and Violent Omen.
Starting in the late 2000s as a thrash band with a darker, more occult turn toward black metal, Violent Omen later shifted toward a more technical and intricate musical direction, with each release showcasing increasing complexity. Internal issues forced the band apart in 2014, and Metal Priest wasn’t expecting a reformation years later. However, it eventually happened, and musically, the band now seems stronger and more focused than ever before.
Without the involvement of founding guitarist Flood, who was part of the band from the beginning, they assembled a new lineup featuring Evgeniy Maestro, who had prior experience working with Metal Priest in Bestial Invasion and Cosmic Jaguar. Given how seamlessly they’ve meshed their ideas since they started working together, I imagined that the new track “Path of Illumination” would demonstrate similar craftsmanship and creativity, likely surpassing their previous achievements. If you’re familiar with these bands, you know that musicians don’t have to sacrifice ingenuity to maintain fierce aggression.
“Path of Illumination” is powerful and intense, yet it defies typical thrash conventions. From its brief ambient guitar intro to its opening riff, where abrasive, acerbic rhythm guitars meet symphonic and classical-themed lead guitars, the song demonstrates how much the new lineup has evolved after ten years of inactivity. It also showcases the extent to which the band is pushing outward both as individual musicians and as a cohesive unit.
A shorter bass passage introduces a third mood, providing a structure rooted in classic thrash metal but infused with elements of technical thrash and prog metal. From that point on, the song features more tempo changes and irregular time signatures than before, all executed at breakneck speed—as if they were playing straightforward thrash. The bass almost sounds like two players working in perfect harmony, following the guitars with pinpoint precision and generating enough rumble to add heaviness and depth.
In addition to his riffs, Metal Priest’s arrangements and the input from the rest of the band help make “Path of Illumination” a loose continuation of a concept explored in a track from Violent Omen’s last album, “L.U.N.A.C.Y.,” titled “Book of Lie.” That song delves into how religion was created to foment separation and justify oppression, reflecting one person’s disillusionment and disgust after centuries of its influence. While a familiar subject in metal, here the ideas are approached with a more philosophical angle. Metal Priest also mentioned the possibility of expanding this concept in another song, drawing inspiration from “The Da Vinci Code” and “Inferno.” -Dave Wolff
Lineup:
Metal Priest: Bass, vocals
Evgeniy Maestro: Guitars
Jury Sinitsky: Drums
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