Ex Deo

Formed in 2008 in Montreal, Canada, Ex Deo originated as a side project launched by Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono, who aimed to fuse his death metal roots with a longstanding interest in history, particularly the Roman Empire. That thematic emphasis appears in the title of the band's 2009 debut, Romulus, released through Nuclear Blast. Iacono wrote all lyrics and performed the vocals, while the recording ensemble incorporated Kataklysm colleagues Stéphane Barbe and Jean-François Dagenais on guitar, François Mongrain on bass, and Max Duhamel on drums, plus Blackguard keyboardist Jonathan Leduc, with guest contributions from Nile's Karl Sanders, Keep of Kalessin's Obsidian C., and Behemoth's Nergal. The album itself adopted a noticeably more melodic strain of death metal to support its mythic and historic subject matter, setting it apart from the dense, technically demanding approach long typical of Kataklysm. The group then shifted to Napalm Records for its 2012 follow-up, Caligvla, which featured guest appearances by Septic Flesh's Seth Siro, Tristania's Mariangela Demurtas, Graveworm's Stefano Fiori, and All Shall Perish's Francesco Artusato. After a five-year absence from the studio, Ex Deo resurfaced in 2017 with the expansive Immortal Wars, whose narrative drew from the Punic Wars, the violent sequence of clashes between Rome and Carthage commanded by the storied generals Hannibal and Scipio Africanus.