Named after the Etruscan god of the underworld, the one-man Swedish death metal band Februus is as cavernous, esoteric, and terrifying as its namesake. Their previous record, Surveillance Orgy, was a whirlwind of dizzying riffs, bellowing, indecipherable vocals, and proggy tangents. Februus’ unique blend of Artificial Brain-esque zaniness with the raw aggression of Exhumed made an impact, and Surveillance Orgy was one of my favorite records of 2024, seeing repeated spins up until their latest, Construction of Conflict. More than ready to bend the knee before the underground one, I was ready to trust my soul to Februus’ second outing, but is it truly worthy of worship?

Februus is a solo artist from Sweden who provides nearly every element of the band outside the album art (even that is done by a family member). I say nearly because that does not extend to the drumming, which is provided through programming. For a solo project, I understand the necessity of such tools and that there is definitely an artistry to how you use them. Februus does its best to make the drums sound natural and aligned with the sonic signature of the rest of their work, and without knowing the drums were programmed, one would be hard-pressed to tell. Ideally though, I would love to see the band pick up a drummer who could go toe-to-toe with the other instruments. The real star here is the guitar, and Construction of Conflict, like Surveillance Orgy, is stuffed to bursting with pirouetting riffage, odd-timing, and progressive alchemy. One Februus record has more riffs than most bands have in their entire catalog, and Andreas Karlsson’s (Februus himself) indecipherable vocals add an arcane element that brings to mind the weirdest parts of Blood Incantation.

Construction of Conflict’s biggest issue is just how many ideas are in every track. While the production and guitar tone keep things incredibly consistent-sounding, a few throughline riffs would do much to give the listener anchors in the storm that is Februus. I would love to see the band focus on creating some earworms that I know it is more than capable of, as well as mixing up tracks conceptually. For the next record, some sub-three-minute rippers alongside the fifteen-minute epics of Surveillance Orgy would be a welcome change of pace. Despite none of the tracks going far past the five-minute mark, their devotion to density leaves them feeling surprisingly samey at times, and Karlsson’s vocals only serve to further blend Februus into a soup of carnage. Construction of Conflict relies on the strength of its instrumentation, which is undoubtedly impressive, but it never quite reaches the ecstatic heights of Surveillance orgy.

Construction of Conflict will surely be an acquired taste, and what you pull from Februus will vary from listener to listener. If you don’t mind not understanding a single word out of Andreas Karlsson’s mouth, and take the time to let the abstruse songs whisk you away to a truly alien land, Construction of Conflict can be frequently astounding. Februus pulls much inspiration from the ills of modern society, and if the goal is to draw to mind how obtuse, monolithic, and devious our ruling bodies and systemic structures can be, then it more than delivers on that idea.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 2026