DEOS, the band known for their unique fusion of extreme metal and Roman historical themes, return with their ambitious fourth album, Augustus Omnipotens. Building on their fascination with Ancient Rome, the album chronicles Octavian’s rise to power and his transformation into Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Combining meticulous historical research with the aggression and complexity of extreme metal, DEOS craft what they describe as a Roman Extreme Metal Opera.

By Sandra Pinto

With tracks that bring key moments of political intrigue, battles, and personal drama to life, the album represents the band’s most majestic and intricate work to date. Featuring powerful compositions, rich storytelling, and immersive performances in Roman attire, DEOS transport listeners into the heart of the Roman world. In this interview, the band discusses the inspiration behind the concept, the challenges of translating history into extreme music, their creative process, and plans for bringing Augustus Omnipotens to the stage across Europe.

What inspired you to create a concept album about the life of Octavian/Augustus?
We would like to clarify one small point: this is not an album about Octavian’s life, but about Octavian’s rise to power to become Augustus, the first emperor. We always do something different from one album to the next. For our fourth album, we decided to make a concept album. We wanted something spectacular and majestic for the theme. That’s why we chose Octavian’s rise to power. It's a complex episode in Roman history, involving battles, political strategies, the judiciary, alliances, conspiracies, etc. It’s everything you need to make a concept album!

Each track represents a key moment in his rise. How did you approach translating historical events into extreme music?
We’ve been transposing historical events into extreme music since the band started in 2014, so it’s routine for us! It takes a lot of research to write very accurate lyrics, but also to immerse ourselves in the context, the atmosphere and the mindset. It also requires some experimentation on the musical level. We don’t play extreme metal like other bands do. We can mix certain scales within the same piece to create different atmospheres. We do the same with structures, with diminutions or augmentations of chords. It is essential that the music and lyrics are in symbiosis

The album blends history, mythology, and personal legacy. How do you balance historical accuracy with artistic expression and dramatization?
We do not compromise on historical accuracy. We strive to be as accurate and fair as possible with regard to the content of the texts. There is a common thread, and then we look at how to place the words on the vocal lines. We may replace a word with a homonym so that it fits musically and dramatically, but the meaning of the sentence must remain the same.

“Augustus Omnipotens” is described as a fusion of blackened death metal with historical narrative. How would you define the album’s sonic identity?
We play Roman Extreme Metal, all our albums are Roman Extreme Metal. Unlike its predecessors, Augustus Omnipotens sounds a bit more like an Extreme Metal Opera.

Which track do you consider the most intense or challenging in terms of composition, and why?
All the tracks are intense because we chose key moments from Octavian’s rise to power. The two most intense tracks musically are Caesar Divi Filius and Dedecus Magni Lepidi. Caesar Divi Filius recounts how Octavian reacted to the death of his adoptive father Julius Caesar. Dedecus Magni Lepidi recounts the disgrace of the great Lepidus orchestrated by Octavian. The most difficult piece in terms of composition is Pax Romana because it is powerful, progressive and aggressive all at once. It describes the end of the long civil wars, the coronation of Augustus and the peace that ensued. It was not easy to convey so many feelings and emotions in a single piece.

The album was recorded between autumn 2024 and spring 2025. What was the process of composing and recording such an ambitious project like?
We composed and recorded as usual. Each member recorded their parts at home, we listened to them together and discussed the arrangements and corrections to be made. We did a lot of work on the sound of the guitar and bass tracks, but we used our own equipment, the same as we use on stage. The composition and recording of the drums were also refined to give the album more rhythm. The vocals were worked on to make everything sound very lively. Then we did the mixing and finally J-F Dagenais did the mastering.

You worked again with J.-F. Dagenais on mastering. How did his involvement influence the final result of the album?
We have been working with him since our second album, In Nomine Romae. He gives us precise instructions on the recording quality he wants, and then when he comes on stage, the tracks are sublimely enhanced!

How did you decide which moments in Augustus’s life deserved a dedicated song?
It was a huge task because 17 years passed between the death of Julius Caesar and the coronation of Augustus. First, we had to choose the key moments from those 17 years. Then, from among those, we had to choose the ones that would have the most impact when transcribed into music.

What was the biggest challenge in turning battles, political alliances, and historical intrigues into extreme music?
As we said earlier, we have always transcribed historical events into music since the band began. The difference compared to other albums is that we had less freedom in terms of the themes we could tackle, as they had to relate to key moments in Augustus’s rise to power.

DEOS has a strong connection to the theme of Ancient Rome. How did this fascination arise, and how does it influence your music, artwork, and stage presence?
It was our guitarist Fabio’s idea (he’s Italian) and we loved it! Scandinavians (and many others) talk about Vikings, so we decided to take a different direction! The Roman era is so rich from a cultural, historical, human, political, military and other perspectives. It’s ideal for finding song topics and, depending on the theme, the music comes quite naturally.

How has the band evolved from your earlier albums to “Augustus Omnipotens”?
At first there were four of us and musically we were less assertive. Our first album Ghosts Of The Empire (2015) was fairly standard for extreme metal. Then we took on a keyboardist, so our second album In Nomine Romae (2017) was more epic while still remaining extreme.
Following the pandemic, we parted ways with our second guitarist and our keyboardist. We recruited another guitarist, then we composed, recorded and released Furor Belli (2022). It was rawer and more direct. And now we have Augustus Omnipotens, which is more majestic than its predecessors while still remaining extreme.

How do you balance extreme aggression with detailed storytelling to create an epic experience for the listener?
One does not prevent the other. We have always immersed ourselves in the atmosphere of what we write and compose, trying to imagine
ourselves at the heart of the action. The lyrics and music must merge. That is how we compose and write. When you listen to us, you must become a protagonist in the story.

What are your expectations for this album in terms of audience and critical reception?
You can never know how people will react. We think we’ve made a really good album, and our label thinks so too. Let’s hope the public and critics agree. We’ll do our utmost to promote this album as it deserves. We’ll defend it live as much as possible throughout Europe. A lyric video was released on 20 October for the song Dura Lex Sed Lex. We made a music video for the song Caesar Dici Filius at the Arènes de Nîmes with our friends from Legio X Lorica Romana. It will be released in early 2026, one month after the release of Augustus Omnipotens.
We will also release another video for the song Gladium Stringere in mid-2026. As you can see, we are going to make sure everyone is talking about Augustus Omnipotens!

Is there any element or concept in the album that you consider a distinctive signature of the band?
The album as a whole is a distinctive signature of the band!!! Our sound is quite distinctive and far from current standards, which is what sets our albums apart.

What are your plans for presenting Augustus Omnipotens live, and how do you envision the stage performances?
We are going to play as many concerts as possible in Europe. Deos is a live band! We really enjoy sharing our music live! Our shows are energetic, powerful and interactive. We play in Roman armour and transport the audience back to ancient times. We hope to play at big festivals to reach as many people as possible. When we get the chance to play on big stages, we’d love to have the members of Legio X Lorica Romana join us for our shows! It would be cool to play with real Roman legionnaires on stage!

The band has toured extensively with the Ancient Rome theme. How do international audiences react to this concept?
People are often sceptical or even suspicious before concerts. It must be said that our concept is unusual. Then the music starts, they get hit with powerful riffs, they let themselves go, they let off steam and in the end they love it! People often come up to us after concerts to say, ‘I didn’t know you guys, but I had a great time!’ or ‘That was awesome, I just discovered you and I’m a fan!’ It makes us really happy to see people reacting to our music!

What projects or ideas are you exploring for the future of the band after this album?
First, we need to promote Augustus Omnipotens live! Then we’ll see how the fifth album turns out! For now, we want to play all over Europe, so feel free to book us: spqrprod.fr@gmail.com