Outstanding. Astounding. Enthralling. These words (and many others ending in -ing too, I’ll wager) will flash across your brain countless times as you listen to Emberglow, the newest album to blast from the Maw of Australian death metal outfit Orpheus Omega.

They’ve always been a solid headbanging prospect – but that’s just it. The world of heavy metal is literally saturated with solid bands, all very good in their own way but few giving an inkling of any sort that the X-factor might be lurking within their well-meaning sturm und drang. But, as Emberglow unfolds before your naked, steaming ears, you realise what you are witnessing is akin to the metaphorical Butterfly emerging from the cocoon. Orpheus Omega have arrived.

Put simply, they’ve delivered a perfect mix of power metal bombast mixed with death metal ballast, in the process coming up with a couple of songs that will be fighting for best in show awards at the end of the year, on an album that may well come to be seen as career-defining.

Star Maps and Marionettes are the songs in question, but to single them out for special attention when each and every song on the record has so much going for it is frankly a bit silly. Orpheus Omega may have sounded heavier in the past, but they’ve never sounded so dynamic, so alive – so good.

So whilst it’s true a few long termers might fall by the wayside after hearing some of the more melodic moments on Emberglow, it’s clear that the potential for growth here is immense, the possibilities endless. Out of nowhere – by my reckoning, anyway – we’re in the presence here of a new, world-class version of Orpheus Omega laying it’s cards on the table and demanding that the world takes notice.

Seriously –  albums like this don’t come around very often, and they should be revered and adored in equal measure. Songs like Paper Dreams and Concrete Walls are the sound of personal dreams coming true, of the acknowledgement that all the toil, travail and self-denial was worthwhile – the sound of success. Congrats to all involved!

Emberglow releases on July 24th.