Montreal, Canada’s Ex Deo is a side project formed in 2008 by Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono, who wished to combine his death metal experience with his passion for history – in this case, specifically focused on the Roman Empire, as evidenced by the title of 2009’s debut album, Romulus.

With Iacono handling all lyrics and vocals, the recording lineup was fleshed out by Kataklysm members Stéphane Barbe (guitar), Jean-François Dagenais (guitar), François Mongrain (bass), Max Duhamel (drums), Blackguard keyboardist Jonathan Leduc, and featuring guest appearances by Nile’s Karl Sanders, Keep of Kalessin’s Obsidian C., and Behemoth’s Nergal. Also worth noting is that the album itself boasted a far more melodic brand of death metal to back those mythical/historic lyrics than the ultra-complex and inaccessible style typically favored by Kataklysm. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi