Ex Deo is the ancient Roman history-based band featuring Kataklysm vocalist Maurizio Iacono, guitarists Stéphane Barbe and Jean-François Dagenais, drummer Olivier Beaudoin, and Ashes of Eden bassist Dano Apekian. Ex Deo has recruited Fleshgod Apocalypse keyboardist and arranger Francesco Ferrini for their new standalone single "The Philosopher King," which you can watch below alongside a pretty sweet lyric video.
“It’s been three years since the release of The Immortal Wars – an album that propelled Ex Deo to a new level. This time, we didn’t want to wait another five years to release new material, so we decided to release a standalone new single called, 'The Philosopher King' while we wait for the follow up album to The Immortal Wars.
For this track, we asked our brother, the talented Francesco Ferrini, for his contribution on the orchestral score and to top it all, this song marks the return of a legendary producer Colin Richardson (Slipknot, Machine Head, Bullet For My Valentine) who has done a fantastic job on the mix with his assistant Chris Clancy (Mutiny Within).
The song is based on the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It’s a song that strikes a chord with me personally, exploring my life experiences and tribulations. I find myself very close to this man’s philosophical ideals – some I have struggled to understand, some I have adopted.
He is the author of the famous book Meditations (now you know the influence behind the recent Kataklysm album). Stoicism roots come from the hellenistic ideology based in Athens and quickly made its way to Rome. It is something I have been applying more and more to my life in recent years – self-control, discipline and looking at life in a more constructive and appreciative way.
Marcus Aurelius, while commanding the world’s largest army and the most advanced society in ancient times, was perceived as one of the most regarded and prosperous emperors not only economically, but also in military and social triumphs. This is an homage to one of Rome’s greatest, The Philosopher King!”
