Ephel Duath – On Death and Cosmos (2012)

Genre-bending Ephel Duath finally makes a comeback since their acclaimed “Through My Dog's Eyes” released back in 2009. With their latest EP “On Death and Cosmos” the band mixes musical maturity with their typical experimentation in such a way that very few bands can pull off without sounding overly pretentious, or like total shit. Featuring three tracks, Ephel Duath is band with their crazy Jazzy mood layered with aggressive BM elements.

Opening with the intricate “Black Prism”, the band delivers a hefty dosage of aggressive riffs accompanied by a very moody bass guitar line, perfectly blending the aggressive aspect of the band’s music with a rhythmic jazzy vibe. The drumming is quite well timed to fit the excellent tempo changes. Without abusing, you can hear some progressive hints here and there, nicely blended into the aggressive atmosphere.

“Raqia” delivers a bit of a more melancholic vibe at first, thanks to the mournful guitars that open the track. After a bit this mood gets elevated with some harsh vocals and a more ‘Black Metal’ approach to things. Keep in mind that Ephel Duath never fully explodes into blast-beats or any ‘nasty stuff’; it nicely dances around the edge between perfect harmony and aggressive music.

Closing with “Stardust Rain”, we are briefly reminded of Furze and his deconstruction of Black Metal via heavy guitars and a very organic sound. The song ends with a very dramatic feeling, creating a very dark and somber jazzy vibe. The guitar work in this track is quite intricate and very well laid out to not overpower the whole atmosphere of the track. We get a quite interesting sense of despair when we listen to this track, making it our favorite song in this EP.

As one of the best Avant-garde releases of 2012, we have to say that “On Death and Cosmos” was well worth the wait. The band’s sound is more mature than ever and the atmosphere they create is unique and playful. We are quite impressed with this release and we hope to hear a full-length release very soon.

Release: June 21st, 2012 (Europe) / August 14th, 2012 (North America)

Country: Italy