Ephel Duath
Rephormula
Earache
If you’re looking for unique, you’ve come to the right place. Italy’s Ephel Duath play a very strange variation of death metal, featuring twinkly, absurdly out of place keyboards that somehow fit nicely into the overall sound of Rephormula. These keyboards remind me of a carnival at times, and a funeral at others.
For the most part, Rephormula is neckbreakingly fast metal with strained scream vocals (no growls, thank you). Bright spots are “The Embossed,” an eerie excursion into the realm of melodic guitars and treble-laden drums, and “Greynesses Grow Already Old,” which features a lovely grand piano intro, sounds as if it were stripped from a slasher movie soundtrack.
The best thing about this disc is its length. Over 75 minutes of black metal fun, you’ll be able to get through a goodly number of pages in whatever evil book you choose to read whilst rockin’ to Rephormula. Recommended for fans of technical black metal; everyone else will think it’s overdone and too dramatic.
Earache Records: http://www.earache.com
