Ephel Duath — Rephormula

The Legacy of Black Metal has certainly engulfedvarious musical genres and ideas. One such psychedelic regenerator with one foot firmly in the Black Metal past and the other in god knows what is the Italian band Ephel Duath. Their debut album was originally released on the Italian label Code666 under the title 'Phormula'. The record caught the eye of ex-Candlelight man Lee Barrett who decided he would use it as the first release on the new Earache sub-label Elitist. Entitled 'Rephormula', the album also incorporates three tracks from their 1998 demo'Opera' and a selection of remixed tracks by friends of the band Paso and Homo Homini.

The writing core is made up of Davide (Guitars/Vox/Synths) and Giuliano (Guitars/Voc/Bass/Synths/Programming). To say this is a first release indicates they have a promising future in the extreme 'avant-garde' metal scene. Instantly you are struck by how much is packed into the song structures. Thickly layered synths whirl underneath duelling Abigor like guitar leads whilst the sporadic riffing and programmed drums echo bands such as the electronically driven Limbonic Art. The blend ofvoice between the usual Black Metal raspings and some notable layered clean vocals work well and add to the epic moments that flutter in and out of the foreground of the mix. The ambient moments and piano sections give the album a certain maturity, as do the more classically inclined passages. Complex time changes and mood swings make the whole experience either too complex or rich for my taste, as the music never seemsto hold on to the momentum and atmosphere it hasseemingly built up. However, there is enough extremity and twists & turns to keep any fan of the more electronically experimental side of Black Metal interested.

The remix's included on the album are actually a very worthy addition and offer a differing perspective on the Ephel Duath sound. With the added bonus of the demo and the extra tracks included, the album stretches to over an hour of certainly the most stirring and complex music to come out of the Italian metal scene in some time. Although not in the same league yet as the influences you can hear in the music, this is only the first release from a very interesting act who have been given a wider audience with their move onto Elitist.

With plans for another album soon minus the talents of Giuliano, Ephel Duath are definitely a band to look out for.