epitimia-unreality-reviews

Review from Forgotten Path Magazine; Issue 6

Thu, 25 Sep 2014 21:24:41 +0100

From: Forgotten Path Magazine; Issue 6

Published: November 2014

Epitimia stuffed all they could in this album - saxophone, Blackgaze tones, male and female vocals, storytelling, dynamics, Neo-Classical and ECM-type of Jazz sounds, even Electronic music. This enormous mix didn’t fit into one hour so the band decided to divide their experimentations into two CDs, titled “Delusion” and “Illusion”, and named this synthesis “(Un)reality”.

It’s almost impossible for a Black Metal fan not to find something close to his/her liking in this 110 minutes long release. Even if you don’t like the low quality Russian singing, there’ll be a part to enjoy in this album overflowing with variety. On the other hand, I can’t imagine a person who would truly like this entire massive chunk of music. It’s way too similar to Ne Obliviscaris - low quality, prolonged and just musically unattractive in general. For those who consider the latter band a miracle, “(Un)reality” might sound interesting. Personally, I think there’s a lack of Death Metal-like discipline and vocals, instrumental variety is on another level. It’s difficult to describe the general sound of the album, because each of the 18 songs is so different. There’s Trip-Hop and Jazz, then Atmospheric Black Metal, which is later suppressed and turned into Doom Metal. The only thing tying everything together is melancholic ambience.

To conclude, “(Un)reality” is a prolonged and over eclectic album, which didn’t introduce anything new to the scene. I would suggest this release to hard-core fans of Progressive Metal or those who like experimentations in Black Metal.

Rating: 6/10

Reviewed by: Bloodie

Review from Teeth of the Divine Webzine

Thu, 21 Aug 2014 23:37:12 +0100

From: Teeth of the Divine Webzine

Published: August 21, 2014

Original Link

Phew. This is ambitious. 2 Cds, almost 2 hours of ambient black metal contained in a very well packaged (Hypnotic Dirge’s best packaging to date) double gatefold digipack. Nicely done indeed, now if only the music was as striking.

Despite being around for 5 years and having three other full-length albums under their belt, this is my first time hearing Russia’s Epitimia (another word for ‘penance’) and they could not be on a more fitting label in Hypnotic Dirge, being both at times hypnotic and dirge-y as they play a form of slower, introspective and often saxophone-laden black metal that’s very atmospheric and languid.

The first CD, titled Delusion is the more ‘metal’ of the CDs. The riffs as heard on the opening two real tracks, “Escapism” and “Ataraxia” (after the intro) right away reminded me of Greek act The Elysian Fields, specifically, We….The Enlightened; doomy and layered but still black metal, just played somewhat slowly, and with some deeper vocals. It’s not really depressive or suicidal black metal, just elegantly morose, and thusly a long, patient listen. The songs are mostly pretty long and wandering and would fit right in on Prophecy Productions, with warbly acoustics and a dreamy, neofolk/classic aesthetic, but for all the ambition, the material is still just a bit too meandering.

That being said, if you have the time, the album is definitely a bit of a grower, especially the Delusion CD. The likes of “Frustration”, and “Contemplation” make for interesting, and at times engaging doomy, ambient black metal, but don’t expect instant gratification as the songs wind and wander with multiple elements that is not a quick listen. Even when the pace does pick up a bit, don’t expect blast beats and ferocious snarls, just controlled explosions of polite elegance (“Mors Putavia”). The saxophone here and there is a nice touch, and I wished it had been integrated a little more than it is as it adds a really nice warmth to Hypnotic Dirge’s usually frigid releases.

The second CD, Illusion, is the more experimental of the two discs, though hints of it surface on “Elysium” and “Metanoia” to close out Delusion, being more dark wave and ‘post/shoegaze-y’ black metal -ish akin to Alcest, Amesoeurs etc. It’s more shimmery, jangly, melodic and well ‘happy’. But frankly, after a few tracks I lost interest, partly due to the preceding hour of more harsh music, and partly because it’s a little less interesting stylistically. “A Flash Before Death” and “Muse” pretty well sum up the second disc with airy, delicate blast beats and some operatic female vocals (“Foretime”, “Far Away”). Some dreamy trip hop beats arise in “Reflection”, and closer “Rebirth”, further enhancing the second discs experimentation, and I’m sure listeners will be divided on their presence.

Delusion itself would have been a fairly decent release, and you do get essentially 2 albums, 112 minutes and 18 songs for the price of one CD and each offers up something a shade different that each listener will find something to like or dislike on either or both discs, so you have to give Epitimia some credit there for at least keeping things interesting.

Reviewed by: Erik Thomas

Review from Aristocrazia Webzine

Tue, 19 Aug 2014 21:37:59 +0100

From: Aristocrazia Webzine

Published: August 18, 2014

Original Link

*Google translation of Italian review

In the last decade words like "Avantgarde", "Post" and "Shoegaze" have been increasingly linked to the Black Metal world. Obviously this invasion of band "alternative" to the classic lines created rifts within the ranks of listeners and most of the times he questioned his membership in the wake of music, as the component Black was very little evidence of this in some. The fact remains that, for better or worse has managed to make itself heard in this area and move the Russians epitimia.

The formation of St. Petersburg had already been reviewed by the undersigned with the release of their third album "Faces Of Insanity" , while in 2014, the fourth film sees churn out a large, given the choice to deal with dual output divided into two distinct , chapters on "Delusion" and "Illusion", which encompasses eighteen pieces for a total duration of almost two hours.

The epitimia have maintained a way to put their emotions both in form and in the soul (the substance), the mixture of genres has been the one who had given birth in the previous chapter, we then moments explicable to the trend of matrix depressive- Black melodic turns in situations where the Ambient and Post-Rock joints in area take over, changing in the stroke internal mood of the piece.

Ideally "(Un) reality" could be considered an infinite loop, in fact notes inserted inside the elegant gatefold digipak with several doors there is a short paragraph written in both mother tongue and in English that ends with the phrase again the same dream, an idea expanded as eternity that seems to eliminate the hope of finding a way to escape from a scenario had to be repeated and repeated. From this premise, you can grab the disappointment of a fall perennial and inevitable represented by the most bitter and rough notes of the first cd (in which the frequent incursions of the saxophone and openings folklore offer a variation to the coldness of riffing) and the illusory reflection, melancholy the second in which the atmosphere instead become softer and gray, where the presence of the female voice of M. and electronics takes on a greater purpose of the exploration of sound.

The work, however well structured, in a couple of circumstances tends to flatten out, replicating a couple of solutions and not just making it so easy to deepening into a single solution. However, this is a bold move, so I would say to consider songs like "Delusion IV - Contemplation", "Metanoia", "A Flash Before Death", "Illusion IV - Reflection" and "Illusion V - Far Away" for you at least an idea of the repertoire that the band is able to produce.

"(Un) reality" is yet another attestation of good ability in possession of epitimia, it lacks some trimming, but we are faced with a performance that could collect the interest on the part of most types of listeners, as long as you have the desire and time on their hands. This is not a test "hit and run" and living carelessly you risk penalizing and maybe it aside. Give her a chance, maybe you will not surprise you or make you scream to the masterpiece, however, as in the previous note the possibility that you stay at least satisfied by this meeting are anything but a few.

Reviewed by: Mourning

Review from Deaf Sparrow Webzine

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 17:10:48 +0100

From: Deaf Sparrow Webzine

Published: July 12, 2014

Original Link

Double CD’s are a hard thing to tackle not only because the length is twice as long but because the artist often has a much broader, more complete vision of their project. Like many Hypnotic Dirge artists before them, Epitima have attempted to experiment with black metal with many other non-metal genres such as trip hop, post rock, and electro. As you can imagine, this is a huge endeavor especially when trying to make all these genres work in cohesion with each other instead of feeling fragmented and broken. Have they accomplished their tremendous goal? Will they survive the dread nachtbeast of the half-void? Will they find love after all? Stay tuned for more.

To really emphasize how hard this bad boy was to review, the double CD totals over 112 minutes so nearly two hours of trying to stay focused and tuned all the nuances they have to offer. Not that this is an excuse of a review, but that this was probably harder for Epitimia in accomplishing their vision and maintaining cohesion with all the genres they desired to experiment with. With that said, it probably would have been better to keep it at one CD. It’s really hard to digest all that Epitimia has to offer. Imagine having gone to your local Chinese buffet and just got too excited to try all the wild dishes and later, it hurts to do anything and you’re in a perpetual food coma/nap for the next few hours. The food’s in your belly – the fried shrimp, the Szechuan chicken, cream cheese wontons, green tea, and the sweet buns are all hitting your digestive system at the same time and you know might as well have invested in a seat belt for your toilet because it is going to be a bumpy ride. If this makes any sense, this is the same feeling with (Un)reality. The album gets too scrambled and at some moments a bit too hectic when trying to go from black metal to trip hop or from post rock to jazz. While every morsel is delicious and you want to try everything, you realize in retrospect that it might not be worth it. A lot of the ideas here are great but perhaps the less well-imagined riffs and transitions should have just been left out or reworked and saved for their next release. The tremolo picking especially seems to be rehashed a bit too much. Hell, if you’re going to include all these genres, you’re allowed to get a bit wild with some riffs.

With that out of the way, (Un)reality is divided into “Delusion,” the first CD, and “Illusion,” the second, which essentially divides the album from 80% ambient black metal with Delusion and 50-65% ambient black metal with Illusion. Some other reviews of (Un)reality deemed Delusion their favorite of the two but Illusion is where the fun is at. The experimentation is much more fluid and the atmosphere is much more refined. Songs like “A Flash Before Death,” “Illusion IV – Reflection,” “Illusion – VII Catharsis,” and “Rebirth” define Illusion as a fantastic CD and as the winner. Though their is preference for Illusion, Delusion has songs like “Birth,” “Delusion I – Escapism,” and “Metanoia” that are also fantastic.

We gentlemen over at Deaf Sparrow love Hypnotic Dirge Records and encourage as much as we can to show this label some love. Without labels like this, artists that explore genre territories that years ago were thought to be absurd are given the exposure and resources they deserve. To make things even more wonderful, they currently have all of their releases for “Name Your Price.” Show them love pls.

Rating: 4/5

Reviewed by: Cole Olson

Review from Pest Webzine

Wed, 02 Jul 2014 22:14:58 +0100

From: Pest Webzine
Published: June 26, 2014
Original Link

A double-album in digipack format is the latest offering from the Russian outfit named Epitimia. Their fourth full-length release looks outstanding and I can only imagine how much effort the band and label put in releasing it; a 6 panel digipack complete with a 12 pages booklet featuring all lyrics and awesome artwork, an excellent value for your money, no doubt. Music-wise the band took a step further into broadening their territories, the backbone of their music remaining of Black Metal springs, but now adding many Post Rock/Metal, Shoegaze, Electronic and even Jazz influences to the whole. (Un)reality is impressive through the emotions it transpires, it's involving, complex and if their label promotes it as "Epitimia’s magnum opus" I can only agree with this statement. If you know Epitimia's work or if you don't but you're into Post Black Metal, you shouldn't miss this release, get it while it lasts!

Rating: 9/10
Reviewed by: Adrian

Review from Miasma Magazine

Fri, 16 May 2014 20:07:32 +0100

From: Miasma Magazine

Published: May 16, 2014

Original Link
*Google translation of Finnish review

Regeneration and testing of the boundaries is generally a good thing, but not necessarily always right. I have to say that I did not like at first glance would've identified Epitemian new album and double disc (Un) Reality, the same band of the Gringos than a few years ago a pretty good Faces of insanity, although it does of course also have the same elements. Unfortunately, the change has not been very successful at this time. Experimental nature of the album is a little too much for my taste, and it encompasses all genres ever more heavily than on the previous album. Now the genres represented, inter alia, from jazz to black metal as well as loads of elements (such as the song Illusion IV - Reflectionin säksätykset and others) and the ambient. The combinations are not always very well merged.

Almost two-hour disc can hold a lot of content, but because of good material on the disc is not anywhere near as much, it would certainly have been reduced to the material and leave the junk out of the weather. Sound World on behalf of the plate also seems a little too neat and banal. Guitars could have been cut and tear up a little more, and sounds raaemmalta. In the previous disk to convince the insane screaming vocals are also, unfortunately, been lost somewhere and now there is only a uniform thickness ärjyntää.

After a long duration, the disc seems disappointingly dull and feel compared to the previous disc, the compositions have taken a step backwards, and not so catchy melodies is also not seen as the Faces of insanity was. Some good moments, and of course, there are songs on the album, such as Illusion II - Oath, but there are a whole given far too little. Yes its board will hear that the band is left to pick up plenty of different musical experience compared to the previous release, but in this case I think we are really gone into the forest. Unfortunately.

Rating: 5/10

Reviewed by: Alex Vaittinen

Review from Chronicles of Chaos Webzine

Sun, 11 May 2014 14:11:33 +0100

From: Chronicles of Chaos Webzine

Published: May 6, 2014

Original Link

Russian trio Epitimia look like three hipsters so much you wouldn't believe, dressed mostly in white and shit; a manifesto of sorts that they don't give a fuck? A fashion statement? Trying to fit into the hipster world of intellectual black metal made by white-clothed people?

_(Un)reality_ is a very ambitious effort; you can give them -that-, at least. Both the hardworking Hypnotic Dirge Records and the band themselves apparently didn't withhold any effort or resource in order to produce this elegant, luxurious double album; it is gorgeous and ridiculously long, as well as worth the price paid by those who are going to like the music contained herein.

That's the problem, however: the music. If you happen to like the foreign, 'progressive' elements within a metal album, more than you like the actual -metal- ingredient, then there's probably a problem with the -metal- side of an album.

That's what's going on here, more or less, on this massive recording (massive, in this context, relates merely to the scope of the album and not to its quality). It's not like we don't appreciate other musical outputs -- on the contrary, we certainly do -- but if you apply a slight experimentation only to adorn a metal album, making it a mere ornament, as is the case with this album, wouldn't you want your metallic dimension to be at least as interesting as the non-metallic stuff, if not more-so? Otherwise, what's the point?!

Epitimia use a saxophone on this album, a lot, which is great; they exploit captivating male and female vocals, occasionally semi-operatic but mostly raspy ones; they use some curious, unorthodox structures that make everything flow in unison. On the surface, there's nothing here to complain about. On the surface.

Scratch this thin coating and you'll realize that instead of being just the above said sonic ornamentation, an aural make-up that only superficially hides a darker, more potent metallic beast, these very elements become the focal point of the album, without which the whole structure crumbles, succumbing to boredom and lack of dynamics, because Epitimia's metallic tracks (or whole sections within tracks) are simply not interesting enough to be standing alone on their own merits.

Epitimia play what some will probably dub as 'post black metal'; you may agree because the music is very dreamy and volatile (if not pop music-inclined), and in that sense far from being aggressive, accentuating post-rock and shoegaze innuendos and many contemplative, hypnotic parts. Thus, Epitimia sound like the next post black metal band: decent and melancholic, having a dominating vocalist up in the front of the mix and an incessant string of chords generating a wall of sound rather than note to note playing.

This is the band's weakest point; those riff-less parts drag on and on with the only discernible variation being the tremolo picking note progression that mildly roams across the guitar strings. This method of playing may be of benefit when one is trying to generate some layered, thick atmosphere, but being a mere ambient-inducing tool, without an interesting hard and heavy rock-oriented song writing ability that grabs the listener by the throat to back it up, doesn't cut it here and almost fails at enabling the music to lift off the ground and become a vehicle for transcendence, being apparently the ultimate goal of the album.

Like in many cases -- and here especially -- the vocalist sets the pace, so to speak, for the whole album, without whom the music itself would have easily been regarded as (experimental) shoegaze rock; especially given the fact the (programmed) drums sound so flimsy and weak, and the bass guitar is to all intents and purposes inaudible. Not that there's anything wrong with shoegaze rock, provided you actually -want- to write and play shoegaze rock. An educated guess would be this wasn't the preliminary choice of Eptimia, nor its conscious, by default modus operandi.

That being said, luckily the moments of brilliance are aplenty on this album; not only do Epitimia make the Russian language sound good with this kind of mellow metal, but the more experimental facet of the recording has been manifested with great attention, introducing excellent fusion jazz, neoclassical music and electronica (and also some trip-hop) into the mix, sounding at times like a John Zorn project on one hand, and The 3rd and the Mortal on the other, with that Manes trippy and somber electronic vibe captured on the band's "How the World Came to an End_ from 2007. These particulars are mandatory in the case of this album, for the purpose of keeping the music flowing and interesting; when these 'additives' are absent from any given track for a long time (too long, sometimes), the metallic display in itself leaves a hollow space and much to be desired.

Hypnotic Dirge Records is a natural place for albums such as _(Un)Reality_, as it fits the label's vision and eclecticism, but this decent label has also showcased its tendency to release exceptionally good albums (Galaktic Cancer Squad's _Ghost Lights_ and Obsidian Tongue's _A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time_, for instance) alongside some very mediocre -- to say the least -- releases you wouldn't care for (Ekove Efrits' _Nowhere_ and everything that sounds alike on the label's discography). In that regard, Hypnotic Dirge awfully remind of Solitude Productions (with whom they co-released the very interesting _Once Hidden From Sight_ by the Ukrainian Vin de Mia Trix) in their mutual dichotomous nature of offering sonic excellence hand in hand with fluff.

The ultimate question is whether or not the writer of these very lines would add _(Un)Reality_ to his collection of selected and rare musical works of excellence. The answer would probably be 'yes', due to the fact the rather inconsequential metal moments here have been given such an enormous boost by the aforementioned saxophone, choral passages and electronic pieces, that they in themselves almost redeem the whole album with their radiating brilliance, saving it from becoming an effort soon-to-be-forgotten, and instead metamorphosing it into a rewarding listening experience with many magical moments.

Rating: 7/10

Reviewed by: Chaim Drishner

Review from Lords of Metal Webzine

Sun, 11 May 2014 14:16:51 +0100

From: Lords of Metal Webzine

Published: May 1, 2014

Original Link

A double album of no less than 112 minutes, well, thats gonna be a long stretch. And indeed, '(Un)Reality' by Epitimia is quite a long ride, unless you enjoy elevator or hotel lobby music. So incredibly boring is this light avant-garde progressive form of black metal delivered by these citizens of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Kenny G. saxophone parts fly by left and right. The cure for insomnia is what Epitimia delivers. Pretentious as fuck with good control of their instruments, but thats it. No please pass this sort of drivel on to Evil Dr. Smith.

Rating: 50/100
Reviewed by: Marcel H.

Review from Sic Maggot Webzine

Thu, 01 May 2014 20:55:40 +0100

From: Sic Maggot Webzine

Published: April 24, 2014

Original Link

*Google translation of Czech review

Today again begin with a short example. So write task: we live in St. Petersburg. In 2008, you will find a suitable partner to start a band. Your main constraints are the two genres - black metal and ambient. A year later, you may gain a third member, respectively. member, who is in charge of percussion and violin. Your set is complete and the music is progressively more advanced and sophisticated. Flirting with other factors, such as post-rock, and sometimes even daring experiments planes. Given that I'm not completely butter after a few albums, decide to create something great, something you have never released. How do you do?

The answer, as I did it, I give you. Instead you but will answer in the form of reviews on the plate "(Un) reality" from the Russian trio epitimy . This apparently decided to record his life's work, as his fourth-line album accommodate in style and for sure just released a double album. And that's not just any old, a full two hours to carry out in the garb, which teeters on the border of reality, illusions and other fallacies. Both drives are about the same length (55 and 57 minutes), the first of which is called "Delusion" , then the other is the exact opposite - "Illusion" . Each piece is then some of the characteristic symptoms or states of mind related to the whole. The first part is so songs like "Delusion III - Frustration" , "Delusion VI - Mors putative" or "Delusion VII - Elysium ' . "Illusion" features pieces like "Illusion I - Muse" , "Illusion IV - Reflection" or "Illusion VII - Catharsis" .

This psychological concept me personally is very close, and when I looked at the tracklist, my heart leapt quite in the hope that the music would not be a complete waste (as in black metal, which is trying to experiments, more often than is healthy ), when he gave the band an album like this contemplative face. However, all hope quite reliably negated absolutely furious length of two hours, which does not in their projects such virtuoso and composer, such as AA Lucassen . A view of the relative ignorance of previous work (which I tried to complete while listening to this board), I decided to be sure to expect nothing.

I admit that after the first, and indeed after each listening panel fell more or less exactly the above assumptions. Due to the earlier work, which was very dirty, atmospheric and occasionally morbid correctly, changed primarily a sound that is still just as hard, but still a little cleaner. In the spirit of previous albums is still the foundation of atmospheric black here and there zabíhající to ambient, here and there with post-rock to shoegazovými passages. In addition, but defile many outstanding, extraordinary and sometimes even brilliant ideas, but they zalétají somewhere quite different. Right at the beginning , "Birth" takes the black metal now almost obligatory saxophone. Sometimes air awakens neofolkovým odor vydrnkávání with ambient sound to grease. Here there again illuminate the space saxophone (conclusion "Delusion IV - Contenmplation" ) and increasingly electronic - but not at the level of industrial, but rather drum'n'basové or ambient. In "Delusion VII - Elysium" in the fourth minute with unsheathed almost hip-hop beat accompanied by saxophone, followed with a strong riff with an opera singing - a perfect contrast that in the right frame of mind to act goosebumps on the back of his neck.

The second half of "Illusion" is then the first songs post-rock and more atmospheric. S "Illusion IV - Reflection" but comes a turning point - almost half of the song is based on atmospheric guitar with honest drum'n'basovým basis, which alternates with post-black metal riff and classical percussion. The following "Illusion V - Far Away" is indeed šlapavý guitar song, but in a much rockier position, net merger-Black with post-rock and female vocals warblers and drummer M. afar. Final "Rebirth" then the whole unit does not fit due to grease atmospheric reggae or something like that. Totally out of all the rest of the album. "(Un) reality" generally offers a range of truly nourishing moments, whether it is a genre overlaps a great atmospheric riffs or šlapavé harder passages. In this respect, it is a mature album, although not escape some childhood diseases due to the fact that such mimožánrové flings you in epitimy apparently indulged in for the first time. Sometimes it will happen, especially when listening to "Illusion" that you'll encounter something on the plate narobouvané quite crudely, what with the whole not quite fit, or turns off and diminishes the impact of the whole, just as the final track. In this respect, it is on the first half of "(Un) reality" much better.

That the band has tried to revive the grooves with something new, but still gives an excuse. Not every experiment is bound to turn out right the first time and I believe that if the next board chief songwriter and multi-instrumentalist A. tightened their attempts, it may be a good result. But what excuse can not, the excessive length, which apparently exists in the (not) favor the concept. I do not know why she would not band concept a little střídměji both parts nenarvala on one plate, to say the length of one hour. If the quantum shied away excess material, "(Un) reality" might be good enough board that each song has a lot to offer. Two hours but this one is by far the trio worthwhile, as far as many ideas do not have to burn - which can be seen from the previous two paragraphs, where nearly all the songs my name. More than three-quarters of the board is still only atmo black, which is good, but still good, and nothing more. Due to two hours of footage is hardly any riff so remember, you could assign it to a specific song. And it makes me still problems, and I heard the whole double album at least fifteen (which is thirty hours or less focused listening - you will not find a better killing time). The board will not save much by the fact that the musicianship of the individual musicians are on the level, as well as production.

The previous lines is quite clear that the evaluation "(Un) reality" not going through all the pros and great moments not general. Indeed, it can not be, when those great moments occupy about ten or at most fifteen percent of the area and the rest of the album is nezapamatovatelný average. At best light above average. And yet, if the person hidden under the pseudonyms A. , K. and M. held more grounded and focused on the sophistication of smaller areas, I believe I rated much, much higher. Because of the potential to definitely have.

Reviewed by: Prdovous

Rating: 6/10

The rest of the editorial staff evaluated:

Frankly, I've long been of an album like this too confused and indecisive as the "(Un) reality" . On the one hand, there's a huge amount of potential that also epitimy morphed into a large number of great moments without exaggeration. Some ideas are totally awesome and fun without at least for them, the Russian trio deserves great praise. I for once did not speak only in general terms, as a concrete example for all I must mention the excellent finale "Metanoia" , the final track of the first disc "Delusion" . A sort of brilliant passages are quite evenly spread throughout the nearly two-hour surface of both halves of this double album. The problem is that the rest, which is located between these great ideas ... the rest, although not explicitly bad, but simply'm tired. Even when I tried to "(Un) reality" special focus and sense, I soon when all attempts invariably fell into a sort of lethargy listeners, of which I was always able to pull a few moments only the aforementioned excellent passages. They, however, the total of the lengthy footage constitute a minority of the ball, making me "(Un) reality" unfortunately seems like a missed opportunity to really engaging album. I really wanted and I tried to make friends with a plate, but you can not shine, it did not happen. Is there a level of quality about it, nobody does, but I'm still just as a whole failed to attract enough that I could pull more than six points ...

MF - 6/10

Who would have thought that one of the strongest albums of the early months of 2014 comes not from Russia? "(Un) reality" is hardly uschopitelná complex beasts ranging in length up to a very ambitious two hours. And to make this long footage tighten dignity and not to send the listener into a hard slumber, she had to help out a great deal of innovative inventions, and foreign and own. On the ground, however, is a genre that is the object of desire of demanding listeners rarely - melodic death / black metal. The melody, however, is mostly on guitars and clean vocals and wait in small doses and irregularly, as well as keyboards and other electronic gadgets. Between the two discs is to know the big difference in approach, so while the first hard disk forms penetrable cacophony of sounds, benefiting mainly from the frequent entry of the saxophone, the second disc we find uhlazanější metal that has depth but still only has perhaps due to greater directness significantly more accessible impression . What, however, the two halves "(Un) reality" unites the sophistication, passion for detail, solid gaming skills and surprisingly likable singing in Russian. The fourth plate epitimy thus ranks alongside "Extance" from Aenaon on the shelf very successful takes hard smart metal records of the year.

Zajus - 8/10

The "(Un) reality" from the beginning I approached with mixed feelings. A decent cover and the fact that the board is based on the Hypnotic Dirge Records , source of interesting recordings, had made it clear that we will have the honor of another promising piece. A glimpse into the boards tracklist me unpleasantly surprised and expectations of a good album faded. What a pity "(Un) reality" is clearly its length. I forgive weaker sound worse vocals (leaving aside the female vocals on the part of the second disc), but the music is just so much to listen to the entire double album in a row is quite a challenge. Several songs are definitely a lot of good. Out of a large allocation of music tracks stand out as "Delusion I - Escapism" , "Illusion VII - Catharsis" or "Illusion III - foretime" with female vocals that the stereotypical male acts as a balm to the ear. Bad neither attempt to incorporate the electronics in the second half dvojdisku. Not a second disc affects me more mature and more comprehensive impression, which is on the other side of the damage, since the length of the first disc is mostly deter me from listening to the other. On the other hand, the "(Un) reality" so much wool and calm, I would have to fork over the six songs that would be on such an ambitious album to be had. I believe that if epitimy took the two drives is the best and convenient way to tumbling one, "(Un) reality" would act quite differently, and I believe that I had paid a very high rating. Although the above written lines plead or less negatively, it's still on a high quality songs and a lot of ideas, but there are not so many that it sufficed with a double album, that's all. Certainly I see epitimy promise for the future, because the potential is there, but it needed more self for next time ...

Blotts - 6.5 / 10

Review from Mortem Webzine

Wed, 02 Apr 2014 21:26:28 +0100

From: Mortem Webzine

Published: April 2, 2014

Original Link

*Google translation of Czech review

The Russian avant-garde black metal epitimy I approached with skepticism, although such music I like, I was not fully convinced that it really is what I expect. I will not lie, my expectations were low and I was pleasantly surprised that my hands got so good album.

The entire double album actually has a length of nearly two hours. While it is true that I prefer albums that you can listen to in one go, before I had to listen to interrupt. One would think that there will be a repetition of themes when entire album consists of 18 tracks and the opposite is true. Epitimy you literally plays with different themes, still surprise you and leave the rest for a minute.

Full Review split into two parts because both drives are different. There are, of course, continuity in the composition and arrangement of tracks (eg the first and last track carries a separate name, while seven among them the designation of "Delusion" and "Illusion")

Disk no. 1

It all begins at birth ("Birth"), in which first presents the experimental nature of the album, playing there is saxophone and violin. Then it goes black metal tracks that are added post-rock riffs, uřvaným male vocals, vysamplovanými passages and of course saxophone. Saxophonist D'arcy Molan, this part had to really enjoy themselves, because almost every song, but it never gets old. The last part of the track called "Metatonia" the eight-minute end in style, slow, heavy melody is made with great vocals and saxophone again.

Disk no. 2

If my first CD was surprised, I did not know what to expect next. The other part of me is blasted through the roof, somewhere in the stratosphere, or maybe further. The origin can be found in "A Flash Before Death", six and a half minute song full of great riffs from which spit fire and flames. The second track is located vocal singer M., which contrasts nicely with uřvaným male vocals and creates such a beautiful harmony. While listening to a man hit the other interesting things, such as purely electronic samples and again a little post-rock (acoustic guitar).

The first disk I got a bit more experimental and the other is more focused on the black metal feeling. This work is also laced with ambient influences, which sometimes seems to randomly emerge somewhere.

And now a few words in conclusion. Some people may worry that length can mean boredom and repetition is always the same melody, but in this case it is not. Epitimy able to make long album full of interesting things that bored.

Rating: 8/10

Reviewed by: Jacques