Review from Sic Maggot Webzine

Posted by Nick Skog on Thursday, May 1, 2014 Under: Album Reviews
From: Sic Maggot Webzine
Published: April 24, 2014
*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

In : Album Reviews 


Tags: epitimia (un)reality experimental black metal progressive post-black metal post-rock blackgaze atmospheric black metal 

 EPITIMIA - (UN)REALITY 2CD

 Released: February 15, 2014
500 Copies
Genre: Experimental Black Metal, Post-Metal


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