EPHEL DUATH

Ephel Duath is back with more of Davide Tiso’s twisted, atonal and jagged musical eccentricities and there is not one note, chord, or beat in the entire twenty minutes of this EP that could be considered in any way straightforward, simple, or even “normal”. The seemingly incongruent melodies of ‘Black Prism’ are doused in dark atmospherics and oddly grooving riffs. ‘Raqja’s jazz is slow and subdues to begin with before more mangled riffs stumble their way in and slowly develop into more warped grooves. And the melancholy of ‘Stardust Rain’ brings with it more of the unpredictable yet peculiarly comforting disjunction. With stellar performances from vocalist Karyn Crisis, bassist Steve diGiorgio (Death, Testament, Soen, etc), and drummer Marco Minnemann, this three track EP may take more than just a few listens to fully digest. Awash in time signature hops, skips and jumps, the dynamic shifts are as unsettling as they are subtle and densely textured. Abrasive and eclectic, this shouldn’t work; none of it. But Davide Tiso manages to shape the most disparate sonic abuse into something that is frustratingly perplexing and bizarrely gratifying.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Agonia Records

EP

ON DEATH AND COSMOS

Review by Jason Guest

RUNNING TIME:

19:43

RELEASE DATE:

21st June 2012

TRACK LISTING

1) Black Prism
2) Raqia
3) Stardust Rain

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Italy/USA

"...Davide Tiso manages to shape the most disparate sonic abuse into something that is frustratingly perplexing and bizarrely gratifying."