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Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Epoch Of Unlight has surprised me
in a positive way with their third album ‘The Continuum Hypothesis’.
The band played together since 1990, at first under different names.
After a few demos a contract is inked with The End Records in 1998.
A first full length album ‘What Will Be Has Been’ is received well,
followed by a tour with Dimmu Borgir and Samael in the United
States. The second album ‘Caught In The Unlight’ shows a band that
has grown technically, while they keep on gracing their death/black
metal with melodic guitar ornaments.
The third album, that’s what we are talking about now, has perfected
this style again. It is the debut of the new vocalist B.J. Cook (aka
Lord Hellspawn, hail from Fall Empire of Arkansas) and his
vociferous thrash vocals are mostly comparable with the voluminous
throat of Tomas Lindberg of At The Gates. The album serves us eleven
vortex songs, veined with tireless guitar skills. This rifforama
never annoys, therefore there is an array of rhythm changes and
surprising intermezzos. Just listen to ‘Aberrant Shadows’ which
initially handles a black metal polka pace but fades out with a
magnificent slow guitar solo. Or the spoken fragments in ‘Argentum
Era Secui Duos’ where suddenly some ‘normal’ vocals emerge.
Moreover, the lyrics are not of a banal metal vocabulary kind, but
they deal with spiritual and philosophical issues. This sonic
assault is an intelligent expression of creativity. A brilliant
death/black metal album which becomes better the more you listen to
it. |
