Elysian Blaze - Beneath Silent Faces [Demo]
| Release date: | 2003 |
| Style: | Atmospheric black metal, Funeral doom metal |
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Owners: |
6 have it |
01. Anvil Chorus
02. Prophecy Of Misery
03. A Constellation Of Souls
04. The Thorned Tongue Of Requiem
05. Beneath Silent Faces
06. Dark Are My Nights
07. Despair [bonus]
02. Prophecy Of Misery
03. A Constellation Of Souls
04. The Thorned Tongue Of Requiem
05. Beneath Silent Faces
06. Dark Are My Nights
07. Despair [bonus]
ReviewPro-printed cassette demo, limited to 200 hand-numbered copies. Re-released on CD in 2007 with the bonus track "Despair" and different artwork by Asphyxiate Recordings.
Rating:
7.5
7.5
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Rating: 7.5 |
Elysian Blaze is one of the many, maaany one-man-projects that operate between the parameters of Black and Doom. "Beneath Silent Faces" is Mutatiis' first effort and a promising one too. Originally limited to a 200 copies tape edition, Asphyxiate Recordings made the right decision to re-release this with a bonus track and spread it once again in the lair of the underground. Not often do I begin a review about the production, but in this case, the production of the album is amazing, and one of the best elements of this entire release. It has a very strong demo-vibe going on, but at the same time it sounds as if all the instruments were recording a giant cathedral. Such a monolithic sound suits this music perfectly, especially for the rich keyboard draperies that the music is decorated with. Pay close attention to the opener song "Anvil Chorus". At first you are treated to wonderful, thick layers of keyboards, sky-high and overwhelming in their mourning. Then a soaring, grieving lead guitar rips the keyboard veils to shreds. After a while they dissolve again, only to return with increased fierceness and force, purging every atom of happiness from your cold, dying heart. Forever torn asunder. Vocals are a rare sight but when they are spotted, they seem anguished and afraid. Placed softly in the mix, they are completely integrated in the wall of sound and sound often more like an addition instrument instead of a human throat. My only concern is that as the album progresses, my attention stealthily drifts away. And my attention span is not known as extremely short, so it must be the music. Slowly the songs get a little repetitive and all a bit like the same thing towards the end. Still, this is a very good demo by all means and measures, and if you have a thing going on for sinister, doomed, depressed, negative or any other dark emotion I urge you to check this band out. |
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