Band:	Ensoph
Album:	Opus Dementiae - Per Speculum Et In Aenigmate
Style:	Avantgarde metal, Gothic metal
Release date:	2004
A review by:	Undercraft

01. Jaldabaoth At The Sprint Of Time
02. In The Flesh (Visione Della Passione)
03. Sophia´s Fall
04. Faith Defeat
05. Salmo A Nessuno
06. White Lamb Seducer (40 Days & 40 Nights)
07. Lies Of The Mirror Which Lies Not
08. Sun Of The Liar
09. Proudly Divine (Ink & Mirrors & Empty Tomb)
10. Sophia´s Fall (Sophies Welt RX by Bruno Kramm / Das Ich)

Gloomy Avant-gardism for a (De) Generation Wasted. This is how Italian combo Ensoph promotes their music but let me tell you that you can put many labels and come up with many descriptions for this band, but at the end you'll have nothing, because this band is beyond description, the strange brew they offer us is an amalgam of different genres and tendencies.

Let's go on with the weirdness. I'll try to portray the music, although as mentioned before, this is the kind of record that has to be heard several times to be assimilated.
First we have the main fusion of four genres, Electronic, Black Metal, Folk Metal and Gothic Metal.. these genres merge along with varied vocals that go from a whisper to a Black Metal shriek, passing by some clear ones and others that sound like weeps from a child or something like that. Keyboards and a flute complete the wide array of musical influences.

The result is an album not suitable for an amateur ear, for those who like challenges, Ensoph is the band that could make your world turn around.
In my first listen I found the record quite chaotic, it was at my third or fourth listen that I managed to capture the essence of this album, each instrument fell in place, each electronic beat complemented every riff and the multiple vocal styles felt just right.
The only instrument that seems to be out of place to me is the flute, between the cold electro-industrial sounds the warm sound of the flute doesn't fits entirely.

Some songs are really impressive, because the compositions are varied and with so many elements, take for instance "In The Flesh (Visione Della Passione)" has a great keyboard at the beginning and a even greater slow part, where the flute fits perfectly (the only song that fits IMO), the clean singing in this one is outstanding. Other track that caught my attention was "Sophia's Fall" a catchy song with great aggressive vocals, and a chorus that will stick to your mind immediately, there's also a remix of this song at the end of the record.
"Salmo A Nessuno" has a eerie piano intro and is singed in Italian, while "White lamb Seducer (40 Days And Forty Nights)" is a perfect example of electronic soundscapes combined with powerful pounding riffs. "Proudly Divine (Ink & Mirrors & Empty Tombs)" has danceable electronic beats combined with some good 'ol BM shrieks, what else could you ask for?

At the end we have an extremely varied release, full of experimentation and avant-gardism, this release is not meant for everybody, especially if you're picky when it comes to music.
But one thing is for sure, Ensoph are a unique band, and they took a chance to do something different. The result, in my opinion, absolute brilliance.