Band:	Endonomos
Album:	Endonomos II - Enlightenment
Style:	Epic doom metal
Release date:	September 27, 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Inversion
02. Atheon Anarkhon
03. Resolve
04. Entrapment
05. Hostile [feat. Daniel Droste]
06. Kafir Qal'a

Endonomos have set out to break new ground in a devastatingly heavy epic doom fashion.

Endonomos are an Austrian epic doom band formed in 2021 by vocalist/bassist Lukas Haidinger, guitarists Philipp Forster and Christoph Steinlechner, and drummer Armin Schweiger (replaced earlier this year by Marius Segl). A year following their establishment the band presented their epic self-titled full-length debut Endonomos, and now return 2 years later with sophomore album Endonomos II - Enlightenment, a second instalment that promises to be even heavier, doomier and more epic than the debut.

The style of Endonomos has been described as epic death doom, which is more-or-less the combination we hear throughout Endonomos II - Enlightenment. "Inversion" starts the album off with the eerily atmospheric sound of church bells, which despite being far from the most original feature in doom, is an ideal sound for the album's mysteriously dark and doomy setting. This is then followed by a mighty, heavy, slogging doom riff, carried by a crushing mid-tempo rhythm section consisting of low-toned bass and thunderous drum beats, before melancholic leads sweep their way in along with passionate, soaring epic doom wails (which seem to echo in the background beneath the powerful instrumentation) and deep gnarly death growls.

As you'd probably expect, the following song "Atheon Anarkhon" continues similarly, once again beginning with an eerie atmospheric intro, followed by a heavy layered structure consisting of crushing death doom riffs, melodic leads, and both cleans and growls. The tempo never escalates, and the rhythm chugs away with devastating force, while the leads continue to provide a sufficient amount of soulful melody. The structure of "Resolve", although mostly repetitive, is broken up by a soft slow midsection that features a memorable classic-sounding solo, along with a short closing acoustic melody, while "Entrapment" has some blackened touches, especially from the sharp-toned lead guitars, which break the cycle from the song's repetitive slow-to-mid-tempo slogging doom structure, something that doesn't really alter much over the course of the album.

All the elements featured here are nothing out of the ordinary; to begin with it may sound like something you've heard this all before, minus a few minor features, but on closer listen it's not quite as generic as you may initially assume. It's not epic in the traditional sense, like say Candlemass; the ultra-slow, heavy, lengthy structures have a hint of funeral doom, but even despite the song "Hostile" featuring Ahab's Daniel Droste, it's not entirely reminiscent of funeral doom bands such as Ahab. Furthermore, although death doom elements are clearly present, there's no clear resemblance to big names of the genre such as My Dying Bride. You could say there's a blend of all of the styles featured throughout, without any specific band or doom subgenre standing out above the rest. Despite there not being a lot to differentiate each song from the rest due to the consistent and repetitive song structures, there's an intense and powerful atmosphere that remains ever present, dragging listeners ever deeper into a state of hopelessness and desperation over the album's duration. 

This is what Endonomos are all about; they may lack the catchy riff melodies, grand rhythms, and sing-along choruses associated with traditional doom, but the long, drawn-out death doom slogs, crushing tone, and combination of styles brings out the best and heaviest sounds you'll hear from the more extreme end of doom. For me, Endonomos II - Enlightenment is a slight improvement over its predecessor, but this is also a band at the early stages of their career, and I believe they could be on the right path to epic death doom greatness if they carry on down this route.