Band:	Euphrosyne
Album:	Morus
Style:	Post-black metal, Doom metal
Release date:	March 21, 2025
A review by:	musclassia

01. Morus
02. July 21th
03. Valley Of White
04. Eulogy
05. Funeral Rites
06. Mhtera
07. Asphodel
08. Lilac Ward

Just a few days ago, I mused in a review on how it’s really not an issue for a new band to release an unspectacular debut; as long as it shows promise, it can be good to have room to grow into. On the flip side, storming out the blocks with an outstanding first release sets intimidating expectations for future efforts.

This is the challenge foisted upon Euphrosyne, whose first output of note was 2022’s Keres, a monstrous 30-minute EP that justifiably swept not only the November 2022 edition of Clandestine Cuts, but then also the Clandestine Cut Of The Year category in the 2022 Metal Storm Awards. Keres was the kind of record that made future success seem inevitable, and by the time of full-length debut Morus, Euphrosyne find themselves on Black Lion Records. However, when you’ve pretty much nailed a distinctive and exhilarating sound before you’ve even released a full hour of recorded music, the question that arises is: where do you go next?

To see where the Greek quartet have done next, one first needs to know where they were beforehand, so as a quick recap for anyone who hasn’t heard Keres yet (although I’d recommend that you just go and listen to it), the style could broadly be labelled post-black metal, as it combined the shrieks, tremolos and blasts of black metal alongside slower, more emphatic riffs and passages, but arguably with more of a black metal leaning. The real magic ingredient in the winning formula, however, was the vocal performance of Efi Eva, who delivered some awesome and powerful clean vocal choruses and passages to contrast her shrieks, really tying everything together in style. ‘Post-black metal’ still feels like an apt categorization for Morus, but the emphasis has audibly shifted this time around.

The release is a concept album depicting a narrative inspired by the experiences of guitarist Alex Despotidis in losing his mother to cancer in 2017. Perhaps to represent this grief, there’s an added heaviness and darkness to a lot of Morus. A spoken word-led introductory title track (said spoken word is reprised right at the end of the record to give it a cyclical feel) quickly makes way for gloomy piano opening “July 21st”. Violin and muted trip-hop beats soon accompany the piano and Eva’s understated vocals, but as it enters its second half, the song explodes with blasts, blackened arpeggios and meaty chugging grooves. The black metal elements remain present, but particularly as the album progresses, they begin to act as auxiliary features atop a lower-register thick metallic foundation, such as the pounding double bass rolls and gloomy distortion dominating “Valley Of White”.

With the exception of “Within The Ages”, when clean vocals appeared on Keres, they were normally arriving in choruses or matching emotional peaks of the songs, but their application is more widespread on Morus. The stirring chorus of “Valley Of White” is emboldened by Eva’s resonant singing, but the quiet, clean-toned verses of same track also enjoy the presence of that singing. With the greater melodic focus and the slight toning down of the blackened elements, Euphrosyne on Morus remind me quite a bit of Lotus Thief, which I consider to be a very positive connection to inspire in listeners.

One recurring feature of the album that, while not pivotal, captures one attention is the presence of beats that are either electronic or produced unusually; aside from the aforementioned trip-hop vibe in “July 21st”, one can also encounter such rhythms in the verse of “Valley Of White” and the first half of “Eulogy”. I quite enjoy these moments; they bring perhaps a slightly industrial feel to the quieter moments that augments their bleakness. That bleakness is subsequently contrasted in “Eulogy” by the convicted sorrowful passion of the track’s chorus; while I’ve not found a moment on the album that has the sheer unadulterated impact of the peak moments of Keres, Euphrosyne continue to demonstrate a very accomplished ear for effective melody on this new record.

Going back to my musings at the beginning of this review, considering just how awestruck I was by Keres when it came out, there is a tiny part of me that is slightly disappointed that Morus hasn’t quite wowed me in the same way. That being said, it’s still a commendable debut album, and one that maintains its quality through to the end. Those hankering for a bit more focus on the black metal will find plenty to like in “Mitera”, while “Asphodel” goes on an unexpected detour into turn-of-the-millennium Opeth territory with some of its riffs. Personally, I consider the conclusion of the album to also be its peak; the 8-minute “Lilac Ward” commences with an onslaught of blasts, tremolo and pained shrieks, but the subsequent journey of pounding sludge, bleak vocal melodies, and almost operatic vocal layering in the mournful climax is a richly rewarding experience to take in. Morus may not comprehensively outshine Keres, but it also makes it very clear that said EP was anything but a flash in the pan.