Evoken - Antithesis Of Light review
| Band: | Evoken |
| Album: | Antithesis Of Light |
| Style: | Death metal, Funeral doom metal |
| Release date: | February 28, 2005 |
| A review by: | KwonVerge |
01. Intro
02. In Solitary Ruin
03. Accursed Premonition
04. The Mournful Refusal
05. Pavor Nocturnus
06. Antithesis Of Light
07. The Last Of Vitality
08. Coveting Elysium [limited edition bonus]
In a devout and ritual oriented way, this is how you must put in your CD-player "Antithesis Of Light" because we're talking about the best, probably, doom metal release of 2005 coming from a renowned band, Evoken.
And suddenly the horizon darkens, swallowing every single ray of light that tries to penetrate the gloomy clouds, hate and pain are the only emotions that reign supreme and everything starts decomposing. "Antithesis Of Light" is a rotten album, yes, rotten, filled with hate, pain and despise for everything pure. "Antithesis Of Light" is the dark esotericism that lies behind every twisted imagination and awaits for any moment to drown the listener in the depths of this fathomless imaginary world that becomes more and more vivid as the album flows slowly and in a torturing way.
The guitar riffs are slow and mourning, painting the soundscape with utter grey, a colour that blackens dangerously at times when the outbursts make the overall atmosphere more eerie and intense, while some solos that make their appearance harmonize beautifully with the overall atmosphere of the song. The keyboards and the FX make the overall feeling of the album more misty and nightmarish, evoking a lethargic yet menacing aesthetic, and the rhythm section is exceptionally imposing and creative, forming the ideal walls of sound that imprison the listener in a lair where his worst fears turn to life. The deep grunting vocals are just like they should be, unearthly, powerful and paranoid, adding their disharmonic darkness to the overall majesty of Evoken's latest masterpiece.
Concerning the production of "Antithesis Of Light"; it's very good, not the best when we talk about production generally, but it's for sure the best and most ideal for this album, making the overall atmosphere more gloomy and devout in a morbid way. The lyrics have a poetic approach, yet they might seem simplistic at times, but they are so expressive, so blackened with ravenous emotions, that they add a special sense to the songs of Evoken in the way they are being interpreted by John Paradiso!
"Antithesis Of Light" is one of those albums you must get to show that you really care about yourself, simply because compositions like the imposing "In Solitary Ruin", the nightmarish "Accursed Premonition", the powerfully lyrical "The Mournful Refusal", the utterly mourning "Pavor Nocturnus", the beautifully atmospheric "Antithesis Of Light" and the eerie "The Last Of Vitality" are not of those songs that a band composes every day.
So, concluding, if you find "Antithesis Of Light" in a music store don't do the mistake and pass it by, you will be missing a new doom metal diamond from a band that has still a lot to offer in the rotten world of doom/death metal, because it's not only mourning and sorrow, it's also hate, pain and disgust.
"And from the haunted arms of Morpheus,
We arise to a different despair?"
 | Written on 25.11.2005 by "It is myself I have never met, whose face is pasted on the underside of my mind." |
Comments
Comments: 19
Visited by: 153 users
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| Southern Wind Account deleted |
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by [user id=5080] on 11.11.2006 at 22:29 Death/doom?  Okay, I've seen this album described as such on several other sites and forums. But IMO it is way more funeral doom than death/doom. Great album nonetheless.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Southern Wind Account deleted |
Southern Wind
Account deleted Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 11.11.2006 at 22:32 Funeral Doom = ultra-slow doom, nothing more than that... it's a totally arbitrary "genre" that has no reason to exist... but well, it's my opinion and as usual no one will agree with me...
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by [user id=5080] on 11.11.2006 at 22:40 Well, in this case I think most people will agree with you and NOOT with me. Even www.doom-metal.com classifies them as death/doom. So it seems like I might be the only person on the face of this earth classifying them as funeral doom.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Southern Wind Account deleted |
Southern Wind
Account deleted Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 11.11.2006 at 22:52 Well, seems like I didn't explain myself well... I think Evoken would qualify as Funeral Doom, but I don't think that should exist at all as a genre... Evoken are Death/Doom and.... also "funeral doom"... Nortt are Black/Doom and well, also Funeral Doom but because they are super-slow, not because they belong to a different genre, at all... nd about doom-metal.com, couldn't take them seriously if they feature Cephalic Carnage in their list....
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by [user id=5080] on 11.11.2006 at 23:39 Well read the review for that Cephalic Carnage release and I heard that release and YES that release IS doom. But Cephalic Carnage aren't doom at all for their other relases. But back to funral doom or not, what would yyou call Skepticism, Thergothon, Shape of Despair, Until Death Overtakes Me?
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Southern Wind Account deleted |
Southern Wind
Account deleted Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 11.11.2006 at 23:42 DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
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| Lucas Mr. Noise Elite Posts: 13427  |
No, that's not really enough for a new (sub-)genre. But Funeral Doom just sounds fucking awesome, way better than Death/Doom. Isn't that enough. 
---- SLUDGE. DOOM. DEATH. Wait, what?  "The reason I'm running for president is because I can't be Bruce Springsteen." - Barack Obama
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| Southern Wind Account deleted |
Southern Wind
Account deleted Written by Lucas on 12.11.2006 at 00:45 you're right... "awesomeness" is a better criterian than "slowness" for creating a genre... conclusion: Skepticism and Virgin Steele belong to the same genre 
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| Lucas Mr. Noise Elite Posts: 13427 |
Written by [user id=5080] on 12.11.2006 at 06:39 you know what i mean, me thinks. i just was wrng adding that sentence. 
---- SLUDGE. DOOM. DEATH. Wait, what? "The reason I'm running for president is because I can't be Bruce Springsteen." - Barack Obama
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| Passenger Lost To Apathy Posts: 1464  |
This album is fantastic, as dark as music can be. 10/10, probably even better than Embrace The Emptiness.
---- You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it ~ Mean Streets
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| W-Lash Metal Master Posts: 2531  |
Maybe it's slow, dark, depressive or whatever. But all these songs are so boooring. 
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| advent Posts: 268  |
Great one, it evokes every single impure rotten and hatred filling u have. 
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| Maxx666 Meshuggahian Posts: 376  |
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| a MasT Posts: 346  |
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| Erik M. Posts: 3104  |
This CD just arrived. On the packaging it says "Third album from one of the purveyors of US death/doom metal, including a rare bonus track" followed up by ""Antithesis Of Light" is the dark esotericism that lies behind every twisted imagination... a new doom metal diamond" - MetalStorm
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| Satyr73 Posts: 135  |
The "Similar Artists" tab should be disabled for EVOKEN. There's no other band that sounds like this.
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