Is it always enough to try and sound the same as everyone else, can riffs ever grow tiresome. I guess the answer lies in the ears of the listener, but certainly in my experience of reviewing for a number of years I can tell you that it is generally those that break the mold that go the furthest or garner the most attention. Granted this is not always the intention for some bands who prefer to linger in the underground, but for most they want to spread their wings and expand, gaining new fans and going on deep musical journeys.
From the grand city of Prague in the Czech Republic come Et Moriemur, a group who have amassed a collective of choirs, classical musicians and so forth to create a very different take on the Death/ Doom Metal genre. The bands history can be traced back to 2008, since then the dare I say supergroup have released two full length albums prior to this, their 2018 Transcending Obscurity Records testament, Epigrammata. An album which on the outside seems a touch ambitious, Gregorian chanting, a wealth of Classical instrumentation all coupled with Death and Doom Metal, is it too much to take in?
Quite frankly this is a pretty refreshing take on the whole Death/ Doom Metal genre drawing influences from a wide range of sub genres, perhaps most notably Funeral Doom. This dirge heavy, misery soaked tone is found within the more atypically Metal elements of Epigrammata, through the deep vocals, dragging guitars and rumbling bass tones. All that said though the mold is broken in songs like Dies Irae and Sanctus where there is far more power injected into the slow, limp riffs creating a definite sense of added atmosphere and added a perhaps much needed boost.
Moving away from the traditionally Metal points however we come to the Classical influence, something which truly impressed me from the very beginnings of the mythological atmospheric intro track. As a fan of Classical it was very enlightening to hear these beautiful elements given so much prominence, particularly in the keyboards, most songs have a deep emotive passage but it was Agnus Dei that pricked my ears the most. A sheer bound of misery coupled with winding luscious Classical guitar riffs makes for music that can surly be described in some manner as Classical Death Metal.
To conclude Et Moriemur gives a wondrous platform to not only genre bending Death/ Doom, but also Classical and its various facets. The choral parts in particular should be noted, these chants may be often used in Black Metal epics but to give them this much prominence is marvelous and allows someone such as myself to gain enjoyment from these generally sickeningly religious movements. An ear opening experience for all who enjoy misery, sheer emotion and delectable song writing.
(8/10 George Caley)
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