Work started on this album in March 2020, when the drum tracks were laid down by then drummer Dan Presland. This is the point where the world decided to implode and prevented the rest of the band from getting to Australia to record their tracks. This meant that it took a further 2 years to record everything at 7 studios in three countries before everything got put together in the first studio where it was mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis. This additional time also allowed them to refine and in some cases rewrite or embellish the songs that we have here. I really enjoyed 2017’s ‘Urn’ when I reviewed it and must admit that I enjoy this album equally.
The album opens with the 12-minute epic “Equus”, which they released a video for last year to whet our appetites for the album. Benjamin Baret and Matthew Klavins’s guitars give us a pleasant melody that’s enhanced by Tim Charles’s violins while Martino Garattoni’s intricate bass runs continue unrelentingly regardless of whether under Tim’s soaring clean vocals or Xenoyr’s growls as Dan switches the pace from gentle to furious with the flick of an ankle. There are additional vocals, violins and cello performed by Alana K, Emma Charles and Dalai Theofilopoulou respectively. and I particularly enjoy the way the violins add a discordant disquiet near the middle of the song to show they aren’t always going to be sweetly melodic on the album.
Next up is the 17 minute opus, split into “Misericorde I – As the Flesh Falls” and “Misericorde II – Anatomy of Quiescence”, with the later added once they figured there was more to the song than they first thought. The combined vocals are both complement and antithesis, in much the same way the guitars and violins are, but it’s the melancholy of the added keyboards over the acoustic guitars that add a beautiful element in the second part before gently building back up with an exceptional lead guitar break that wouldn’t be out of place on a 70s rock ballad.
Equally at ease when playing at manic or leisurely paces, “Suspyre” has both in abundance, but what really stands out for me is the clarity of each bass note which I can’t help but be mesmerised by and listen to intently as everything else fades in and out to become the focal-point, all the while still hearing each pop and slap.
While there are clean vocals delivered with operatic finesse on “Graal”, the song itself remains fast paced throughout with blast beats aplomb and a meandering lead solo that goes from electric guitar to violin without missing a note.
The surprisingly brief “Anhedonia” closes out the album with its hauntingly beautiful vocalisations over piano and violins as it sedately winds itself down with minimal fuss.
If you haven’t heard any Ne Obliviscaris, I would suggest you remedy that as soon as you are able.
(8/10 Marco Gaminara)
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