The Apparatus - Ephel Duath - Through My Dog's Eyes

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Ephel Duath - Through My Dog\'s Eyes Hot

Sunday, 12 April 2009

Editor's rating

8.0

out of 10

Reviewed by:
Chris Alfano
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Sunday, 12 April 2009
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Music Information

Track Listing:
01. Gift
02. Promenade
03. Breed
04. Silent Door
05. Bella Morte
06. Nina
07. Guardian
08. Spider-Shaped Leaves
09. Bark Loud

Artist: Ephel Duath
Title: Through My Dog's Eyes
Genre: Post-metal • Avant-Garde Metal
Release Date: 25 January 2009
Record Label: Earache Records
Format: Full-length
Country: Italy
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Editor review

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful


Overall rating (weighted)		8.0
Musicianship		8.0
Composition		7.0
Experimentation		9.0
Production		8.0
Value		8.0

I occasionally wonder if Davide Tiso should have opted for a more ephemeral moniker once he decided to abandon the Tolkien-esque black metal themes of his early years. From a purely phonetic standpoint, the name \"Ephel Duath\" will always seem oddly fitting. But the heavy avant-prog themes that characterize the band\'s last three records hardly evoke images of a dark mountain range to the south and west of Mordor. That being said, guitarist and founding member Tiso never fails to astound with his reckless sense of experimental abandon.

\'Through My Dog\'s Eyes\' is a unique album for Tiso, as it expounds upon many of the themes that made \'Painter\'s Pallette\' and \'Pain Necessary To Know\' such epic slabs of sublime mastery. For many, the former album was a somewhat disorganized effort with an \"everything but the kitchen sink\" approach to instrumentation and style. The latter seemed a little more grounded, with a fairly cohesive set of songs that balanced metallic abstraction with an affinity for state-of-the-art expressionism. Fittingly, \'Through My Dog\'s Eyes\' appears to be the next step forward. It is more focused than \'Pain...\', but introduces several new elements that are likely to surprise unsuspecting ears.

\"Gift\" signifies the arrival of Ephel Duath 2009, with a lazily-picked slide guitar intro that shakes mountains before settling into an atypical blues format. The song gradually unravels into molten fusion with corresponding shades of discordance before transforming into an earthy stomp fest. I\'m still undecided as to whether this \"rawer\" approach works for them, but its presence is brief and doesn\'t detract from the album as a whole. \"Promenade\" comes in next, with chanted verses and jazz-inflected guitar riffs that create a minimal atmosphere in comparison to previous releases. \"Breed\" is perhaps the strongest cut on display, with an odd, quirky horn section that twists and winds around a similarly warped guitar melody. Jazz themes are regularly entertained, but quickly changed on the fly. \"Silent Door\" is another track that dwells in slightly unfamiliar territory, with a rock-oriented main riff and clashing chords that scream indignantly as singer Luciano George Lorusso repeatedly pleads for the return of some ambiguous companion. \"Bella Morte\" sounds as though it might have meshed well on \'Pain Necessary To Know\', as its sinister ambiance is accentuated by diverse vocal phrases which range from harmonized growls to heavy echoes. \"Guardian\" falls more in line with the rock overtones of \"Silent Door\", but given enough time, it travels through themes and textures that vary like rapidly changing seasons. \"Spider-Shaped Leaves\" borders on post-rock with a cold, yet emotive guitar tone that quickly segues into an aggressive mid-section that jumps around before coming to its subtle conclusion. Final cut \"Bark Loud\" features programming by Ben Weinman (DEP), which adds another dimension to its subtle depth and ghostly nuances. Tiso\'s slide guitar makes another appearance here, which seems both misplaced and oddly appealing at the same time.

It\'s unfortunate that this album is receiving such mixed press, as it is easily the most mature album in Ephel Duath\'s history. \"Mature\" may not necessarily translate to \"good\", but \'Through My Dog\'s Eyes\' shows that Tiso and Co. will never be content to tread the same waters twice. The subject matter it addresses might seem silly or absurd (the lyrics are written from the perspective of a stray dog), but I prefer to think of it as unique and explorative. All in all, I would recommend this album to newcomers and veteran fans alike, although the former group may have an easier time digesting some of its more eclectic moments.

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