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Ephel Duath - Pain Necessary To Know

Monday, 26 November 2007

Editor's rating

9.4

out of 10

Reviewed by:
Chad Coup
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Thursday, 29 November 2007
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Music Information

Track Listing:
01. New Disorder
02. Vector, Third Movement
03. Pleonasm
04. Few Stars, No Refrain and a Cigarette
05. Crystalline Whirl
06. I Killed Rebecca
07. Vector
08. Vector, Second Movement
09. Imploding

Artist: Ephel Duath
Title: Pain Necessary To Know
Genre: Progressive Metal • Jazz Fusion
Release Date: 17 October 2005
Record Label: Earache Records
Format: Full-length
Country: Italy
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Editor review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful


Overall rating (weighted)		9.4
Musicianship		9.0
Composition		9.0
Experimentation		10.0
Production		9.0
Value		10.0

Italian avant-metallers are back with yet another strange album that's impossible to classify. Their previous record, 'The Painter's Palette,' was a Zorn/Zappa-fused progressive metal work of art. Now, they're back with a record that's a different direction, but is equally interesting. "New Disorder," the album's opener, is perhaps reflective overall of Ephel Duath's new sound. A slow, brooding, atmospheric riff creeps through the speakers for the better part of a minute before blasting into a brief spasm of notes and chaos, only to slow down again and continue on the themes set up earlier. It's as if the music was talking to you, sneezed, and then went back to the conversation.

The jazz approach hasn't been forgotten; "Few Stars, No Refrain And A Cigarette" and all of the "Vector" tracks are one half jazz fusion and one half progressive psychedelia. They remain my favorite tracks on the record because they're largely instrumental. The layers of different sounds from all the instruments put together really come across well when vocalist Luciano Lorusso isn't screaming his head off. His vocal performance isn't bad at all; don't get me wrong. When the music is this well-structured and interesting, the vocals can sometimes be a turn-off. Everyone else in the band does their jobs extremely well. Guitarist/brain Davide Tiso and drummer Sergio Ponti equally share their musical responsibilities. Nobody is skimping on their job.

With the more ambient approach taken to this album, new listeners will really be able to absorb this band's sound. It's strange, but not off-putting. It's spacey, but very much grounded. It's not pretentious, but it is very ambitious and highly experimental and free. Ephel Duath isn't constrained by music "rules" or theory. They are just experimenting and playing music that they want to hear. I applaud them for taking risks and making music that shouldn't outright be accessible to many. Those who take the time and actually listen to this band and understand where they're coming from will likely find a record of astonishing depth, mood and assuredness.

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