18/05/2002

ENIGMATIK: "Where Evil is cloistered" enigmatik Self Production

review by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo____

"And I left the life To roam in the Eternity" ...

Imagine the background athmosphere of "Reptile" from Dimmu Borgir and now try to change it into a similar one but darker and heavier, even more evocative and diabolical. Then try to imagine a black metal tempo more similar to that one of the last Immortal production mixing it with many tempo changes à la Agathodaimon, making again the whole darker and heavier, with the introduction of much more experimentation and influences from all darkest genres , from a certain kind of gothic, till the doom death. Now introduce epic symphonic moments with a touch of rituality and theatricality, female chantings and narration moments like they would come from afterlife. Well you can maybe imagine now how this French Swiss act plays and interprets its own personal, incredible , original, dark, mystical and absolutely gloomy Melodic Black Metal. I personally think that the Black is very difficult to be heard and understood in general .Exceptions are all Black fans since ever of course!, but I'm sure that most of you will agree with me when I say that Black is still a kind of insider-genre for few elected people. But why that? In my opinion the answer is very easy! There is a lack of groups that can introduce you to this kind of music. Enigmatik, in spite of the many obscure aspects of their music, on the contrary are making it possible. Moreover all who don't like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, all who cannot follow and appreciate Emperor or Nocte Obducta cause they find them too fast or difficult, could keep an eye on this young band. "Where evil is cloistered" merge a severe and fascinating diabolical ambience, a sense of epic mystery, with the typical Black metal schemes, so that the listeners are captured in a dark "evil world" and are introduced to the Black music step by step.

The Black here is a revelation more than an ear-overwork. Emotion and mystic emphasis are underlined. The listener dives literally in an occult world, where the black metal spirit is wrapped in quality atmospheric moments with fast and slow passages as well, many amazing melancholic piano solos, imposal keyboards , heavy guitar rythmed riffs, experimental bass sounds, demonic vocals. From the moment that black tremolo riffs and fast tempos with valuable accelerations alternate with slow and gloomy passages supported by keyboard soundscapes, the result is a taste, an impression of a strange, rather unusual aggressive slowliness and heaviness, that make this music more poetic and epic than purely fast . But, like I have already mentioned, the most positive fact is that really everybody among the dark oriented metalheads can listen to this music without a problem, experimenting an occult "journey" through the most melodic and melancholic sides of the black, in a world of fear, obtaining a pleasure like only a great mystical adventure can give, "où le jour n'est plus et le mal est reclus" . Vocals are supported by the very strong and versatile voice of Hysgarth accompanied by suggestive Luna's female voice. Lyrics are very interesting and dark as well, mixing very often English, French and German:

Hear the breeze among the trees
I am the goddess of the Night
I am the keeper of the obscurity
Quitte ce corps et rejoins-moi
Notre alliance porte le sceau de l'immortalité
Prends ma main et vois.

Fears belong to Thee
Make me become their master
I want to dominate
All human fears and nightmares
Teach me Thy powers
And shall we strike our alliance
Together we will survive
To the ages ordeal.

Though there are aspects that still need some improving, the current result is already more than amazing, really awsome. It is a very intelligent Black!
On with the tracks now! Only 5 but for a quite half hour of listening!
ALL LIGHT HAS FAILED is a beautiful sad and tormenting piano solo, played stressing more the high notes opens the track and the whole CD. It's a moment of pure mystical, classical beauty. This track fades directly into the beginning of the second track, that is to say into another piano solo.
PROPHECIES OF DOOM begins with a fantastic slow sad suggestive long piano sound that let you remind in some way even classical composers. Then it bursts with an experimental effect into an heavy black aura with heavy tremolo riffs in a general mid tempo, . The melodies are looping the one into the other till guitar assault and the beats show an impressive acceleration, coming then back to the heavier proceeding, fading out with decision. Very versatile and wide-ranged the vocals.
LIFELESS DIMENSIONS is more experimental the beginning of this track that develops into a cool song with stressed catchy sound loops and the usual heavy sharp guitars, showing a central fantastic atmospheric moment, adorned by narration and female chanting supported by piano, concluded by a final heavy guitar assault. This track too is open to some influences outside the merely black schemes. Incredible but I think to distinguish even a short trash moment in the guitar playing. Very interesting the work done by drums and percussions.
Tempo changes, evil vocals and atmospheric environment, cool acoustic moments, heavy proceedings for this very original I SERVE DARKNESS enriched by also gloomy gothic sounds, offering a black ferocious assault only in the very beginning and at the end ,though that kind of diabolical soundscape is always present. The melodies are developed in a versatile way during these different musical proceedings.

I serve darkness my soul is Thy
Thy Embrace spellbinds me like an immaculate virgin
Like her I desire to guess your unknown charms
Oh mistress of all fears united we stand together we walk.

EROMIVE is so amazing and strange: only when one listen to it can take it for true! A kind of doom death à la very early Paradise Lost is merged with faster moments with heavy ricurrent guitars and bass attacks. The whole adorned by intense narration moments. The result is absolutely surprising and more than good.

Praise to this young Swiss band, who is presenting Black metal in an original, amazing way, proving again that the young Swiss scene is full of new talents, who no longer want metal to be bound by iron labelled schemes and gladly extend their composition into a multiflavour surprising bouquet. And this is the purpose of art, isn'it?
I'm looking forward to seeing Enigmatik live on June 8th at Kulturwerk in Sursee (Gryphonparty) ! So...till soon, Cloistered Evil...

dalia di giacomo

[I Despair]

contacts

© GryphonMetal.ch June 2001-2004Niederrohrdorf - Switzerland