CENOTAPH: Epic Rites CD ( Bonus track) Legendary band triumphant Death Metal feel A masterpiece HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Description

1. Intro 00:41
2. Crying Frost 06:02
3. Lorn Ends 04:55
4. Navegate 05:12
5. Towards the Umbra 05:51
6. As the Darkness Borns 05:13
7. Angered Tongues 05:23
8. Epic Rites 04:07
9. Dethroned Empire 06:12
10. Thorns of Fog (Bonus track) 05:29
Total playing time 49:05

The legendary band with their melodic, aggressive and technical Death Metal album; not unlike At the Gates (with a better vocalist). Cenotaph are masters at employing melody to create a triumphant feel. Their music sucks you into a depressing field of emotions, and the technical riffs keep you hooked for the entire run. Vocals come from the throat and are screeched. The music contradicts this hateful feel as it’s neither malicious nor entirely laid back; the drums and the guitars is pure doom played at a faster, melodic pace. Cenotaph twist and fuck this music towards their own musical goals, and produce nothing less than a masterpiece.

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This band truly amazes me. This was one of last year’s best albums. Epic Rites has an excellent, crunchy production and songs similar, in type and quality, to the Gothenburg greats (you know them by now). Cenotaph, however, have a lot more to offer than just rip-offs of their favourite bands. It’s hard for me to break down what I like about the music on this album (and believe me I’ve tried), but the central brilliance is the honesty with which it is played: here you have a band who really LOVE their music, and their passion gives the songs incredible depth and resonance. If pushed, I would say three distinct things stand out of Cenotaph’s musical arrangements: 1) The catchy yet heavy choruses and repeated song sections, 2) the double bass drumming which is used sparingly but to great effect, 3) the dynamic changes within songs. This last factor will make you grin and play air guitar during nearly every song: you’ll be listening to a quiet brooding arpeggio, something will be spoken softly, and suddenly you are greeted with a full on sound and an incredible riff. This happens on “”Crying Frost””, and the effect is mirrored on various songs on the album. This album proves that you don’t have to be from Sweden to play this music and play it masterfully.
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