Thursday, June 2, 2016

Enlighten - Illvmantithis (2016)

The second EP from this Portuguese black metal two-piece, Illvmantithis certainly sounds different, and that's in a good way. I have no idea as to what method they're employing to make the riffs sound so oblong and twisted in the mix, but it's definitely working for me, almost as if Cynic played black metal. The scowls feel absolutely feversome in the mix, with K really nailing it there and giving me a rather bleak and misanthropic performance that seems to go hand in hand with his bizarrely progressive playing style. A is the drummer here, pretty much giving you the kind of tap tap tap performance that you would expect from the kit, the real star being in K's wonderfully bleak and awesome melodies. Yes, this is the reason why I chose to review this one as you all know how much I love bleak leads in black metal. Though we only get “Pallor” and “Shroud” here, it's enough for us to go on and gives us a feeling for what these guys might offer with a full-length. They don't want to play the same old black metal, especially now, with a record that feels nearly removed from traditionalism and seeks more dreadful and depressing territory. I'm fine with that, just so long as a K doesn't switch to a godawful howl. They have a bit that they could work on, but I certainly wouldn't turn this EP away either. It just depends on how you like your black metal, which can be as different as how you take your coffee. Usually depends on the person.

(2 Tracks, 11:00)

7/10

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