Ecnephias
Dominium Noctis ()
Wydane przez Nekromantik Records/Necrotorture AgencyRok wydania Kraj ItalyNapisał Wouter6
Bombastic, symphonic keyboard laden death/doom metal that reminds of (early) My Dying Bride or Anathema, without their interesting dynamics. Apparently a concept album of sorts, "Dominium Noctis" deals with the eternal conflict between good and evil. Vocally, guitarist Mancan is rather one-dimensional and lacking in proper range to diversify the material. As a result all tracks end up sounding rather identical as far as vocal lines is concerned. The riffing is mostly midpaced with occasional soloing. The drumming follows suit, sometimes breaking into a faster section as shown in 'Ice Forest Rituals (the Twilight)'. Overall, from an instrumental point of view this record is quite tedious. The keyboards feature too prominently and Ecnephias misses the songwriting skills to truly stand out from the flock at this point. Recordings and mixing at CD & M Recording Studio and Fauno EA Studio provide "Dominium Noctis" with the genre typical production. The guitar tone is sufficiently gritty but misses an inch of clarity to truly stand out. The drums sound clean enough but miss the power to punch the point home. Keyboards and synthesizers feature prominently and sometimes push away the other instruments. Artwork, design and lay-out are okay but not particularly eye-catching or outstanding. If a band wants to be noticed in this genre, they need impeccable instrumental skills, top notch songwriting bravado or at least striking visuals in order to stand out from the competition. Ecnephias has neither. "Dominium Noctis" is too much of a safe and by-the-numbers doom/dark metal record that will have little appeal outside of its country of origin.
www.ecnephias.com
