Quintessence Mystica
The 5th Harmonic Of Death ()
Wydane przez Schwarzdorn Productions/Soulfood Music DistributionRok wydania Kraj UkraineNapisał Wouter6
With the rise in popularity of Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir and Emperor in the late 1990's the world has been flooded with symphonic, keyboard-oriented outfits that try to emulate their inspirations in music and imagery. In the 14 years that has passed since that accursed year of 1997 (a milestone year in symfo black metal) it has been proven abundantly that blandly copying one's inspirations doesn't guarantee a worldwide success and following. The latest example of this is Quintessence Mystica, a symphonic black metal duo from Ukraine whose only defining trait is the sparse use of the violin. At no point does this band sound evil or haunting. The music is mostly played fast with a thick layer of keyboards and synthethics. The keyboard is the lead instrument with the guitars merely serving as a support. There are no leads/solos or parts where the guitars lead the assault. As such Quintessence Mystica is just another faceless competitor in a genre full of identityless clones and pretenders to the throne. Pompous is an adjective that adequately describes the direction of this band. Occassionally the vocals remind slightly of Ancient Rites frontman Gunther Theys. No matter how big the synthesized orchestras get or how dramatically "The 5th Harmonic Of Death" tries to be, it serves as a stark reminder that the pioneers of this genre utilized their keyboards to support their songs and not the other way around as is the case here. Produced at MH Studios by ex-Nokturnal Mortum drummer Munruthel Quintessence Mystica come with a functional but typical underground production that emphasizes the keyboards and synthethic elements. 15 years ago this would be heralded as a revolutionary record, today and with the evolution the genre has gone through "The 5th Harmonic Of Death" is another reminder as to pull out a classic symfo black metal record instead of waiting for the next big thing out of the underground.
www.schwarzdorn.de
