Every genre of music does one of two things over time: becomes stagnant or dramatically changes with the emergence of a new and younger generation of musicians. Black/Death metal is one of those genres that has definitely changed its sound dramatically over time. But Alas! Not all is lost from the fruitful beginnings of a genre that changed the world of rock/heavy metal forever; every once in a while an album pops up that links the ever-changing sound of a genre back to its roots. That, my friends, best describes the newest installment from metal veteran Tom Warrior.
The emotional, sludgy, stone-hardened soul of Thomas Gabriel Fisher (aka Tom Warrior; formally of Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, and Apollyon Sun) along with guitarist V. Santura turns our ears decrepit with the debut album from his latest band Tryptikon; entitled, Eparistera Daimones. With an album structure similar to its melody, devoid and ill mannered. The albums begins with the long, brutal and engaging song titled, “Goetia,” running in at 11 minutes, is the perfect introduction to the brutality that is to come. 'Goetia,' will draw you in from the beginning, crush you in the middle, then smooth-en you out for the next ride. The second track entitled, “In Shrouds Decayed,” was a little drawn out in the beginning, but is definitely worth listening through for the bone crushing riffs that closely follow to the end.
Tracks like “A thousand lies” and “Descedant,” will throw you right back into the roots of black/death metal. A grounding, crushing, whiplash inducing downbeat; gargling, drowned and hollow vocals; coupled with an overall feeling of dread. The last tracks, “Myopic Empire” and “The Prolonging,” (an aptly-named track, epic in its own right, clocking in at nineteen minutes and twenty two seconds) definitely carries the remnants of Tom Warriors last album, “Monotheist,” with the ground laying, Swiss band, Celtic Frost. In fact, certain parts of the track 'Myopic Empire,' sounds almost identical to the track , “Ground,” from 'Monotheist.' This of course does not take away the originality or quality of the album. It actually prompted me to want to listen to 'Monotheist' again, which is also a highly recommended album if you appreciate Eparistera Diamones.
Unfortunately, even great albums like Eparistera Diamones are not immune to having a few mistakes here and there. Tracks like, “Shrine” and “My Pain,” are slow, and ironically painful to listen to. The way I think about it though; its only 2 bad apples out of a bunch of 9 (ten, including the bonus track "Shatter" if you get the Japanese edition released by Victor Entertainment, under license by Century Media Records.)
Overall, Eparistera Diamones will without a doubt rattle the bones of even the most dreaded and hardcore of metal heads. For those of us who are dedicated to the roots of death metal and loyal fans to the Celtic Frost/ Tom Warrior legacy the Japanese addition with the bonus track is a must buy. For those who with no need go out of the way for the Japanese edition prepare for a rupturing of the ear drums and a journey into the depths of depression you never thought possible. Either way this album is a must buy. Running in at 72 minutes, its one of those albums that needs to be listened to all the way through. There is definitely a story being told, and a lot of correlations between each track. Minus of course, 'Shrine' and 'My Pain.' Support the musicians that you appreciate and look up to. Buy the album if you have the means to and spread the word.
This album comes in a few formats including CD, Digipak CD, Double Gatefold LP, and for the die hard a Deluxe Mediabook CD(including a 28-page booklet and extensive 'liner notes'). In which you might find the meaning to the title Eparistera Daimones. I am not entirely sure if all these formats are included in the Japanese release. Art work by H.R. Giger.
--JD²
buy here: Eparistera Daimones
digital Eparistera Daimones [+Digital Booklet]
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