Melechesh has always been a very impressive band since their first EP, as well as their first full-length recording. However, despite how impressive their music has been, it seems that this band has always been overshadowed by another act that shares a similar musical approach, but really pushes the middle eastern musical approach moreso. Of course, this band would be Nile. With each release, however, Melechesh has progressively gotten better, and their sound more refined and tightened compared to the last. The Epigenesis marks the group's fifth full-length offering, one that took roughly four years to surface, and not only was it well worth the wait for the band's ever-growing fan-base, but should be enough to cast them out of the shadow of the aforementioned similar act, and all other bands much like it, and hold onto that newly found spotlight for a damn good whiTle.
One of the big draws to this Israel-based act is the both the musical approach, which general brings in a subtle Middle Eastern Folk touch to the album, but not so much that the album becomes dependent on the atmosphere instead of the album musicianship, as well as the corresponding region-based mythological lyrical content. All of it winds up being very well composed, and performed with fantastic energy, even though there are some tracks here that have a more laid back approach then others, which actually leads to a slightly shocking lead in track. "Ghouls of Nineveh" has a very laid back Folk feel to it, going at more of a mid-tempo pace then anything with a firey vocal performance that adds to the song's overall intensity. However, right after that, "Grand Gathas of Baal Sin" kicks in with full speed, showing the real energy and potention that this album has. Of course, this is one of the first songs on here to really focus on the more Middle Eastern aspect of the group as far as the actual performance from the band is concerned, having chanting in the background during bridges and closes with a very ambient performance. Of course, this song doesn't really rely on that latter section, as the first half of this song is well composed Black and Death Metal fused together to create a hard hitting track that will quickly become one of your favorites off the release.
There aren't many songs on here that happen to be rather short, as most of the tracks wind up being over five minutes long. The only two exceptions to this would be "Defeating the Giants" and "Negative Theology". With the album clocking in at just over seventy minutes, and given the length of the songs, the issue of whether or not this release is prodominantly composed of filler material and drawn out songs. Luckily, that is not the case with The Epigenesis. Each song on here is well worth sitting through the long track length, as the material presented here is superbly composed and will keep the listener attentive for various reasons. Tracks like "Mystics of the Pillar" moves at a much slower pace, but really suits the lyrical content with a commanding vocal performance to greatly enhances the song and works well with the Middle Eastern atmosphere set by some of the instruments throughout the bridges, complimenting the chugging, yet very heavy guitars nicely to weave a song that stays as fresh as it starts until the very end. The only track on here that may wind up losing the listener's attention would be instrumental track "When Halos of Candles Collide" simply because it winds up being a song that is nothing but Middle Eastern style music played at a very slow pace, almost in a mystical manner, but winds up coming off very generic compared to some of the hard hitting or more laid back slower paced tracks of the album, coming off as something that could be placed in the more recent Mummy action film trilogy or even a traditional Middle Eastern heritage-based album, and is perhaps the only song on here that feels a little drawn out. Eventually it picks up near the end, but, sadly, only momentarily, tricking the listener into believing it may bleed into the next track, "Defeating the Giants", which it sadly does not.
Typically, it's at that point when you come across a generic song that the album goes downhill, but that's not the case here. In fact, it's after this song that some of the more impressive material comes to light. "Defeating the Giants" is a blistering Black/Death Metal assault that features a very fine touch of the Folkish atmosphere that Melechesh brings with them, and "Illumination: The Face of Shamash" shows some great guitar technicality among some atmospheric Middle Eastern inspired chords that create a great atmosphere without overtaking the band's musical abilities and general song compositions.Of course "A Greater Chain of Being" is another instruental track, but this one, at least, has more to it then "When Halos of Candles Collide", moving at a quicker pace with some stronger, more complex music behind it to keep the song from becoming dull and generic. While it isn't the most original instrumental, it's still well done and casts a nice ambience to the album, which "When Halos of Candles Collide" did too, but not quite as easily as this track. All of this leading to the rather epic climactic title track "The Epigenesis", another slower song, but, like many of the other longer tracks on this release, it has much going for it right from the start that manages to keep the listener content until the very end, such as a strong and energetic performance, excellent blend of Black/Death Metal with a hint of Folk in the mix to make it stand out just right, and plenty of moments where the music offers variety throughout, all working together to compose a solid conclusion to this fantastic release.
If you have never heard of Melechesh before, then now is the time to discover this act. The Epigenesis is a fantastic metal release that starts off strong and barely ever lets go of the grip on your throat that it gets from the moment the music actually kicks in on "Ghouls of Nineveh". There's no denying that this is going to be the group's breakout album that not only will introduce the band to many new listeners, but also greatly please their already established fan base thanks to their exquisite compositions throughout the album, leaving the listeners with well over an hour's worth of great Metal, and an album with plenty of replay value.
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