Into the Nothingness of Cold and Hopelessness

Aphasiac, or 失语症 (Shi Yu Zheng), is an active Chinese DSBM band formed in Changchun, Jilin on September 30th, 2017. The only two, or at least known members are Ashes, and Martyrdomquagmire, or 张清 (Qing Zhang). This first and only EP, "Into The Nothingness Of Cold And Hopelessness" was released on May 15th, 2018, by Pest Productions.

It is insane how mature-sounding this EP is. I would say that it is above the average of most DSBM works I have gotten in. The intro track is an ambient-sounding and distressing one-minute track; it sets the tone for the rest of the EP and it only gets better. Throughout this EP, the guitar sound is clean and melancholic, while the drumming is monotonous-sounding and in-synced. Distorted guitar riffs are almost gut-wrenching, while they suit the depressing tone and atmosphere of this EP. The solos, especially the one from the album-titled track, strike into your soul, yet it is not nailed clean and cut. In other words, it leaves room for imagination and your own feelings. I cannot stress enough how exceptional the guitar sounding is and how it fits gracefully with the rest, creating the perfect atmosphere. Last but not least, the vocals. They're so hatred-filled, heartbreaking, yet beautiful. Most DSBM vocals take incredible talent. However, examples such as Nattramn's vocals did take me a while to get used to. Aphasiac's vocals are made perfectly for my ears, call me basic if you will, but it speaks to my soul in an almost comforting way.

I also want to talk about the fifth track of this EP, "C......", which is a desolate and dreary piano interlude. Its atmosphere reminds me of the intro track of Suici.De.Pression by Thy Light. However, the two give off completely different soundings. My favourite song off this EP would be the sixth and final track - "All Feeling Was Dying Out...". If you want to call the previous tracks "good", you would be at a loss for words at this one. Though in a similar atmosphere, the verses of the other three tracks are clean and melancholic (almost feels like some tracks from Pulver by Lifelover), while this track contains relatively more intense instrumental.

One last thing I would like to add is that, the reason why this band caught my eye was its origin and genre. I lived in Changchun, Jilin for a few summers and it is also my hometown. Before I gave this EP a listen, I was searching for Chinese metal bands, but none of them stuck with me.