Overture: The Heir Apparent

Technical death metal is a genre where it’s hard not to sound generic. With countless albums and EPs being released each year it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed, especially if most of them sound very similar to one another.

Luckily, each year there are a handful of releases that have their own identity and sound and such is the case Ezerath’s debut album. And as if the music itself weren’t refreshing enough, the lyrical themes are as well, telling the story of a fantasy world through the various points of view of seven characters, one per song, in what feels like, well, an overture to a grand and epic story that will hopefully evolve in Ezerath’s future albums.

The music, while still technical for most of the time, still manages to be melodic, much like Allegaeon at times but without that flamenco edge, and knows when to be slow and easier to play instead of the overly technical riffs most of its peer do when not called for.

“Hand of Serth” is perhaps my favorite song on the album, with insane and atmospheric riffs to accompany the story. “A Heart, an Eye, and a Womb” is another highlight, with it’s acoustic guitar and the atmospheric choir in the background. The spoken vocals are not my cup of tea, but once they get to more conventional vocals they improve greatly, at least in my opinion. “In a Gale of Inferno” features some angelic female singing that provide some variety to what can sometimes be a monotonous way of singing. The guitar leads are incredibly good and placed perfectly in the song.

This year has seen an astonishing amount of great releases, yet this one remains among my favorites so far and I find myself constantly listening to it. My only criticism other than the spoken vocals are the song structures; the verse-chorus-verse-chorus form is overplayed in my opinion and it becomes tiring at times. Nevertheless, this albums does not suffer greatly because of it and it may help new listeners get into a somewhat inaccessible genre.

Originally written for: https://metalmanreviews.wordpress.com/