Artist: Ephel Duath
Label: Earache Records
Release Date: 6/17/03
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Title: The Painter's Palette Artist: Ephel Duath Label: Earache Records Release Date: 6/17/03 |
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Abyss's Review:
Ephel Duath are exactly what they promise to be, an experimental plethora of different sounds and styles. The band strikes me in much the same way that John Zorn does in his more experimental moments, but whereas I often find myself enamored by Mr. Zorn, Ephel Duath don't seem to be able to hold my attention for long periods of time.
"It sounds like jazz-fusion being played OVER hardcore, rather than a hybrid of the styles resulting in something more interesting than the sum of its parts." That's not to say this album is bad, however, just not as groundbreaking as I would have hoped. Perhaps it is because the disc is undeniably rooted in hardcore, a genre that often frustrates me. As avant-garde as this album tries to be, I have trouble getting on board because of how generic the hardcore is in and of itself. One of my biggest problems with hardcore as a genre is how formulaic it is. The vocals seem to sound the same no matter what band is doing them. They'll utilize aggressive barking for the verses and kick into a clean vocal chorus that is supposed to betray emotion underneath all of the ugliness. The problem is that every hardcore band's clean vocals sound exactly the same to me, and this disc is no different.
It is actually a bit worse on this record because, as progressive as the music tries to be, it is held in check by the generic vocals. It literally sounds like spastic horns being played over a decent hardcore band, rather than a visionary mixture of styles. What I mean by this is that it sounds like jazz-fusion being played OVER hardcore, rather than a hybrid of the styles resulting in something more interesting than the sum of its parts. Any band trying to do something this ambitious has to set the bar higher, in my opinion.
"This stuff definitely isn't for everyone, however, and the casual fan may want to wait and hear before any financial investment." If I sound overly harsh, I'm not trying to be. These guys definitely have some talent, I just think what they've come up with is either a little too disjointed or obvious. Parts of the album stand apart, however. "Ironical Communion (amber)" is my favorite track on the record, and while it isn't leaps and bounds apart from the other material on the disc, it complements itself much more successfully than some of the other tracks.
If you like hardcore and experimental jazz, this album might very well pique your interest. This stuff definitely isn't for everyone, however, and the casual fan may want to wait and hear before any financial investment. One word review: Interesting.
Death's Review:
"Do you wish the bastard son of System of a Down and Primus would take up an interest in Phish and then disitill itself down to its most Zappa-like essence before throw itself in a blender with art-rock, grindcore, jazz, metalcore, death metal and hardcore stylings? No?" What is the relationship between sound and color, and why does an album exploring that dichotomy have artwork that is only in black and white? These and other mysteries await you if you dare to venture inside The Painter's Palette. For the lazy among you, this from the band's bio: "The intention of is to give colour through their sounds or to play the sound of colours. With titles such as 'The Passage (pearl grey)' and 'Ruins (deep blue and violet)' every song is depicted by a different chromatic shade, so the listener's mind becomes a painting with infinite possibilities of sounds and colours, musical tonalities and contrasting hues." So there.
Musically, more questions jump to the surface. Mainman Davide Tiso strays dramatically from his "black metal roots." Do you wish the bastard son of System of a Down and Primus would take up an interest in Phish and then disitill itself down to its most Zappa-like essence before throw itself in a blender with art-rock, grindcore, jazz, metalcore, death metal and hardcore stylings? No? Do you like jazz but find yourself longing for a version that could seriously labeled more extreme? Did you wish that The Dillinger Escape Plan would incorporate a black metal influence, and then decide to feature blaringly disrespectful, brutal horms, a la the theme song form HBO's now-defunct prison series, Oz, all over the opening track from its next record? Do you like salad [a random shout-out to Exodus' Pleasures of the Flesh album, for all you newbies]? Well, I didn't know that my answer to any of these questions would be "yes" - that is, before I heard Italy's label-described "avant garde black metal jazz maestros," Ephel Duath.
"Bottom line? Adventurous, off-kilter; and damn good stuff if you're up for it." The beauty of The Painter's Palette (not to be confused, of course, with Soilwork's A Predator's Portrait) is really its meshing of jazz and metalcore. The band comes across as part precision jazz musicianship-focused, part chaotic, spastic hardcore, part avant garde experiement. This is left of center stuff, perhaps sounding as if it might have fit on Relapse Records as well as on Earache. The genre-bending journey can at once be described as progressive and grind-fashioned D.I.Y. Although I've never had the pleasure, to my mind, the best way to experience Ephal Duath has go to be to see them live. A cheaper alternative might be to surf on over to the Earache web site and check out the video for "The Passage." I think that just about sums it up right there. Bottom line? Adventurous, off-kilter; and damn good stuff if you're up for it.
Hel's Review:
Ephel Duath is, essentially, jazz mixed with hardcore. As a general rule, I enjoy jazz, particularly the experimental type. Ephel Duath certainly does an admirable job with their jazz sections, which are found in abundance throughout the album. The style of these jazz sections vary, from what can only be described as soft jazz, to some trippy avant-garde stuff.
"Ephel Duath certainly does an admirable job with their jazz sections, which are found in abundance throughout the album."
"Eventually though, I found myself returning to a wish - that the vocals weren't so damn hardcore." There is a dichotomy of vocal styles: a harsh hardcore scream, offset by a clean vocal style reminiscent of the kind frequently used in similar dual vocal arrangements by many hardcore bands. It's a fairly well documented fact that the primary reason I'm not overly fond of hardcore is due to the vocal style. So you kind of see my problem with that.
However, there are many good points. The musicianship is superb. The songwriting is extremely well done. The overall concept, which begins with the title, The Painter's Palette, and extends to each of the tracks also bearing the name of a color, is quite clever. For what I believe it intends to be, it is dead on. I had a good time listening to it for many spins. Eventually though, I found myself returning to a wish - that the vocals weren't so damn hardcore. But overall, it's a very well done effort at a fresh perspective.
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