Ephel Duath
Pain Is Necessary To Know

After the masterpiece "the painter’s palette," Ephel Duath returns with this "pain is necessary to know."

With a lineup consisting of: Davide Tiso, guitarist and mastermind of the band (and what a mind!!!!), Fabio Lecchio on bass, and Luciano Lorusso George on vocals, they compose a formidable album. "Pain is necessary to know" is very complicated and heavy but retains the jazzy structures and the upheaval of the tracks present on the previous album.

To set some coordinates for this album, one might say that Ephel has the attitude of 'The Dillinger Escape Plan' but not the style. Ephel's style is very personal, and with this album, they personalize it even more. Forget that touch of linearity present in "the painter’s palette" because it's not in this album.
Songs free of choruses, recurring riffs, and clean vocals; it's all a stream of consciousness, thanks to the impressive work at the level of arrangements by Tiso and co. The arrangements are sparse and lean, giving the album a sense of more diluted chaos while highlighting that feeling of unease.

The references to extreme metal are in the background without taking anything away from the aggressiveness unleashed by Luciano Lorusso's scathing voice. A piece of advice for listening is not to try to learn certain passages (because it's impossible) but to let yourself be swept away by the madness of "pain is necessary to know." If you liked "the painter’s palette," you will also like "pain is necessary to know" as it is the evolution of the previous album, so make it yours because bands like this are more unique than rare (especially in Italy).

Ah, I almost forgot, a note of merit also goes to the stunning artwork by Tryne Og Kim (Ulver, Arcturus) featuring the tentacles of a jellyfish in dirty water associated with the title of the album.
“One cannot say they truly know a jellyfish if they don't have marks of its touch. One has no idea what is best for their life if they haven't gone through pain. Pain is necessary to know.” (DAVIDE TISO)

P.S = not recommended for those who think that extreme metal is just headbanging music because there isn't any, instead, it is recommended for those who think extreme music is open to all possible contaminations and is auteur music.