Ephel Duath
Through My Dog's Eyes

And after 3 long years of misfortunes inherent to the band and hard psychological and musical work, the anticipated return to the stage of the Padua-based Ephel Duath is released.

Present on the scene for over a decade, where, back in 1999, they released their first work, "Phormula," later re-released as rephormula with the addition of the first demo tape "opera" and some remixes, in 2001; work far removed from today's compositional and musical parameters: in fact, there we found a band still undecided on what to do yet so original and personal in constructing long pieces of truly avant-garde and futuristic black metal; but it is already after this first work that the stylistic ascent of our band begins: they distance themselves from the formulas used in that first cry to focus on other shores and incorporate even more different influences by recruiting new members and finally going on tour, something almost nonexistent until then (we are in 2003). Thus, the next two works are released two years apart: "The painter's palette" (2003—a beautiful work that has significantly marked the way of understanding certain metal arrangements with jazz and gothic and noir inserts) and "Pain necessary to know" (2005—another piece that dismantles quite a bit the glimmer of linearity that peeked here and there in the previous work in favor of completely erratic and unstable rhythmic phrases—their most challenging work to date), two works so different yet so part of an evolutionary process that takes care of the formal deconstruction of what was previously simply called metal and which now, with these two albums of such genius, can only be called with the name of pure and raw avant-garde.

As mentioned, 3 long years have passed since that last 2005 release, and Ephel returns charged with a work ("Through my dog's eyes," indeed) more than ever disorienting, a mirror of an unstable and purely sick and dark world, where the perspective is not the usual, but everything is seen through the eyes of a dog: sensations, fears, exploration of the external world, and all that a dog might think seeing some of our inexplicable actions. The concept behind it is remarkably original, and the music that serves as its foundation is equally original: think of their previous work (assuming you've listened to it, sorry but there are no levels of comparison with Ephel Duath, one of their works can only and exclusively be compared to their previous works and nothing else), think of its unstable way of linking musical and rhythmic phrases one on top of the other like in a frenetic puzzle that has no brake, think of a sort of extremely controlled chaos, think of this and add an extra dose of maturity and formal elegance, add clean vocals completely insane, furious and delirious noise, and you will have more or less in front of you what will present itself to you at the first "play" you will give to this splendid mental journey.

It is difficult to get into their music because of the infinite facets, the infinite small and highly significant nuances, its way of not giving any footholds, not even in a piece that seems more linear but then crumbles before your very eyes, their proposal comes out as highly hermetic and excessively layered, so much so that it must be undertaken with eagerness and dedication; it is music that gives a lot but requires a lot.

So sit down and try to understand this vortex of madness and calm gone mad, let yourself be dragged slowly inside, and the pieces of the puzzle, initially confused and disorderly, listening after listening, will fall into place, well in sight and next to one another: in order, in disorder.

Ephel Duath have returned and have left us with another impossible riddle work to pass on to posterity.

Magnificent and extremely fascinating.

Nothing less than the best band in the world concerning sonic and lyrical avant-gardism, and they are Italian, let's not forget that!