Evoken
Antithesis of Light


5.0
classic

Review

by Hardhat USER (4 Reviews)
February 24th, 2007 | 148 replies


Release Date: 2005 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Evoken has created an unmatchable, bottomless pit of Doom Metal that flawlessly combines darkness, despair, beauty, and hope to just the right degrees to pierce your emotions. A Funeral Doom classic.

The sky is pale and gray. The land is desolate, and the trees are frail and leafless. A rusted copper fence encircles a lifeless, decaying garden, and crumbling statues are covered with blackened moss. I've never been to this place before, and I doubt I'll ever go back. The place is Doom Metal Eden. The band is EVOKEN, and in 71 minutes they have achieved Funeral Doom bliss.

I'll say right off the bat that this is near perfect Funeral Doom. But there is one thing that I don't want to get lost in my unrelenting praise of the album: believe it or not, some people don't enjoy 13 minute songs that lumber along slower than a snail and send the listener into a pit of sorrow. And there is the album's one flaw; this is Funeral Doom. If you don't like it, you will HATE this. But for fans of the genre, it doesn't get any better than Antithesis of Light. With that in mind, enter EVOKEN.
 


The album opens with the "Intro", and you can hear whispering voices from all sides. As the first song starts you are introduced to the nearly overwhelming sound of EVOKEN. Throughout the whole 70 minutes the music never lets up its force or its power. In terms of atmosphere, this album is unmatched. Brutal chord voicing under gloomy clean guitar intertwined with slow and rhythmic drums take you to the dark places that very few bands can. If someone told me that EVOKEN recorded Antithesis of Light in a cave, I would believe them, because that is exactly what this sounds like; some dark and gloomy cave in the mountains, of which there is no escape from and where hope is just a faded memory.



The keyboard is a great touch too. It lurks quietly in the background, adding to the unsurpassed bleakness of this album. And when it chooses to come out, it is so beautiful that for a minute it might give you the illusion of hope, like a line of gray light piercing the dark cave where you are trapped. But just as soon as the beauty is there, the oppressing, lumbering guitar starts again and you are plunged back into EVOKEN's cave, and into total darkness.



With Antithesis of Light, EVOKEN has created an unmatchable, bottomless pit of Doom Metal that flawlessly combines darkness, despair, beauty, and hope to just the right degrees to pierce your emotions. A Funeral Doom classic. If that's your thing, obtain this album by any means possible. But if you're looking to brighten up your happy day with some music…then stay the hell away.



(Also published at http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=17960)


user ratings (230)
4.3
superb


Comments:Add a Comment 
Hardhat
February 24th 2007


53 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Damn, this is shorter than I wanted it to be. I might try and add some stuff.

Doppelganger
February 24th 2007


3124 Comments


Great review! I'm interested now.

Hardhat
February 24th 2007


53 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I just noticed how it's kinda funny that I give this album a 5 yet my flaws paragraph is the longest.

Doppelganger
February 24th 2007


3124 Comments


That paragraph is just stating how non-doom fans will not like it. You're still stating it's a classic within the genre.

PsychicJuggler
February 24th 2007


1 Comments


Sweeeet review!!!
I need to check this out.

Stoic
February 24th 2007


161 Comments


Dude that review was fantastic, you almost made me forget that I find funeral doom terribly boring and I was that close to start looking for a song off this album...but no; like you said this is not for everyone and definitely not for people like me who have no patience...Great reading nevertheless!This Message Edited On 02.24.07

publicastration
February 25th 2007


57 Comments


This review is great and Evoken sound AWESOME.

Confessed2005
February 25th 2007


6009 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Wow, great review - this certainly sounds like something I might enjoy.

Hardhat
February 27th 2007


53 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Thanks for the comments, and for the people who voted it as a Well-Written review.

Hardhat
March 15th 2007


53 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Bumping....because I'm suprised that more people don't know about this band.

Danath
March 24th 2007


13 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

I was suprised too.. I just couldn't believe that there were no Evoken on this site...so I add them.

Hardhat
March 25th 2007


53 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

2Stranger just uploaded this album for the DU....I'm hoping for more exposure now, this band deserves it.

Cravinov13
July 3rd 2007


3854 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

I never realised this was reviewed. Good work. Amazing album.

jrowa001
July 8th 2007


8752 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

i just listened to this again and its really a great album. songs are kinda long but they flow well and just take you on a journey of darkness. i need more doom like this

freudianslipknot
December 8th 2007


803 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I have just got this. This is totally extreme, totally awesome, and totally doom. It really pushes the boundaries in an interesting way. This album is way more interesting than I was expecting. Very good review by the way. I am in the process of ordering their new album immediately!!

rasputin
December 8th 2007


14968 Comments


Noice, noice. Voted. Should check them out, sounds like something I'd like.

yas666eer
January 26th 2008


282 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

great band... one of the best funeral doom acts.... to bad it took me so long to find out about them..........

AngelPhoenix
March 13th 2008


2761 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

After hearing Watching from a Distance from Warning, The Call of the Wretched Sea from Ahab, Dooom from Worship, and this...



This wins. And I'll tell you why I think so.

The drummer is very subdued in Doom metal overall, at least that's what I've gathered from these albums. Even when they do get their chance to shine, it's usually brief, or just like one cool but repeated pattern.

These guys manage to intelligently and beautifully work the drumming into the core of their sound and that fills a missing gap between me and totally loving doom metal.



This is sublime.

And from what I've heard from A Caress of the Void, it's just as good. This Message Edited On 03.13.08

yas666eer
March 16th 2008


282 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I think this album is really good... But over all i would disagree with Angelphonix. Ahab takes it any day for me as the atmosphere they create is the most intense.

AngelPhoenix
March 17th 2008


2761 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Yeah man, Ahab is damn close to this. I like individual tracks on that album better (Old Thunder, The Sermon, Ahab's Oath), but this impresses me more overall. I don't even care about the tracks, the album as a whole is nearly perfect. My opinion of course



Ahab frikin rules though, no argument there.



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