Review Summary: Exploring extreme gothic doom without the pressure of living up to Celtic Frost
With hindsight having shown Celtic Frost’s Monotheist to essentially be a secret test flight for the Triptykon sound, it isn’t too surprising how this band emerged fully formed like Athena from the head of Zeus. Eparistera Daimones features a similarly doomed out style rooted in first wave black metal but puts even greater emphasis on atmosphere and gothic elements. The songs are driven by fairly simple riffs and gruff vocals, but the presentation comes with a refined elegance that puts the band closer to something like My Dying Bride than Bathory.
Such a grandiose premise is fully realized courtesy of the colossal musicianship. The guitars are especially thick with a dark molten tone that is boosted by the tight rhythms and dramatic keyboards and occasional violin. I also appreciate how multi-faceted the vocals get; Tom G Warrior’s bark comes with plenty of character and chances for vulnerability. It’s also cool to see some extra contrasts as female vocals enhance the more mysterious segments while co-guitarist/vocalist V. Santura’s higher shrieks provide a complementary nastiness.
Having these varying influences and dynamics to work with also ensures a whole lot of varied tracks. Songs like “Abyss Within My Soul” and “Myopic Empire” are particular standouts with their methodically crawling doom riffs and chanted hooks achieving a hypnotic appeal. I also love how “In Shrouds Decayed” and “My Pain” see the band’s more subdued side conveyed in opposite ways, the former using lowly recited vocals and creepy swirls while the latter sees the female singers take over for a deceivingly gentle lullaby. Haunting stuff all around.
Of course, anybody who thought Monotheist was too much will find this album to be even more so. While the largely glacial pace makes the seventy-two minutes runtime fairly palatable, some compositions can risk coming off too drawn out and the majesty can be a lot to maintain. The bookending tracks are the most obvious targets but ultimately come out strong, the opening “Goetia” using eleven minutes to invoke swells, thrashy verses, and pounding choruses while the twenty-minute “The Prolonging” closes out with droning endurance.
While Triptykon’s first full-length has the sort of experienced context that feels less like a *real* debut, it’s great to see the band explore this sound without the pressure of living up to Celtic Frost. It’s a lot like The Devil You Know in that way, utilizing a new coat of paint to decorate a familiar foundation with dark moods and varied influences. It capture the spirit of what came before while offering its own personality. It can be an undertaking but should be appealing for anybody with a taste for blackened slow burns.
