Ensoph
Project X-Katon
7.6
Awhile back I reviewed the last album by Italy’s Ensoph and was at a loss for words as to how to describe them. Two years later and I’m still searching for just the right words. They’ve tried to help matters by streamlining their sound just a little bit, but calling Ensoph straightforward would be laughable. They’ve still got a completely off-the-wall style, incorporating black metal, electronica, doom, noise, and now a newer influence that reminds me of weird Viking-type bands, such as older …And Oceans. When they put it all together right and stick to somewhat normal song structures, it comes out very well. Weird, but well.
I also hear some similarities to certain goth-metal bands, like the newest album from Atrocity. This resemblance strikes right from the start in the first real song, “Condemned”. N-Ikonoclast’s clean vocals stand out in this ready-made single. I say that because the album contains a radio edit version of this song at the end. Cheap synths set the mood. “D-Generation” is more reminiscent of the last album, dark, creepy, industrial. They are probably one of the very few bands that can mix in piano, classical female singing, synthesizers, metal screeching, flutes, and blast beats, and end up with something not just listenable, but enjoyable. “The Source Becomes Desert” is more of a poppy industrial track, with a Rammstein-like chorus. “Pain, Pride, & Regret” is another cool song. Electronica starts up, heavy chords follow with some demon-voiced verses. Again, the odd and accented cleaner vocals get the job done.
Project X-Katon is a different album than its predecessor. The songs have more accessibility built in, and a few that are clearly more radio fare than in the past, but this is all relative. There are very few bands that sound anywhere near as avantgarde as Ensoph, and in today’s metal world, that’s a good thing. This is certainly not for all, but for the adventuresome and tolerant few.
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EnsophOpus Dementiae - Per Et In Aenigmate
4/1/2004