Band's List Experimental Metal Epoch Crysis Rex

You know what they say, “Russia cannot be grasped with mind”. You can bump into pretty much everything here. Apparently this “everything” also includes tyrannosaurus, like the one depicted on the cover of the first album by Epoch Crysis, which we’re gonna look into today.

OK, what do we have in the terms of style? Well, here we have an eclectic mix: melodic black metal, modern metal, power metal and even metalcore with occasional small but memorable electronic inserts, so the band’s self definition of “melodic-extreme” is pretty much justified, although you can also call it “melodic avant-garde” and you won’t be far from truth.

For one thing, you won’t hear any vocals on the record. Here the vocals are happily replaced by guitars and keyboards, so I didn’t find myself thinking: “I wish there was some scream/squeal/clear vocal here!..” The absence of vocals affected the length of the tracks and the album in general, but you really only start thinking about this after listening to the whole record. Maybe good vocals would have made this record even better, but lame vocals would have definitely ruined it, so I guess the band made a safe decision not to experiment and just to play music.

As the previous release, this album has a sort of conceptual thoroughness to it. The order of tracks are very well-thought: the record begins with a slow and epic intro (which we already heard on the EP, but that’s not the point), after that you are immediately smacked on the head with a mind-blowing “Routine Glory” that fades to the atmospheric keyboard outro after which the tracks build up in intensity, but at the same time it is all very balanced, only at the end of the album the tempo slows down, further enhancing the feeling of concept. The rhythm section is particularly powerful, you are pretty much “jack hammered” throughout the whole record, but that doesn’t interfere with the overall tone picture.

The sound of the record is apparently inspired by the sort of “space-horror” atmosphere (think “Alien” or “Dead Space” soundtracks, for example), which is further enhanced by the quotes from sci-fi movies, both verbal and musical. “Moon Generation” is finished by the rearranged theme from “Psi Factor” series, which doesn’t feel like a direct ripoff, more like the “inspired by” acknowledgment. I’ve never encountered such an atmosphere in music, it really defines the sound and individuality of the band, as does the mix – every instrument is crystal clear, but the overall wall of sound is still firm and solid-cast.

Maybe you can relate the emotional impression from the album to the (this time rather eye-pleasing) album cover. As for me, I failed: what’s the connection between the music and the critter on the cover, I have no idea. But what is apparent, this album stands out from the lame and ever-expanding generic mass of sound, produced by current metalcore and modern-metal bands. In terms of the drive and ever present melody this record can easily go toe to toe not only with Russian, but with Western bands. Moreover the “possible competition” to this album will range from Mors Principium Est to As I Lay Dying and up to Dragonforce, which is in itself pretty mind-blowing.
Anyway, I sincerely give this album the well-deserved high mark.