EPHEL DUATH „Pain Necessary to Know”

Music: Avantgarde Jazzcore
Country: Italy
Duration: 38.17
Cool Songs: New Disorder, Pleonasm, Crystalline Whirl, Vector, Imploding.

Right off the bat, it must be stated that these Italians are seriously loopy. It’s a good loopy, but nevertheless they are in a world of their own. Ephel Duath are the proverbial dictionary definition for ‘an acquired taste’. Sure, there’s a few other bands hanging in the same playground, but there is no denying the rightful place of ED right along side the likes of Zorn and Mr.Bungle.

Titling their sophomore effort ‘Pain is Necessary to Know’ is probably more prophetic than the band intended, yet it is very much an exhaustive exercise to sit through. If the intention was to make the listener as uncomfortable as humanly possible then I suppose they’ve succeeded. This has more twists and turns than your local rollercoaster and the ride is just as heady.

Still, as fans of Ephel Duath would know, the musical pool that they draw from is nothing new. 2003’s ‘The Painter’s Palette’ was just as confronting – a bizarre and twisted hybrid of extreme metal and arty jazzcore impressions. Avantgarde? Fuck yeah, that too. ‘Pain is Necessary’ isn’t all that surprising in that it marches to a very familiar beat (hardly 4/4 time though!), but if anything Ephel Duath have taken it upon themselves to make this an ever more uncompromising affair – just as freaking bizarre, but probably less extreme or noisier than before. In this regard, ‘Pain…’ has more frequent moments of lighter, dream like jazz noodling interspersed with chaotic bass laden dementia. It is also pertinent to note that ‘Pain…’ is also 75% instrumental – there is decidedly less emphasis on the vocal contribution of this disc. When it is used, most of it hits in those harsher, noisier sections that are smattered throughout.

Clearly this album will polarize many. Current fans won’t be disappointed in anything on offer here. Everyone else just won’t get it at all. I’m kind of in the last group as this sort of thing is something I can only appreciate for its musical dexterity and willingness to operate outside the box. It is not something that resonates deeply enough with me to keep revisiting. If you’re after conventional ‘songs’, Ephel Duath are about as unconventional as you can expect. There is nine listed titles on ‘Pain..’ but for all intents and purposes, collectively it is really a 40 minute conglomeration of off-kilter atonal guitar lines, twisted bass rhythms and a relentless unforgiving ‘stop-start’ nature that will test the patience of the most hardened music fan. Musically versatile and gloriously left of centre, ‘Pain..’ is both calming and jarring in equal measure. It’s an aural challenge that clear, but in the end personal taste will dictate which way you’ll go with this one.

note: 7.5

Tracklist

New Disorder
Vector, Third Movement
Pleonasm
Few Stars, No Refrain And A Cigarette
Crystalline Whirl
I Killed Rebecca
Vector
Vector, Second Movement
Imploding