Premiere: Enfold Darkness – “Terror of a Perilous Quest” Share:

This has been a damn good year for tech death, due in no small part to The Artisan Era’s family of artists. Virulent Depravity and Dark Matter Secret have put out a pair of fantastic albums, and we’ve gotten a couple tantalizing sneak peeks from forward-thinking acts Inferi and Inanimate Existence. But before we can start thinking about those, they’ve got one more on the way, one I’ve been waiting for for quite some time now: Adversary Omnipotent, the sophomore effort from Enfold Darkness. I am beyond excited to help them bring “Terror of a Perilous Quest” to you.

Eight years is a long goddamn time to go between albums; couple that with a complete lineup overhaul and you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking the band might have lost a step in that time. However, that is not the case – Enfold Darkness sound like a band renewed, bringing a whole new sense of urgency and energy to the field. “Terror of a Perilous Quest” still carries all the signature marks of their first album, from the touches of black metal to the infectious hooks, but reflects years of refinement to their sound. A set of counterpoint melodies are the driving force of the song, anchored together by big, wicked chords where the band comes together in unison.

To that end, the band feels more like a complete unit than ever before. Frantic as the music is, it all coalesces together into something fantastic. The way the vocal cadence plays off the accents from the drums and guitars keeps the song’s momentum constant and exciting, and they feel more important to the music than one would expect from death metal. The tight performance and improved production make it feel more robust than before as well. With its winding riffs, boundless energy, and not-so-serious subject matter, Adversary Omnipotent is shaping up to be a landmark tech death album for the year. Eight years was a long wait, but it was well worth it; hit play and wait no longer.

Adversary Omnipotent is out on July 14th; pre-order bundles & merch are available through The Artisan Era’s website and Bandcamp pages. If you like what you heard here, follow Enfold Darkness on Facebook for updates. If you like rad music in general, follow The Artisan Era as well (seriously, their roster does not fuck around).

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