Style: Progressive Death/Black/Folk Metal, Progressive Rock (mixed vocals)
Review by: Zach
Country: Canda
Release date: 22 October, 2021
Following metal bands is a bit like following a TV show sometimes. Especially with prog, the tendency to push boundaries and mix genres leave the listeners guessing what the next release might sound like. With TV writing, there’s a certain expectation of balancing the unexpected with a storyline that keeps fans hooked. I’m pretty sure everyone was hooked when Celtic Frost turned into their own antagonist with Cold Lake, only to redeem themselves 16 years later with Monotheist. And then there was that one time the writers made Opeth stop growling. I still haven’t forgiven them for that.
To put it bluntly, deathcore is the guy on the show you boo and want to throw garbage at. Only in recent times has some of the community warmed up to Lorna-core’s way of mixing symphonies and black metal with the standard chugs and gutturals. But it started with down-tuned 7 strings, angsty lyrics, and huge gauges. And among all the open-string chuggers, metal’s most well-kept secret, Épiphanie (formerly known as Epiphany from the Abyss), were about to experience the character arc of a lifetime.
The almighty writers stuck Epiphany from the Abyss on the map in 2010 and had them release two (admittedly) rough deathcore albums in the four years that followed. Sure, you could call the second release a bit proggier than the first, but both were a horrid amalgamation of Black Dahlia Murder riffs and boasting that low string. And then, in the cruelest twist of fate, because I’m convinced life is written by a bunch of George RR Martins, Epiphany released a magnum opus and broke up. These bastard writers had a rinky-dink deathcore band blossom into the best neoclassical tech-death showcase this side of First Fragmentville and just…poof. Gone.
But every now and then, The Council of GRRMs decide to throw their lowly characters a bone and decided to reform Épiphanie without the abyss. Gone are a large majority of the -core elements, replaced with sprinkles of prog rock passages, folk acoustics, and clean vocals. The heroes of this story have long evolved past the need for deathcore and opt for a clear Opethian flair coupled with dabs of black metal.
One only needs to listen to the beginning of ‘Le poids du silence’ to see this isn’t season 1 Epiphany anymore. The quieter elements are what separate this album from every other prog-death release this year. The perfect storm of Tristan Ampleman-Tremblay’s and Gabriel Lévesque’s guitarwork, Cyrille Beauchesne’s prominent bass virtuosity, and an outstanding vocal performance by Mathieu Dhani, who still retains a bit of that deathcore guttural when he’s not showing his beautiful cleans.
That’s not to say that Épiphanie completely forgot where they came from. The riffs featured on ‘Incandescence’ harken back to their old selves, but with enough clean sections and bass tapping to not feel monotonous. ‘Froids d’hiver – Première partie’ dips almost completely into prog rock for a good three minutes of its five-minute runtime, only for a slow, melodic release to kick off the more blackened and theatrical ‘Jours d’été – Seconde Partie’. This entire two-part monster is one of the most perfect unions of genres I’ve seen in quite a while, and a serious contender for song of the year.
And with only one other song on the record, L’aube is tightly packed into a solid 37 minutes of music. I can’t remember the last time I saw a prog-death album that was below an hour in length. And the fact that this album is fun-sized makes it incredibly easy to replay without feeling like I need to devote a full hour-and-however-many-minutes to listening. Take note, everyone. Not every album needs to be a TV episode in length to be prog.
Any complaint I have about L’aube would be bordering on nitpicking. The mix and master is crystal clear, a complete far cry from the muddled and plastic production of Epiphany’s first endeavor. Each song runs for exactly the right amount of length, even the 10+ minute monsters. Sure, it is a tad indulgent with the prog-rock sections. But when you’re this talented, indulge away!
Out of every band I know, I never expected Epiphany from the Abyss to evolve into this. This is how you show that you’ve matured as a band and are ready to explore broader horizons. A complete tonal whiplash from a neoclassical tech-death album, yes, but isn’t that what keeps us listeners hooked for more? The almighty writers have done us a service for once and given us Épiphanie, let’s say we show them our appreciation.
Recommended tracks: the whole album
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Enslaved, Ne Obliviscaris, Persefone, The Faceless
You may also like: Hands of Despair, Dragonauta
Final verdict: 9.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Épiphanie is:
– Tristan Ampleman-Tremblay (Composition, lyrics, guitars, vocals)
– Mathieu Dhani (Lyrics, vocals)
– Gabriel Lévesque (Lead guitar)
– Cyrille Beauchesne (Bass)
– Étienne Laflamme (Session keyboards)
– Michel Bélanger (Session drums)
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