Style: Deathcore, Metalcore, Prog Metal (Harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Erra, Monuments, Structures
Review by: Mathis
Country: Bulgaria
Release date: 30 September, 2022
From Bulgaria, Enezothe make their debut with Consensus Reality, an album evocative of progressive metalcore and deathcore acts from the 2010’s era. As one of the few self-appointed -core listeners in the Progressive Subway, I get quite a thrill from bands like this! It’s always a treat to return to the style that got me into progressive metal, and soak in the sweet, sweet nostalgia.
My first impressions of Consensus Reality were skewed because I was multitasking, but this follows my standard listening process. I like to get a rough idea of the album while working, choring, or playing games; then I revisit the album, paying closer attention to all of its intricacies. During my first listen through I felt a bit underwhelmed, but I thought it was because I was too focused on something else. To my misfortune, Consensus Reality sounded even more jaded when I gave it my full attention.
Enezothe is composed of some talented musicians, and I have no issues with their performance, the problems are the songwriting and production. Most songs feel stale and dry, and the nostalgia isn’t even there to carry the weight. Consensus Reality emulates releases like Impulse by Erra; heavy and djenty, but lacking innovation and intrigue. “Time Thief” for example has too much going on, the weedly mid-high range riffs are too repetitive and messy in the mix, while on the other hand, the chuggy djent riffs are too djeneric. The djent could create a nice groove if not for the background noise, or Enezothe could drop the djent to focus on the technical riffing. It’s possible to walk the fine line and keep both the chuggy and technical elements, but the song structure would need to change allowing both a time in the spotlight. Stargazer did this really well in 2013 with their track “Desideratum”.
“Time Thief” isn’t alone in its lackluster, in fact the majority of Consensus Reality is mundane. “Adamant”, “Veiled Hex”, and “Archaic Rebirth” feel like filler songs lacking purpose; they are mindlessly heavy with no captivation at all. Without providing something for the brain to latch on to like an iconic riff or a stunning chorus, most of the album is forgettable. The unique tracks are only unique when compared to the rest of the album, “Evil Doer” is a gimmicky track that has middle eastern influences, and sounds similar to Shokran, but falls flat because it still doesn’t have any of its own allure.
There are a handful of stronger tracks in Consensus Reality despite the tangled mess of clashing riffs and overall generic sound. “Jeusan” does a good job of keeping the groove laden riffs clean, while adding some points of interest like a relaxed guitar solo, a twinkly ethereal outro, and a devastating blast beat breakdown. The technical deathcore vibes are what Enezothe do best, Danail Georgiev has some deliciously chaotic vocals that pair perfectly with blast beats and technical riffs. One of my favorite parts of the whole album is the twenty second intro to “Order Fish To Fly” due to its precise execution of relentless aggression. Another track worth mentioning is “Pagliacci”. It has a slower start that is somewhat boring, but makes up for it with Sound Struggle-esque jazz fusion in the second half.
Unfortunately, Consensus Reality is a relatively weak album despite some small strengths here and there. The riffing is too jumbled, the grooves are too generic, and the overall sound is dated. Some listeners may find Enezothe nostalgic, but ultimately, while not an awful attempt, this album would have been a better fit in 2010. Moving forward, I think there is a lot of potential to establish a unique sound while appealing to the legacy of old school progressive metalcore
Recommended tracks: Jeusan, Order Fish to Fly, Pagliacci
You may also like: Day Three, Dusk; Stargazer; Oceans Over Earth
Final verdict: 4.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent
Enezothe is:
– Danail Georgiev (vocals)
– Venelin Pavlov (guitar, production)
– Vazken Hadavyen (guitar)
– Peter Drenski (bass)
– Victor Sotirov (drums, mix, production)
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