Jan 14, 2023
"Barrier" by Endonomos - From "Endonomos" s/t (2022)
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"Barrier" by Endonomos - From "Endonomos" s/t (2022)
"Rejoice" by Endonomos - From "Endonomos" (2022)
Austrian Death-Doom Ensemble ENDONOMOS Go For Epic on 2nd LP
~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~
By Billy Goate
Just in time for the change of seasons comes Austrian death-doomers ENDONOMOS, back for a pensive second full-length following their pandemic self-titled debut two years ago. 'Endonomos II - Enlightenment' (2024) delivers six more compelling numbers, and comprising the band are singer/songwriter Lukas Haidinger (also on bass), Christoph Steinlechner (guitar), Philipp Forster (guitar), and Marius Segl (drums).
Trafficking in the terrain of Ahab, Evoken, Mournful Congregation, Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Candlemass, Swallow The Sun and Paradise Lost, the new album fills up our tank with dark, brooding doom (the strange, dirge-like opening to "Atheon Anarkhon"), featuring some wicked fingerwork (all throughout "Inversion"), contrasting murky and melodic singing that can be either brutal and caressing (as in "Entrapment"), and all of this surrounded in a mysterious, dreamlike fog that pervades the record.
Lyrics decry the brainwashing that leads to war and the oppressiveness of religious totalitarianism throughout history, imagining utopia "outside the grip of man." I couldn't help but conjure the famous image of Rodin's "The Thinker" while listening, as words often seek reconciliation with a past too tangled and labyrinthian to take fully into comprehension.
The theme that bookends "Inversion" is a powerful doom anthem that I keep turning up the volume on. There are some beautiful dual guitar harmonies on "Atheon Anarkhon" is dismal a.f. and I love it. The sequence of rhythm, riffmaking, melodic guitar antics, gruff and haunted crooning builds fantastically, like pillar of ashen smoke taking shape into a terrible Phoenix and claiming the expanse of the sky.
"Resolve" brings us rainy riffmaking that goes for Serpentine Path depths of low, with strong rhythmic architecture, dazzling guitar play, and dissonant stretches that juxtapose with vocals that come through like a ray of sunshine piercing dark clouds. The slow guitar is almost mesmerizing and the plaintive melodies touch a sorrowful place in my brain, as I contemplate the lyrics: "In time I'll resolve into the void, to blissful unconsciousness." This coupled with powerful, thudding rhythms that ground the listener to the hard, cold physical reality of the here and now.
"Entrapment" is pure winter -- one can imagine trudging through feet of snow in a landscape blanketed in white and covered by low hanging clouds. In fact, the lyrics speak of being taken "back to days of cold." There are some touching and effective guitar harmonies in league with the beautifully tragic intro/outro of Pentagram's "I Am Vengeance." And when the downtuned low-end joins in the emphatic latter moments, it's so damned heavy it shakes all around.
"Hostile" has that misty feeling from the aftermath of tears that Pallbearer fans will appreciate. Vocals are appropriately subterranean as it features the growls of Daniel Droste of Ahab fame. These are paired with clean pipes that, while forlorn, are accessible, and can also really soar.
"Kafir Qal'a" ends the record on a dismal note and has the feel of epic doom about it. Big chords, resounding soundwaves, grim arpeggios, screeching axework that hints at the extreme metal background of its handlers. The dark/light pairing of vocal styles works very well as the verses unfold, which may reference a battle fought around an ancient citadel somewhere in the first century.
Keep this one playing and really soak it in for max effect. Endonomos II - Enlightenment comes out Friday, September 27th, on compact disc and digital via Argonauta Records (get it here).
Give ear...
SOME BUZZ
Austrian epic doom metal Endonomos announces new album "Endonomos II - Enlightenment" via Argonauta Records. On their second album Endonomos refined their sound, going deeper and more eclectic in their particular vision of Doom Metal.
From the uncanny intro of dissonant chords and unsettling sounds to heavy, mean riffs and a highly melodic chorus, this one sports all the trademarks of Endonomos' distinct style, while pushing its boundaries.
The ancient Greek song title "Atheon Anarkhon" could be translated as "no god, no sovereign" and deals not only with the inseparability of atheism and anarchism, but mainly how their counterparts (theism and autocracy) contradict human nature and corrupt the human mind." - says the band.
Endonomos II - enlightenment by Endonomos
Recorded, mixed and mastered once again at DeepDeepPressure Studios, the album delivers thick riffs, epic melodies, uncanny chord progressions,
The first single "Hostile", boasting at almost 9 minutes length, is a highly melodic doom monolith, dealing with the inherently ill-disposed nature of life towards each other, and features guest vocals by Daniel Droste of German Doom Spearheads Ahab.
Endonomos is the brainchild of Austrian multi-instrumentalist, producer and session musician Lukas Haidinger, who is mostly known for playing extreme metal in bands such as Profanity, Nervecell, Distaste and many more, but as a longtime doomer, he finally brought his sinister yet melodic sound to tape.
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