Review: Apparition ‘Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State’
California doom/ death crew, Apparition, return with their second album, Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State. It’s the follow-up to 2021’s Feel and sees the band lean heavily into doom and progressive elements while still delivering the goods for fans of death. Produced by the band’s bassist, Taylor Young, and mastered by Nick Townsend at Infrasonic Studio, the album has a versatility to it that is not always present among the band’s peers.
Opener, Asphyxcreation, is the most orthodox death metal on parade, launching the album with an almost military-sounding drumbeat before descending into a barrage of guitar and breakdowns. But on the second track, Imminent Expanse Of Silence And Not (Or Not), we see the band effortlessly shift both gear and tone throughout, serving up some emotive soloing in the process.
The third track, Paradoxysm, has an ambient and dare I say psychedelic feel, the vocals perhaps leading more than they do on others, supported by some beautifully melancholic guitar. The fourth track, Excruciating Refuge In Reoccurring Torment, slows things down considerably and is, for me, the doomiest track on the album. We are then treated to a brief, unnerving instrumental interlude with Inner Altitudes, Light Transference before closing track, Circulactate, deals out some riff-laden, groove guitar work that changes gear again, weaving in a decidedly gothic tone towards the end.
an intense and, at times, disconcerting soundscape scaling the breadth and depth of its death, doom and progressive elements effectively…
The production and mix have an organic live quality. There’s that prog leaning for sure, but it’s tight without being mathematical, leaving plenty of room for those more poignant moments to breathe. The drums in particular feel very earthy – you can almost hear which side of the skin drummer/vocalist Andrew Morgan, is pounding. The guitar tone is on the darker side with some epic-sounding solo work complementing the doom and goth elements perfectly.
Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State is a strong record. Its running time is on the briefer end of the scale for an album at thirty-eight minutes. And with the exception of the third track, Paradodoxysm, there’s more emphasis on the instrumentation than the vocals when it comes to songwriting.
Yet the effortless genre-splicing is impressive, offering up an intense and, at times, disconcerting soundscape scaling the breadth and depth of its death, doom and progressive elements effectively. And while dynamic, it still manages to feel cohesive and painstakingly choreographed to make for a wonderfully nuanced listening experience from start to finish.
Label: Profound Lore Records
Band Links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Dharma
