Review: Escarnium ‘Through The Depths Of The 12th Gate’ EP
Do you like death metal as much as we do? That’s probably a resounding yes, and even if it’s not, we’ll pretend it is so we can gush over how great the new, 2 track EP from Escarnium is.
Through the Depths of the 12th Gate was released on January 21st and is the first new music from Escarnium since 2016. Consisting of one original, Through The Depths Of The 12th Gate, and a cover of Pilgrimage From Darkness by Amorphis, this two-track offering is beautifully heavy!!
Guitarist/vocalist Victor Elian, who also played bass on this EP, had this to say about the new music,
“The delay to release something new is mostly due to my moving to from Brazil to Germany. Since the rest of the band members at the time stayed in Brazil, and I had to adapt to the new country, the composition process got a lot harder and slower. Besides that, we spent some time harvesting what we planted with the Interitus album. We had a few tours between 2016 and 2018, and we were supposed to record and release a new album in 2020. Around the same time, we were planning a tour in Brazil with Goath (GER), but Covid got in the way and everything got canceled…”
Elian continues, “The riffs for this song were written by me between 2016 and 2017 and Nestor Carrera (Escarnium, Rotborn) worked his magic on the drums from Brazil. Since we were not able to release any material in 2020 as mentioned above, we figured it would be nice to release a single (or an EP in this case) to ‘break the ice’ and re-introduce ourselves to the world. I actually like this song very much. It shows a slightly different face of Escarnium, with a denser atmosphere and more cadenced tempo. I think it illustrates the evolution and maturity of the band. Its lyrics have a very personal meaning to me and refers to depression and some other personal subjects, as well as the current world state of pandemic chaos. It was the first song I wrote after a deep and long period of depression, so it is very sincere and has a really heavy meaning to me.”
this two-track offering is beautifully heavy…
Both tracks are flawlessly performed, and the title track portrays exactly what Elian brought up in his press statement. The music feels fresh, with a newfound approach that creates an atmosphere that isn’t as easily found on their older material. When you add in the fact that the lyrics are easily relatable, you end up with quite possibly the best song that Escarnium has ever written.
As for the Amorphis cover, Pilgrimage From Darkness, I actually like this better than the original one; most of that is due to the fact that the Amorphis version doesn’t have the same sound quality. Time and technological advances have made it so bands in any genre can have the very best sound available, which in turn makes for a more enjoyable listening experience.
If you are so inclined to do so, press play below to check this music out for yourselves; it will be worth the time it takes to do so. Enjoy!!!
Label: Redefining Darkness Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Scribed by: Tom Hanno
