review by: Roberto Martinelli

My curiosity was piqued when I heard that this Italian band played a Dimmu Borgir-style of black metal, but threw in some weird breaks and was far more technical. Well, that may have turned out to be true, but the result is not one that I'm happy with.

The album can't seem to get out of its own way. While the musicianship and technicality is indeed impressive, Ephel Duath, in its effort to make something really dense, has lost sight of the idea that writing enjoyable music is paramount to succeeding as a band. The band throws in everything plus the kitchen sink. At first the music kind of passes by, and you are encouraged with the sense that you'll need to listen to this a few more times and let stuff sink in (like with the new Emperor.) However, after repeated listens the music reveals itself as merely lacking passion - a complex, technically flavored bland.

Also working against this band is how you get the notion that you've heard some of these riffs before, like on the song "The Danza" (is that like Tony Danza?), which rips off a riff from Children of Bodom's Hatebreeder, for example.

Being of the Dimmu Borgir/Cradle of Filth school, Rephormula is chock full of music that will make evil black metal heads check their gag reflexes. The band is trying to play up the angle of being some sort of black metal/opera hybrid, and so you'll find lots of stuff that makes you think something horribly evil is going on in the nursery. It seems that this army of rag dolls possessed by evil is what the band was shooting for: only now did I notice that the art on the back of the CD has a photo of some fairly creepy-looking puppets.

The final stake in the heart of the success of this band, however, is the drum sound. It's impossible to tell if it's a machine or a real drummer playing drum triggers. The drum work is complex, which makes the notion that someone programmed it all very impressive. However, every percussive sound is synthesized, and the choice of sounds is totally punchless. In the end, this is the perfect summation of this album.

So Ephel Duath gets an honorable mention for effort and execution, but failing marks for presentation. Incidentally: In case you happen to have a digipaked album by this band and for some reason want more, be warned that Rephormula is merely a repackaging of that album (with some really dubious song titles like "The Blow's Rhymers"), plus two remixes and some demo "opera" stuff. One of the remixes is courtesy of "Homo Homini Loops." Of course it's in very bad taste to call bands "gay," but the overwhelming evidence makes that you can't help but wonder if they're doing this on purpose. Yuck.