We’re often late to bands on the blog, since there’s just so much music being released. But we’re not often quite this late; we’ve only just heard of Epiphany From the Abyss as they released a self-titled EP to find out it’s their last. Epiphany From the Abyss’s latest album is a farewell, a last gesture for the fans of the band. Beyond the poignant beauty of such a gesture, it’s also a damn fine album, comprised of the kind of technical deathcore that you don’t hear often these days. It’s a true throwback to the halcyon days of deathcore, when the genre was still fresh and solid. As such, even if it is the band’s last, it is definitely a worthy release. Perhaps even more so? In any case, head on down below for your share of guitar licks, guttural vocals and no shortage of blastbeats.
You have to admit, naming the tracks from your last album after the five stages of grief is a pretty cool move. I chose the last track from the release, “Acceptance”, both because it’s the most interesting and intricate one but also because it captures the poignant feeling we mentioned above. It’s a super dense track, clocking in at a little over eight minutes of dual vocals, super intricate bass lines (seriously, some of the stuff the bass does in the beginning of the track is so, so good) and, of course, a plethora of guitar leads, riffs and chords. Somehow, Epiphany have been able to keep my attention through all of this, probably by virtue of their insanely talented compositional abilities. The whole far exceeds the sum of its part, daftly dodging the pitfalls of deathcore and its often “spaghetti” approach to composition.
“Acceptance” even features a great acoustic segment in the middle, giving you a slight respite before an overwhelmingly intense display of vocals. While it’s certainly the longest and most intricate of the tracks on the album, the EP has much more to offer. It’s littered with a fantastic approach to heavy music that makes me regret that 1) I’m only learning of these guys now and that 2) they’re calling it quits. I’ll make sure to follow them closely in the future, to see where they end up; it’s hard for me to accept (get it?) that this is their final knell in music. Long live!