Ævangelist – Perdition Ekstasis Meta
Release Date: 20th September 2024
Label: I, Voidhanger Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal, Industrial Metal, Black Metal.
FFO: Portal, Abyssal, Krallice, Ulcerate.
Review By: Ceta
Ævangelist’s Perdition Ekstasis Meta presents a challenging auditory experience, one that refuses to be easily categorized. By combining elements of death, black, and industrial metal, the band continues to explore unsettling sonic landscapes. Ævangelist has always offered strange albums, pushing the genre into darker, more experimental territories. The real question is, how much further can they push the envelope?
The album makes you feel trapped and anxious, to no avail. Ævangelist has no problem lingering in places and ideas that would be unbearable for the average person. It’s not that the album is extremely heavy or obscene; it’s that the music is so negative and devoid of any joy or sense of optimism that it’s like staring at a grey screen for hours. Fortunately, it’s not as boring as doing just that.
The electronic experimentation central to Ævangelist‘s sound plays a crucial role in this overwhelming atmosphere. Even when the album allows you to rest, it doesn’t feel like resting, because something unhinged is always happening in the background. In a way, the album is the perfect soundtrack for an old factory where machines build machines. There’s almost no humanity left in the process. Yet, I must admit I had a hard time grasping the point and emotions behind such an abstract album.
The tracks, while dense with interesting ideas and horror, often overstay their welcome. The album’s suffocating atmosphere can become too much, causing the listener to disengage during its lengthy runtime. Whether this is an intentional effect or not, it adds another layer of difficulty to an already challenging listen. I know Ævangelist loves to sound like this, but honestly, it can make everything feel numbing or even flat. I struggled to maintain my concentration for so long.
Ultimately, Perdition Ekstasis Meta is a deeply niche release, almost defying traditional critique. Its ability to make the listener feel life’s futility and sense their joy slowly slipping away may be viewed as a success by the band and their hardcore fans. But if you prefer music that helps you enjoy yourself, I’d suggest looking elsewhere.
(2.5 / 5)
