Epiphanic Truth – Dark Triad: Bitter Psalms to a Sordid Species
Release Date: 21st May 2021
Label: Church Road Records
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Genre: Avant-Garde, Death Metal, Black Metal, Experimental, Doom, Jazz.
FFO: Akercocke, Enslaved, Esoteric, Voices, Deathspell Omega.
Review By: Dave Buchanan
Just when I think I’ve got Church Road Records pegged, they go and release ‘Dark Triad: Bitter Psalms To A Sordid Species’. An album so wildly disparate and bleak that its multi-faceted journey will leave you almost completely stunned.
You see, the anonymous members of Epiphanic Truth don’t mess around with your conventional structures and formulas. This isn’t an album you’ll play with your morning coffee, whilst reading the paper. This album demands your undivided attention. Its twisted and complex nature continually morphs, blending experimental moments of avant-garde death metal, black metal, doom and jazz…yes, jazz. Bands like Akercocke and Enslaved will more than likely cross your mind during this 40 minute assault on the senses. But Epiphanic Truth aren’t here to repeat things of the past. They’re clearly shaping their own devilish sound and aren’t afraid to delve into their deepest, darkest recesses to find it.
This may sound like the soundtrack to your worst nightmare, but it’s oddly alluring. As a track that focuses on the trait of psychopathy, the cacophonous and belligerent tones of ‘The Truth of the Beast’ will engulf you in a wave of blackened riffs and contorted leadwork, before drilling into your psyche with flashes of corrosive and melodic vocal tones. It’s a journey that could have easily become entangled in its own complexities, but Epiphanic Truth deliver it with seasoned execution, making it hard to comprehend that this is only their debut release.
The progressive yet psychedelic nature of ‘An Inescapable Verdict’ works perfectly as a mid-section to the album, before the 22 minute voyage of ‘Our Vile Roots Flourish Beyond Light’ twists and turns through a labyrinth of dissonant riffs and sonic drumming. The crowning moment, though, is the tracks midway point, which is drenched in glorious melodies, bolstered by a vicious up-tempo groove.
High-level musicianship, creative song arrangements and well placed vocal melodies make this release well worth shouting about, but Lewis Johns (The Ranch Production House) deserves high praise for the fantastic effort mixing this together, managing to give the whole release a real feeling of cohesion. Not an easy task, all things considered. This isn’t one for the faint-hearted. Nor one for the scene kids looking for their next “core” fix. I can’t imagine this is something I’ll spin every day, but it definitely has a place when the right mood strikes. Dark Triad is a turbulent, but compelling listen, that with repeat plays will only make you more impressed with the level of aplomb these guys put across on their very first release. 
(4 / 5)
