Euphrosyne bring their debut album to fruition.
With the support of the recently signed label Black Lion Records and Psychon (mix/mastering, Septicflesh), Efi Eva (vocals), Alex Despotidis (guitar), George Gazis (bass) and Stelios Pepinidis (drums) announce the release of Morus.
The album opens with Morus, a fairly calm introduction where sampled vocals mingle with some soothing melodies, then July 21th settles in first with some gentle piano, followed by Efi‘s clean and airy vocals, creating a soothing veil of melancholy. A mournful violin joins the duo before a few keystrokes reveal themselves in the background, heralding the liberating conflagration that finally lets the composition fully express itself with a rare intensity and visceral howls before returning to the oppressive saturation on Valley of White. Although the track starts out violent, it remains anchored in the majestic sonorities between Post and dark Doom Metal, allowing the instruments to remain majestic during the clear moments before unleashing their full force again, retaining their intoxicating touch in the pain, but also adopting a more aggressive attitude on Eulogy, especially on vocals. The track is one of the album’s most contrasting, letting its ominous tones haunt the entirety of its riffs, be they clear and uncluttered or, on the contrary, furious and imposing, before feeling a certain distance during the opening moments of Funeral Rites. This impression is, of course, erased when the band resumes its dark heavy rhythmic style which doesn’t hesitate to become dissonant and almost go off in all directions as it throws us into Mitera, where quietude welcomes us with open arms. It is in turn crushed by a gripping Post-Black where howls come to life and lacerate our spirit in the company of heart-rending leads, before finally abandoning us on Asphodel and its gentle melody that grows darker by the second until it bursts into flames. The rhythm then becomes overwhelming, perfectly accompanying the haunting vocal parts that grow in scope before becoming more heady during the final duet, which marks a very short pause before giving way to Lilac Ward, the ultimate composition where we once again find ourselves faced with a surge that sometimes calms down, but never forgets its true objective, which rhymes beauty with destruction, and which loses itself between its different layers to better differentiate them later on and offer us a transcendent final.
While their debut EP had already won me over, Euphrosyne pulls out all the stops to make Morus a gripping album. It’s described as highly personal, given the circumstances of its composition, and the four musicians make us feel it at every turn.
95/100