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Artist: ENSOPH
Album: Rex Mundi X-ile
Year: 2009
Since the release of their debut album 'Bleeding Womb Of Anake', I've got a (not so) secret fetish for Ensoph. A fetish that was not only ressurrected, as well improved by the albums that came after - both 'Opus Dementiae' and 'Project X-Katon' recieved very high scores, and are still hired a lot to abuse my CD player. Therefore, I was very pleased to read recently that this Italian group was about to release their newest creation - 'Rex Mundi X-ile'. It's needless to say that my expectations are very high again.
The album starts with 'Evil Has Found a Servant' - a threatning and electronic based instrumental intro - to be followed by a song strangely named 'Dance High & Shine, Shiva!'. It's an outgoing track, with very powerful drumming and gentle electronic sampling and keylines. The song has as well recogniseable riffing and great interaction between the different type of vocals. The song switches from black metal parts to electro metal parts and even a little opera influenced part. 'Shame On You!' opens with heavy riffing and drumming mixed with wicked keylines, which gets followed by a very decent industrial metal track. It consists of innovative keylines, recogniseable clean vocals mixed with nearly whispering black metal vocal lines and heavy riffing - perfectly blended together with the drums that have an accessable touch. 'Splendour & Majesty' follows. It's a more midtempo based track, with recogniseable vocal lines and a blanket of dark though accessable sampling and welladded riffing. It has a small touch of black metal right before the sensitive intermezzo. 'In Cinere Et Cilicio' is a bit more different, with very soft passages and ambient influenced sampling - as well an outbursting chorus without getting really brutal and/or chaotic. 'The Whore & The Ashetist' opens with addictive electronic samples accompanied by wellfitting keylines, to transform into a hard and heavy sounding electro metal track. It includes very strong riffing and even more powerful drumming, and moves from electro metal to (industrial) black metal to a little bit of wave. It's the best track on the release in my opinion. 'Thir(s)ty Pieces Of Silver' comes up next. It contains experimental though essential sampling, recogniseable vocal lines and an accessable song structure. The riffing is powerful and fits the gentle though heavy drumming excellently. '...And I Hear a Voice' is again a little more heavy and more black metal influenced, mixed with ambient likely sampling and a modern approach. '9Xs' is again more experimental, with perfect industrial sampling and keylines - as well powerful guitarwork projected on a wave based songstructure. It's one of the more accessable track of the record. 'Disciplina Arcani (Un Canto per l'Esilio)' comes up next. It's a sensitive track, with cold keylines and disturbing samples mixed with accessable riffing and wellfitting vocal lines. Again a very accessable track, which would affect both the gothic and the progressive metal people. 'Come In Uno Specchio' is an outro, with ambient sampling and accoustic guitars - as well subtile added whispering vocal lines - to be followed by a bonus track ; which turns out to be an Alice In Chains cover ('Would?'). Ensoph turned it into an accessable electro metal track, with a bouncing bassline and recogniseable aspects from out of the original track.
Once again - Ensoph managed to improve themselves compared to the preverious record. They already developed their own style, and managed to elaborate it. Not only do the vocal lines - including the characteristic black metal influenced ones that are so decisive for the Ensoph sound - more selectively chosen and more recogniseable, as well the riffing has became more metal based. All of this are essential parts of this album.
'Rex Mundi X-ile' has fully fulfilled my high expectations. If you already fell in love with them before - like I did - you can blindly add this to your CD collection. For people who do not know this band yet and claim to like bands including Deathstars, The Kovenant, Herrschaft and Edenyzed - go find out about this band right away, because people will only be able to take you seriously if you have added this one to your collection as well. Essential album!
Vote: 99 / 100
Review by: Gerardo
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1. Evil Has Found a Servant
2. Dance High & Shine, Shiva!
3. Shame On You!
4. Splendour & Majesty
5. In Cinere Et Cilicio
6. The Whore & The Ashetist
7. Thir(s)ty Pieces Of Silver
8. ...And I Hear a Voice
9. 9Xs
10. Disciplina Arcani (Un Canto per l'Esilio)
11. Come In Uno Specchio
12. Would? (Alice In Chains cover)
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