Epping Forest - "Everblasting Struggle"

[MysticCosmoS]

Primer disco completo de nuestros vecinos Lusos Epping Foerst, banda que lleva ya 10 años en la escena y ha sacado varios trabajos.

Su estilo es un Black/Death Metal muy técnico y extremo, con una batería realmente demoledora tanto en rapidez, como en técnica y unas guitarras muy agresivas, que suenan un poco a la etapa del Satanica de Behemoth, o incluso a sus desaparecidos vecinos Sirius, por lo que podéis haceros una idea si no conocéis la banda de por donde van los tiros, Black Death con teclados que dan un toque muy sinfónico, para las partes mas Blackeras, y ritmos demoledores y voces guturales para las Death metaleras. Quizá como punto negativo, la similitud entre temas, que el disco completo se me hace un tanto duro de escuchar.

La producción del disco es muy buena, aunque suena todo un poco estridente, pero se entiende a la perfección todo detalle.

Una banda muy prometedora dentro del panorama extremo Portugués muy recomendable.

In Executioner Zine [Sp]

[X-FrEaK]

Acho que é a primeira vez que vejo uma critica em espanhol, que mágico!

[MysticCosmoS]

The intro of creaking wood, howling winds and scary feedback is not the best of starts [how many times have we endured the like!] From this uneasy start, the bludgeoning drum attack hauls a similar maniac guitar strum and barking vocal tumult into a six minute head battering symphonic awakening. From the aural carnage bleeds forth the obligatory slower, atmospheric parts. Soft piano, ethereal synths and mythological soundscapes. The style of lightweight aggression entwined with orchestral themes is one that at its extreme, evokes the likes of Bal Sagoth transmuted into a Cradle of Filth and at its creative heights, early Moonspell. Here we have a more balanced mix of the three. After a couple of tracks, the choppy guitars and hyper fast snare work becomes secondary to the set pieces they are weaved around. It is these wonderfully melodic and very well created sound clips that lift this release above the norm. Great swooshing keyboards, masterful guitar riffs clatter in a melee of death grunts and blackened snarls. What is this albums downfall is the amount of ideas and technically complex arrangements that pepper the songs as a whole. There is so much going on, so many twists and turns, it takes a greater many spins to digest it all, and by then you will either be under whelmed or insanely addicted to its frantic Blackened music.

In Live For Metal [UK]

[MysticCosmoS]

Now where in the frosty hell did something like this come from? Over and over again, there flies in a locust-like flight of blackened death metal bands doing their specific sound because Behemoth makes them horny, but Epping Forest has not one trace of violation or inconsistency throughout this nifty offering that other sub-par acts would normally succumb to within minutes of playing. Although it’s just a full-length boost, listeners will already find “Everblasting Struggle” wholeheartedly soothing amongst groups hunting for bliss in this unconventional genre, even despite having squads already sucked blood from the neck of blackened death metal, but who cares? They do it right!

Needless to say, Epping Forest’s debut truthfully captures the velocity of death metal, the aura of black metal, and all other musical qualities typically blooming upon both genre’s prime elements, minus the obvious smearing that frequently happens when a sound like so is targeted. Portions combining healthy guitar chops and shrapnel-piercing percussion steadily embark on raping your eardrums with great tremolo picking, intense solos, intelligent blasting, mathematical fills, and hunting riffs, which can easily be proved non-generic by the overall unison when slithering alongside near-flawless shrieks. Despite using this entire formula on all ten odes, these talented musicians provide enough power and force to make the end result fantastically crafted, often times making you forget the present calculations. Anything else, you ask? Try acute folk passages plastered in gold, that’s what!

But all those noteworthy attributes suddenly fall short of Epping Forest's true reward when playing the individualistic game: keyboards! This particular instrument might cause a great deal of loathing for some, but "Everblasting Struggle" proudly gets the most out of using the estranged component in intervals both common and not. You’ll soundly find yourself completely hammered from nasty tremolo picking and blastbeats, when everything suddenly stops and in comes an atmospheric interlude that can only be defined as breathtaking. Throughout our journey, the application route often times promotes pianos and trippy chimes together with pounding blackened death metal; pretty obscure, but nothing worrisome nonetheless. Really, there’s simply a garden within growing fruits that gush out more color and surprise than anything attempting a similar path, especially considering Epping Forest’s relevant choice of genre and its glorious flow as one; simply an excellent addition, to put it bluntly.

This release curls up on your lap like a fuzzy puppy just looking for attention. Well, a puppy with red eyes, fierce characteristics, and fangs longer than a hog's tusks, that is. Overall, I find this debut very refreshing when it charges against a storm of generic death/black metal bands, mainly because originality just oozes from every direction possible, much like a rising sun about to shine at its maximum potential. Epping Forest is a very interesting entity that'll certainly make you sit and enjoy authentic metal done right while you're crawling through a fistful of crucifying emblems; if it sounds good, "Everblasting Struggle" has your name written all over it.

In Leviatan Magazine [CR]

[Vogon [RIP 2013/06/29]]

São portugueses mas apostam forte numa dimensão internacional. Everblasting Struggle é o primeiro trabalho do quarteto formado por Azrael, MysticCosmoS, Noctis Lunariis e Menthor, cujas origens remontam a 1997. Intitulam o seu estilo como Blackened Death Metal, o que se comprova numa envolvência mística das suas letras e na voraz velocidade dos riffs, em muito sustentados pela bateria muito bem executada.
Composto por dez temas, há uma espécie de continuidade literária ao longo do álbum/história/narrativa, pautada por obscuros interlúdios onde participam outros artistas, Durindana e VelgeNaturlig. Destacam-se “Epping Forest”, “Sphinx’s Riddle” e “Merging Of Body And Soul”. Gravado nos Grave Studios, com produção partilhada por Cristiano Gomes, Menthor e Epping Forest, e artwork de Phil Fensterer (CreativeSchism Design), a atenção ao detalhe e a confluência de todos os elementos fazem deste um dos melhores novos discos do género em Portugal e com potencial para vingar noutras paragens. DM

in Underworld

[MysticCosmoS]

The Portuguese band Epping Forest have done two awesome creations with this album EVERBLASTING STRUGGLE. They have invented a fantastic band name (I can’t think of a more wicked band name in the black metal world that is not totally obvious of evil). And they have created a fabulous work of clean aggressive black metal. This is a band hat has honed its shops over its 11 years of existence and their consistent gigs over the years have surely complimented their rehearsal time and inherent talent. The album opens with the documentary sound recording of something wicked coming this way out of those forests and whatever it is at threat for sure.

But Epping Forest is not a black metal band purely. There are also moments of tangible death metal and brutal death (Subtle difference between these two genres I think). For instance, in “The Battle of Ragnarok” the clink of blades and the sheathing of swords open this track. It makes sense right since the name of the track is about fighting. Then the music is two vocal (a higher snake-like voice and a lower vocal that sounds like something out of Cattle Decapitation) positioning of the word preacher and the music is black metal that adds elements of keyboards, a la Old man’s Child, and some off-beat old style stadium rock guitar licks that for great effect and for positive counterpoint before the proper keyboard black metal re-emerges. The following track, the title track, “Everblasting Struggle” is an example of something with the punk structure of Ildjarn except with better production value and wider flatter guitars that float in relation to the on-beat fast skin pounding from solid ground.

Epping Forest is a fine band and I have to admit that my knowledge of the Portuguese scene is quite limited. Perhaps this band will change that for me and for the world. Fight on Epping Forest!

In Brutalism [NL]

[MysticCosmoS]

E mais uma vez lá vem o assunto do país solarengo

"It's always strange and rather weird the sense I get everytime I review a frozen black metal release coming from a warm and sunny country. This time we make a stop in the bright and colourful Portugal in order to present you the debut work of a new band called Epping Forest who are here to deliver frozen black metal with many symphonic touches and a few death metal additions. "Everblasting Struggle" is a very decent and promising release showing a 4-piece combo trying to create their own approach to the symphonic black metal genre. Since their sound is majestic black metal, the presence of keyboards is always there, not only filling the songs in the background, but having a rather front role, often intimately collaborating with the guitars to bring forth an extreme mixture of feelings and melodic lines. The addition of some oriental elements in two songs was something amazing and I loved it! I think they should use such touches more often cause they definitely make their songs far more interesting and catchy."

In Behind The Veil [UK]

[meninobesta]

é engraçado que o Sphynx's Riddle tem sido das musicas com mais aprovação!

no entanto a minha favorita é mesmo a Battle of Ragnarok!

[MysticCosmoS]

lol isso depende sempre do sexo, a Sphinx puxa sempre uma Belly Dance

[MysticCosmoS]

"Since i did their logo, i had to wait 10 years day by day before receiving this opus of majestic supreme metal....and it was a massive surprise because in 10 years, my hopes about that band would have been vanished many times...and one day, to my biggest surprise, this year at the Barroselas Metal Fest....EPPING FOREST appeared live and concocted a fabulous set of supreme mejestic macabre art in the most unexpected way you could imagine. The songs have a subtle approach of horror with ancient history and take you to another dimension, giving EPPING FOREST a definitely international recognition...Just taste such amazing songs as "Merging Of Body and Soul" with blasting drums and an unexpected USBM approach of playing black metal, down tuned and with vocals that remind me a bit of Paulus Lednus from Profanatica....but then surprisingly intercrossed with Keyboards that remind me somehow Tartaros with "The Grand Psychotic Castle" album or Limbonic Art...A very surprising songs where suspense is kept all the times....at the limits of suspense and...brutality. or "March Of The Deceased" or the demented "Devouring Soul"....showing the band is wisely drawing its inspirations from both USBM and European Black metal scenes, adding some unusual twists....creating something very intense, enjoyable....and disturbing at the same time....the whole thing adorned with a fantastic cover artwork by New Mexico based Phil Fensterer...which is simply amazing!"

In Christoph Szpajdel [Be-Nl-UK-etc-etc-etc]

[Wisdoom]

Mais uma banda que nasceu no país errado.

[Trv]

Esta porreiro

[Christophe Szpajdel]

EPPING FOREST "Everblasting Struggle" CD 2008 (Unexploded records)
Since i did their logo, i had to wait 10 years day by day before receiving this opus of majestic supreme metal....and it was a massive surprise because in 10 years, my hopes about that band would have been vanished many times...and one day, to my biggest surprise, this year at the Barroselas Metal Fest....EPPING FOREST appeared live and concocted a fabulous set of supreme mejestic macabre art in the most unexpected way you could imagine. The songs have a subtle approach of horror with ancient history and take you to another dimension, giving EPPING FOREST a definitely international recognition...Just taste such amazing songs as "Merging Of Body and Soul" with blasting drums and an unexpected USBM approach of playing black metal, down tuned and with vocals that remind me a bit of Paulus Lednus from Profanatica....but then surprisingly intercrossed with Keyboards that remind me somehow Tartaros with "The Grand Psychotic Castle" album or Limbonic Art...A very surprising songs where suspense is kept all the times....at the limits of suspense and...brutality. or "March Of The Deceased" or the demented "Devouring Soul"....showing the band is wisely drawing its inspirations from both USBM and European Black metal scenes, adding some unusual twists....creating something very intense, enjoyable....and disturbing at the same time....the whole thing adorned with a fantastic cover artwork by New Mexico based Phil Fensterer...which is simply amazing! http://www.eppingforest.net or http://www.unexplodedrecords.com

By Christophe Szpajdel, http://www.myspace.com/christopheszpajdel

[MysticCosmoS]

Obrigado pela review Chiristophe, por acaso já tinha cá posto

[MysticCosmoS]

Still burning....

"Arrepiante…
…tal a brutalidade com que o grupo de MysticCosmoS e Noctis Lunariis cospe os 10 temas que compõem “Everblasting Struggle”. Envolvidos numa negritude absorvente, os Epping Forest constroem um universo fantasmagórico, melódico, uma abstracta idealização de um cosmos diabólico. Um trabalho intenso."

In A Trompa [Pt]