Emerging from the depths of the Black Forest with claws of metal and a fanged grin stalks a new breed of Melodic Death Metal music. This beast growls in the nightmares of many while fulfilling the dreams of others. In some ancient circles, this beast is known as Apeiron…
…And it wants you to listen to its new music! In reality, this is a highly talented and admirably focused five-headed monster of a band making their chimera (+2) presence known from the stout mountains skirting the German town of Heppenheim.
Most recently, Apeiron dropped ordinance in the form of an EP release known as “Voiceless Prophet”… which proves to be anything but a voiceless experience! The release is currently available for streaming and purchase over on their official Bandcamp page. Likewise, it’s currently available for streaming and purchase via most major music platforms across the interwebs like Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer. We also had the honor of working with Apeiron to construct and host an animated stream video which can be viewed down below.
Somewhat shockingly, this is the debut record from Apeiron. This only comes as a shock because the entire exhibition shines with an edge of professionalism and experience. This is one of those bands that feels well beyond their years from the very beginning. It’s an admirable stance that should be appreciated as Apeiron forge further through their musical career made of metal.
The record opens with the beautifully controlled rise of cinematic style tension on the intro track quite literally entitled “Intro”. A minute in, this launches into the first full track of “Voiceless Prophet” known as “Lost in Lucidity”. This opening duo really has many of the best elements from the Melodeath genre rolled into a fluid introduction. There’s a clear calm before the storm before the winds come ripping through the ears of the listener, spiraling the senses into the depths of a metallic oblivion. All in all, just a very solid and enjoyable first few steps into the EP experience.
This record is filled over the brim with awesome melodic death metal riffs, tight percussional grooves, and metallic slams to the chest. Guitarists Marco Preißer and Martin Seifert prove to be quite the duo, skillfully weaving in and out of each others work to build fortress walls from sound. They serve as a cornerstone for the overall approach to this album in conjunction with bassist Maximilian Hahn as well! While they cover the work up top, he brings some stand out rumbles from underneath. Likewise, the drumming of Till Müller is finely paced and well-placed. One moment, the percussion will be driving the track forward at a soldier’s march all before launching into a teeth clencher of a blast beat. The conductor behind the kit does an admirable and ear catching job. Last, but not least, Martin Mayer belts out the words a voiceless prophet could not speak straight from his gut. They’re generally mid ranged in the tradition of Melodeath but contain dynamics within their own. All around, the performances on this record are well done with every member marking their place authoritatively.
There seems to be a greater story that unfolds while listening to this record. It delivers a certain desolate landscape across a large scale setting. However, sometimes, a beautiful light shines through this bleakness creating a multi-level effect to the overall presentation. There’s a lot of emotion packed into this record. Everything from anger to sadness to hope seems to be present in some form or fashion. There also seems to be several mentions and themes of seeking freedom – in relation to finding a voice on the track “Illusion”, thus expanding on the “Voiceless Prophet” title of the whole project.
There are several standout tracks and a good amount of content lining this experience. This is one of those very rare cases when an EP strikes more as a full-length album than an EP! It runs at nearly a half hour over an 8 track spread made entirely of metal. The feeling of both quality and quantity is somewhat of a rare experience where the one is almost always innately missing.
As for the tracks themselves, some of my personal favorites would have to be “Illusion” as a HEAVY groove laiden metalfest following a beautiful intro, “Ulterior in Space” may be one of the catchiest cuts from the record in terms of musicianship and memorable riffery, “Cabinet of Death” also has some very nice instrumental fireworks at play and just an overall menacing theme, “Distant” functions as an emotionally charged, clean palette cleanser for the tracklist, and “Decades of Terror” for functioning as a huge closer that keeps up the records intensity until the bitter end. Even in naming specifics here, there’s not a single cut from “Voiceless Prophet” I dislike.
The production on this album is well executed for the most part. Everything seems well set without much muck to trudge through. It may not seem like the most modernized offering but I doubt it’s trying to be either. The hits are hard and the many layers of music are left free to breathe. For the most part, it seems to come across naturally on this front.
I don’t personally have any gripes about this record. It does wear a number of influences on its sleeve and may not be the most original thing I’ve ever heard. However, it’s delivery is executed to a fine point which can’t be denied. In fact, it surpasses a number of contemporaries for the style. Basically, if you like Melodic Death Metal then make yourselves at home! This band is for you!
In the end, this is a rather great debut effort for a very promising Melodeath band. Their first step deserves to echo throughout the scene and it should be very exciting to see where their next step takes them! I feel completely at ease adorning this record with a higher score and, as such, will grant a well deserved 8.5 out of 10 for their efforts. I’ve heard many new releases from the sub-genre in recent months and this easily stands among the best of them. Kudos to Apeiron!
Once again, if you’d like to give the music a listen for youself, the video stream is available above! You can also catch Apeiron through music hubs such as Bandcamp and just about anywhere else on the internet serving music… Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer. Enjoy these new talents as they take root and mark their place on the metal map!
If you’d like to follow along with their work more directly, that’s possible through a number of portals. This is primarily true of Facebook but Apeiron can also be found over on YouTube and Instagram. Drop them a like and show some love as they push forward! Stay metal, my friends \m/
Links: Facebook // Bandcamp // Instagram
