20th December 2021

Review: “Harm(ony) Within” by Empyreal Sorrow

After the success of their razor sharp debut album “Praey” the return of German Melodic Death Metal quintet Empyreal Sorrow with a new EP just in time for Christmas is something to be salivated over like the festive season food. Their sound is one that modernises the Gothenburg sound and incorporates Death Metal like atmospheric leanings with a punchy raw dynamic that drills into your ears…

Sounding like a demo from “End Of Heartache” era Killswitch Engage with throat shredding vocals from Martin Szeike that give the perfect juxtaposition between the melodic instrumental and the vicious lyrics there is also a real meloncholic undertone to “Cursed Be The False Promise” that is simply breathtaking as the Germans wear their hearts upon their collective sleeves. Continuing that asthetic, single “Heartfelt Disease” has the big chorus with unclean savagery underpinned by clean vocals from bassist Sebastian Moser that are kept distinctively low and almost ghostly in the mix. There is very little fat on the bone here as the quintet pass up the opportunity to add in any virtuoso solo parts and instead opt for that painting of the white to grey style of crushing atmospheric throughout. “No Absolution” takes a leaf from the Black Metal playbook with drummer Julian Osterried bringing some powerhouse pre blast beat fills that are simply immense as Markus Winter and Martin Hofbauer trade off riffs that sound like they have been inspired by Dark Tranquillity. What more could you ask for as a gift from the band? Well they’ve chosen a remix of “A Night Without Armor” to close the EP and it has been made to sound like a Rammstein cut with a stompy chugging groove and thunderous industrial metal swagger. This is something with a lot of promise for the future for Empyreal Sorrow… [7.5/10]

Track listing