ECFERUS - Prehistory
March 17, 2015, 9 years ago
(Fragile Branch Recordings)
Ultra-underground one-man black metal from the unlikely locale of Indiana, Ecferus - via its multi-instrumentalist sole proprietor Alp - eschews the usual uni-dimensional trappings of one man black metal bands and instead presents a whole that's seemingly concerned with varied and multiple outcomes. Alternating between straight-forward second wave, ambient-esque elements and even Krallice-like adhesions, Ecferus' ambition is evident as tracks span up to 11 minutes with no song here under the seven-minute mark, a testament to the breadth of these ideas (including the riffs that begin at 1:14 and 5:48 of "Walk With The Feral", Prehistory's apex moments).
That said, Prehistory is an apt title, as this cassette feels like the initial element of a much larger creative arc to come, as the songs here at times wander into the frigid snow and ice in directions that leave the listener disoriented and grasping, and not necessarily in the effective Wold way. Mastered by Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts, Behold... The Arctopus) who, evidently, has an ear for these sorts of ambition laden projects.
