French-Canadian extreme metal seems to really knock it out of the park with some of my favorite bands being Gorguts and Cryptopsy. Aenygmist are an all-female atmospheric, melodic black metal band from Quebec. This is their self-released debut album Creation Born Of Trauma which showcases their potential full-force.
The first thing anyone who listens to this CD will notice is the depth of their sound. With two guitarists, bass, piano, and a versatile vocalist, there's room for a vast amount of sonic ventures. That's what we see right from the get-go. The vocalist is able to cover her range of screamed vocals incredibly well, and also has a great operatic singing voice. Sometimes the vocals are tracked twice, to give even more depth to the sound. The guitarists are both very good, with great melodic work (and an awesome solo on the opener Elixir) by the lead player and a great back-bone to the music covered by the rhythm guitarist and the rest of the rhythm section.
Through most of the album's duration you will feel the equivalent of a human punching bag; with a wall of sound graced with pummeling double bass, caustic vocals and memorable riffs that are so fierce and unforgiving, you can't help but enjoy the album. The few moments you are given to breathe include the incredibly melodic sang choruses as previously mentioned, and a few tempo and structure changes. My only qualm about this record is the mid-paced tone of this record may overstay its welcome for impatient listeners. Other than that, superior technical as well as melodic and harmonic abilities are prevalent in all members of this band and I can't wait for a follow-up release. If you enjoy death or black metal with some melody and atmosphere injected in, do yourself a favor and check this CD out.
Staff Rating
4.25/5
User Rating
5/5
