Evoken



2006 - Embrace the Emptiness

Reviews:

My Last Chapter
(april 2008)
(10/10)

I’m gonna be honest here and say that I hadn’t heard Embrace the emptiness before, and the only thing I had heard of Evoken was the Antithesis of light from 2005. This is a re-release of Embrace the emptiness, originally released back in 1998, and since I hadn’t heard it before I’m extremely glad Solitude Productions decided to re-release it. The heavy and slow riffing is drenched in a gloomy, murky aura, that grabs hold of your innards, twists it and evokes a feeling of desperation, angst and despair. Extremely beautiful and melodic, without losing brutality and ferocity. There are moments reminiscing of a classic doom metal sound, although the death reeking funeral vibe is what overwhelms you with emotions. Combining that ultra heavy riffing with the rhythmic drumming easily sends you into a catatonic state, with wickedly beautiful and masterful drum-work. Adding yet another aspect of saddened atmosphere via the keyboard just enhances all previously said emotions. The vocals vary from clean to slow, harsh, deep growls, also masterfully done. There’s not an aspect of this album that isn’t just top notch. Put on Embrace the emptiness, shade your windows, turn off the light, lie down in bed and let yourself get overwhelmed with emotions. Drift away in your mind and just let the feelings of solitude hit you. An utterly dark album that every fan of funeral doom/death metal should own.


Reviewed by: Unknown

Tartarean Desire
(may 2007)
(9/10)

The Russian doomsters lads running Solitude Productions, not happy enough with releasing pure depressive music under many shapes of slow metal, have decided to unveil a lost jewel of the scene and they have re-released Evoken?s first full-length album, suggestively titled “Embrace The Emptiness”, originally launched in 1998. We doomy freaks needed a re-edition like this, since it was quite hard to get this piece of bleak music, if not simply impossible, in the metal markets. In fact even the download from the net was not certainly easy... Now the package is in our hands courtesy of those guys, to take back to attention this US band that could be categorised as the advanced heirs of Disembowelment?s legacy. Evoken?s mastery in ultra dark doom death metal is firmly carved in every second of the CD and make us think about derelict landscapes, autumnal ruins and desolation. A path of debris must be crossed to savour properly this stunning album; if so, an introspective journey could happen while listening the funeral marches “Embrace The Emptiness” is made off. Chasm-evocative distorted chords intertwine perfectly with loose, cold clean notes literally dripping from the guitar, giving form to the most characteristic of Evoken?s trademarks, that mixture between melancholy and tragedy, which go hand in hand in their beautiful sonic expression of deep sorrow. Even though the keys play a prominent role in creating chilling atmospheres, the guitars are the core of the sound in both forms, mellow and down-tuned. However, I?m not reinventing anything telling all this, since all Evoken releases follow more or less the same patterns and style without great differences between each other. Anyway, when music is so darkly charming and essential like the notes created by this band, that is just a minor matter. Curse the sunrise, hear the tragedy eternal and ascend into the maelstrom with this album as the soundtrack. Excellent!

Reviewed by: Fjordi

Behind The Veil
(may 2007)
(8.5/10)

Evoken is a band that started back in 1994. They come from the United States and “Embrace the Emptiness” is their debut album which was released back in 1998 and now Solitude Productions is re-releasing it. If you know this Russian label, then for sure you will know the music that they like to release. It’s like the InsideOut label in the doom metal paths. In this work Evoken has included seven tracks and more than seventy minutes of pure doom metal with a lot of elements from death metal especially in the vocals. Generally, the combination of doom/death metal, from bands like Evoken, MY DYING BRIDE and many more has expanded in the doom metal area. Definitely, this combination gives something more to the listener and to be honest with you I strongly believe that the bands that they have chosen to follow this path, they had created some exceptional results! Now, as far as Evoken are concerned their album is just another monument in the doom metal history and if you haven’t got this album, now you don’t have any more excuses. Just find it and you won’t be disappointed from the sorrow and the sadness of Evoken…

Reviewed by: Antonis Maglaras

Burning Black
(april 2007)

For those who doesn’t know about “Embrace The Emptiness” yet, let me give a little background; this work was the debut album from these US Doom Metal masters, released originally by Elegy Records in 1998. This work received innumerable positive reviews worldwide, becoming a sold out item and, deservedly, reaching a “cult” status… Well, the copy I’ve got in my hands right now is the long awaited re-release version, now under the Russian Doom Metal label Solitude Productions. This album is an extraordinary piece of the finest Doom/Death Metal, complementing ethereal, gloomy, tenebrous keyboards atmospheres, with ultra heavy, slow magnificent Doom Metal elements. Although Evoken is definitely a straight Doom Metal band, shows some varied elements in its music, such some mid paced, well structured Death Metal styled drumming, a varied vocal work that combines from spoken vocalizations to deathly grunts and almost blackish shrieks, ultra obscure atmospheric passages and even some dense and strong Funeral Doom Metal traces. All these elements are mixed in an extraordinarily unique way, resulting in a desolating and dismal musical experience. It’s not hard to make out why this album consecrated Evoken as one the most important bands in the actual Doom Metal scene…The whole album presentation is now entirely different, but completely worthy of this masterpiece with a sombre, sober and principally occultist graphic design and a nice looking golden Cd… What else to say? This album was meant to be a cult piece, so if you’re a Doom Metal worshiper and, especially if you missed the earlier edition… run for your copy, this album is a MUST.

Reviewed by: AP