Oftentimes, whenever we’re dealing with the grandeur of death metal we find ourselves taking our expectations to the very extreme. That’s far from unreasonable given the very nature of an already extreme sound even in its more subtle moments, but it’s not always that one has to crank the dial all the way to the maximum in order to deliver a performance that can be considered successful or impactful. Melodic death metal is something that can effortlessly take the sound into either direction of pure chaos in its undeniable heaviness with many not shying away from delivering creations that really push the envelope. With their newest album, however, it was Eufobia that sought not to push boundaries or blow the mind with something new. Rather, it’s with a clear understanding of the very DNA of the sound and how to bring it forth in a meaningful way that they truly came out on top by the end of it all.
The very factor of melody is something that can elevate a creation of death metal to new heights that weren’t fathomed beforehand with many looking down upon it for reasons that I won’t even begin to think of, but when it’s done right there is truly nothing else like it. A real punch to the gullet that knows exactly where to strike as well as when to pull back in order to ensure the next offensive is deadlier than the last, and Eufobia has been perfecting its combat for just shy of two decades now. Hence, they’re viciously undeniable in their calculated power. Any doubt of such simply needs to be pointed to the ten tracks of “Madness” and all of its straightforward excellence that is never once anything more than precisely what it has to be while this band maximizes each and every opportunity to bring forth an experience that is but pristine in the world of all that is melodic death metal. Even abandoning its melodic factors for a dip into the storm the likes of which the listener won’t soon forget, the very whole of “Madness” is filled with fantastic contrast that is always pushing the album forward with all of the riffs, unmistakable power, and blood-stained concrete that one could ask for out of such an effort. It’s all but crystal clear that the six years since their last offering was not spent sitting around as this has to be the most effective, potent, and bloodthirsty creation from Eufobia to date with the future truly there’s to take with a clenched fist and well-timed sucker punch as the buildings fall around them and the world truly does seem to come to a fiery end.
Being bombastic is something that has always been a part of many reaches of death metal, but this is an effort that shows certifiably what you can do if you just keep things simple, straightforward, and never once making a show purely for the sake of drawing people in as opposed to making something that you simply want to make. Eufobia is one of the best examples I’ve seen in a long while of what it means to simply be deadly and viciously effective at your craft without once trying to do more or watering down any of its aspects, and it’s with such knowledge and aptitude that “Madness” flourishes because of it.
LISTEN to “Madness” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Eufobia on Facebook here.
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