Review by Brian on January 22, 2014.

Sometimes a band becomes more than just a band. They transcend being a group of musicians writing and playing songs and become something far greater. The band itself represents a philosophical idea. Austrian avantgarde black metal act Echelon is that band.

With their debut album Vivito! Creato! Moritor!, Echelon prove they are not your average band. Although black metal is the central style and can be heard in all the songs, they also add many different styles into the mix. This is a very eclectic album. With a dash of punk, a pinch of rock and roll, even some hints of doom can be heard. They manage to put all these together and it never sounds forced.

Vivito! Creato! Moritor! opening track "Les Grande Misères De La Guerre" begins with a beautiful acoustic guitar and is complimented by a march drum beat. The snare sound is so warm and inviting and the beat itself is simple and it grabs the listeners attention. Once the electric guitars make their appearance with the a beautiful melody there is spoken word that enters as well. Making this track the perfect intro to the album. "Der Baum Der Gehangten" follows with a almost rock riff that leads into the black metal sound that is prevalent throughout the albums thirteen tracks. Echelon describes the album as being in two concentric circles. The inner circle is the first nine tracks of the album and focuses on the works of painters Jacques Mallot, Francisco de Goya and Eduard Manet. the emphasis is on war. The outer circle are the last four songs and reflect the work of Otto Dix. I am not going to go any further with this, but mentioned it to give you a feel of where the band is coming from and how much thought they put into this album.

Echelon provide the listener with a deeper listening experience. The lyrics and artwork are just as important as the music. This is an extremely well crafted album and each track just flows seamlessly into the next. It is epic without being pretentious. This is a near flawless album and contains no filler whatsoever. Each track is necessary and from the start it draws the listener in and wraps itself around you, but you never feel constricted. It's like being held captive with the ability to leave at anytime, but you wish to stay. This is as strong of a debut that I have ever heard. This is the first album of the year that I can say will end up finding its way on my year end list. Echelon have a very bright future and Vivito! Creato! Moritor! is just the beginning of what should be a great career.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 9
Originality: 10
Overall: 9.5

Rating: 9.5 out of 10