Review by Nathan on October 8, 2022.

I've been so saturated with noodle-happy Artisan Era-core these past few months that sometimes I forget it can actually go the other way - there can be "technical melodic death metal" bands that put the "melodic death" piece of that descriptor right at the front. It's easier to execute because the guitar parts seem like they can be played by normal humans, but it's more difficult to create a memorable album because you've got fewer garnishes to play with. A lot of Epoch Of Unlight's riffs still have those holdovers from the "Slaughter Of The Soul" era, but there's just enough window dressing to keep it up to speed. Moreover, they drill songs in your head through clever song construction: they like to start songs off on a brisk, energetic note and then somehow find a way to kick up the intensity even more midway through.

They have this way of keeping their secrets until the end. They'll start by teasing you with a very good riff - not an amazing riff, just a very good one. It'll have just enough to keep you listening to the song, but also builds anticipation for the dank riff that you know is going to follow it. When the big kahuna does hit, the resulting power is usually enough to carry the momentum of the rest of the song. 'The Numbing Stillness' is a great example of the uptempo, lead-heavy yet still slow-burning style that this Memphis group is great at. Not bad at all for a group getting back into the swing of things, this being their first full-length in 17 years and first proper release since 2015.

At War With The Multiverse occupies that rare space of "proper" melodic death metal - you know, the kind that has tons of great licks but also doesn't forget the "death metal" part of the equation in the quest for the biggest earworm. They're in exclusive company: Vehemence, Be'lakor, and the first Arsis album are some of the very few examples I can think of that also successfully execute the style. Great shit that is hella underrated so far!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10