Engraved Disillusion is a new, unsigned melodeath band hailing from the UK. In 2009 they self-released their Desolation EP, which can be heard and downloaded for free on their Last.fm page. Their sound reminds me of other darker, slower paced melodeath bands such as Insomnium or later God Dethroned.

The first and title track sounds quite promising, the melody sounds very good, and the guitars have a nice full sound to them. There is a lot of melodic guitar duel type work in this song. The vocals are of course in the form of death metal growl which remind me mostly of Insomnium vocalist Niilo Sevänen. Definitely a catchy yet melancholy melody, but it begins to get old after hearing it so many times. The guitar work is quite nice on this track overall though, I really like the mournful tone the guitars have. The drums have a somewhat mechanical feel, but it’s not so bad where it distracts much from the sound being created. The next track creates more of a doomy, pounding atmosphere that also reminds me somewhat of Insomnium's style. These guys really pull this sound off well though and I really enjoy the little guitar dive-bombs, which really define this track for me, though as in the last track it can get a little repetitive. The third track slows things down a bit more, which unfortunately can make the song a bit more monotonous than the others, though they do make sure to throw in some speedy solo work that helps to break things up amidst the wailing guitar leads and simple, chugging riffs.

These guys definitely show promise in this EP, showing that they can create a great, melancholy sound without being too repetitive. The guitar work is my favorite part of course, with the melodic leads and solos from Toby Stewart and Mark Matthews. The only thing I would recommend these guys do is be careful not to repeat the same leads over and over again, and also try to give the drums a bit deeper, fuller sound. I look forward to hearing more from this band.