Septicflesh - Esoptron (reissue)
Season Of Mist
Gothic/Death Metal
14 songs (1:01:09)
Release year: 2013
Septicflesh, Season Of Mist
Reviewed by Jared

Originally released in 1995, Esoptron by Septicflesh is a death, classical, and gothic sounding album that I had not previously heard. The most recent album I have or heard from the band came from the very well received record The Great Mass which was more symphonically driven. I enjoyed much of the time I spent with The Great Mass in 2011 and was even more eager to hear some older, and a more old school dark sound from the mid-90s and this reissue for 2013 was something I looked forward to. It may be a bit more boring in my opinion than some of the newer albums, but going back to an early time with the band and hearing the evil anthems is worthwhile.

An uneasy sound the album begins, with an intro that sounds very haunting. The short intro breaks off into the self-titled album track Esoptron. Gothic it sounds very influenced indeed, mainly due to the clean guitars that sound in the background covered over by slow riffing of the distorted guitars. The vocals are indeed death and demonic sounding which go together nicely, as well as some moments where clean layered vocals do emerge. However these moments are very few and sometimes dull leaving disappointment that they did not focus too much on delivering better on these. The last track Narcissism did delve into more emphasis on clean vocals that did sound more polished, but still came far too late in the album.

I understand coming into this I definitely favor newer Septicflesh than old, but my time with this reissue was not completely negative. A more atmospheric track like Rain, were a breath of fresh air. The slow and menacing sound easily got me pretty involved which came about half way through the album. More double bass and a fierce attitude at certain moments that sounded on the verge of thrash.

The symphonic elements of this album are obviously all keyboard compared to the more sophisticated and higher production like albums such as The Great Mass that sound outstanding due in part to the use of orchestra. This album may be a bit more difficult to digest due to how dated it may sound. However the keyboards creepy gothic and classical tone matches well with the album at hand as such songs as Ice Castle which may be one of the best songs on the album.

The album does set a good mood for any fans of gothic or even classical metal at times, but I had some difficulty not becoming bored with this album. It has great moments, but the more "gothic flavor" sounding Septicflesh was a bit harder for me to grasp and get into. Coming off the success of their first album’s reissue, Esopton’s reissue, which includes an additional bonus track and two live versions of Crescent Moon and Brotherhood of the fallen, will no doubt receive attention mainly from those who are older fans of Septicflesh but it could please some newer fans.

Killing Songs :
Esoptron, Rain, Ice Castle, Narcissism
Jared quoted 60 / 100
Other albums by Septicflesh that we have reviewed:
Septicflesh - Ophidian Wheel reviewed by Mountainman and quoted 95 / 100
Septicflesh - The Great Mass reviewed by Goat and quoted 90 / 100
Septicflesh - Communion reviewed by Goat and quoted 88 / 100
Septicflesh - Sumerian Daemons reviewed by Crims and quoted 89 / 100
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There are 5 replies to this review. Last one on Sun Dec 15, 2013 6:34 pm
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