EVOKEN

Certain bands are love-'em-or-hate-'em, and so are certain musical styles. Funeral doom is one such sub-genre. For those who aren't fans, it can be nonsensical, pointless or boring. But for those who do make a connection, listening sessions can serve as religious experiences. New Jersey's EVOKEN, previously operating under the monikers FUNEREUS and ASMODEUS for a couple of years, are long-running leaders within funeral doom, having drawn inspiration from notable heavyweights like Australia's DISEMBOWELMENT, England's PARADISE LOST, Finland's THERGOTHON and their fellow countrymen WINTER. Their earliest material isn't readily available in physical formats these days, so with the ensemble's enduring appeal, Hammerheart Records have chosen to breathe life into their first demo, 1994's "Shades of Night Descending", and their 1998 debut full-length album, "Embrace The Emptiness".

EVOKEN is known for its mixture of mysterious funeral doom with crushing death and snail-paced death-doom. With their initial recording, the demo EP "Shades of Night Descending", they created their formula from which they've never really strayed without simply aping themselves repeatedly. For a demo recording, EVOKEN seems to have known exactly what they wanted to do, further developing their vision over time. As they've matured, the sound has become beefier and the production has become clearer. Compared to everything that has followed, however, the demo EP was much rawer, for whatever that's worth. "Towers of Frozen Dusk" boasts a jaw-dropping melodic guitar section that's dramatic without being inauthentic. That soloing stands out within a track that is otherwise defined by abrasive and biting death metal.

The demo re-issue / re-release also includes three songs from their 1996 demo as well as a couple from the 1997 demo. "The Hills of Arctic Stillness" is the strongest of these five additional tracks, opening up with a depressive and spacious doom soundscape colored with tranquil crooning and delicately plucked guitars. This grand beginning leads toward an explosive and spiteful death metal surge as well as a series of keyboard-driven and slower black metal-flavored reprieves.

Four years after their first demo, the New Jersey ensemble released the aforementioned full-length, "Embrace the Emptiness". The intro sets the tone with subdued, crawling guitars that lurch forward with a menacing funeral dirge, leading toward hypnotic and disturbing sedation. "Tragedy Eternal" follows with immense melancholy and mournfulness. EVOKEN later show their teeth, relatively speaking, on the significantly more hateful and ominous "Chime the Centuries End" that touches upon a bleak energy augmented with haunting organs.

EVOKEN is anything but one-dimensional. This review's initial point about funeral doom not being for everyone doesn't necessarily apply to the American unit. That isn't to say that they are meant for all metal fans, but their unique twists and turns and stylistic variety offer enough metal magic that they truly have the potential to reach a broader audience. Albums like 2005's "Antithesis of Light" and last year's "Mendacium" are fantastic from front to back. And looking back to their earliest of days here, it's remarkable that they've essentially made all of their music count.