AZURE EMOTE were formed in 2003 and they are from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band was active from 2003 until 2007, and then from 2011 onwards. They play a mixture of technical and progressive Death Metal, and “Cryptic Aura” is their fourth full-length album. The album was released via German Death, Doom, and extreme Metal specialists Testimony Records. The album has a frantic start with the track “Into Abysmal Oblivion”. The guitar riffing is tight and devastating and accompanied by blast-beat and double-bass thunderstorms. The lead guitars provide a grim melodic framework with some traces of melancholy. The vocals are growls, and they vary around the medium end of the guttural range. The track offers a lot of technicalities in terms of the drumming and the lead guitar contributions, including an extended lead guitar solo. “Insomnia Nervosa” has a very powerful start at a measured tempo with thunderous guitar riffs, permanent double-bass drumming at a sluggish rhythm. There are orchestral arrangements notable with the violin at its heart. As the track goes on, there are subtle twists in tempo and rhythm, driven by the relentless drumming. The track has a complex texture during the middle part of the track with the violin and the lead guitars alternating in solos, supported by the double-bass and the blast-beats.

“Insomnia Nervosa” is an early album highlight. “Aeons Adrift” goes back to a faster tempo, starting with an extended instrumental part, driven by the guitars, introducing the main riff of the track. There are once again prominent orchestral arrangements, driven by the strings. The guitar riffing is punishing and supported by plenty of double-bass drumming and occasionally a few blast-beats. The extended break is introduced by a violin solo and offers another contributing lead guitar solo later. Eventually, the track finishes with the violin.  While “Aeons Adrift” finishes with the violin, “Bleed With The Moon” starts with it. The track develops into a kind of mid-tempo track with plenty of twists and turns in rhythm and tempo. The track has a complex song structure and a grim melodic framework. The short break is driven by the violin and has a few oriental vibes in it. “Defiance Infernus” has a spine-chilling start with devastating guitar riffs and prominent orchestral arrangements at a measured tempo with, once again, a sluggish rhythm. The vocals utilize a few deeper-lying growls throughout the track. There are plenty of changes in tempo and rhythm, including a frantic part in the middle, followed by an abrupt change, where the violin leads the assault. The relentless blast-beats and double-bass drumming is vital for the blood-freezing nature of the track and adds an additional layer. “Defiance Infernus” is another album highlight.

“Provoking The Obscene” continues with the sluggish rhythm to begin with, but it is just a matter of time for all the twists and turns to kick in. The guitar riffing is more direct and aggressive, and the vocals expertly adapt to it. The lead guitars and the violin are important parts of the track with short solos throughout. All that is kept together very well by the excellent drumming. “Disease Of The Soul” delivers bone-chilling symphonic Death Metal at its best, whereas the symphonic elements are never too prominent, but smartly used to provide extra darkness. The guitar riffs are tight and thunderous at times, supported by blast-beat assaults. A short but contributing lead guitar solo is added to the mix as well and the track finishes with the violin. “Feast Of Leeches” is one of the tracks around mid-tempo. Driven by tight guitar riffs and the lead guitars, it delivers a mixture of aggression, darkness, technicality, epic parts, and even a few Folk vibes by the violin. It is a relatively short track and “Feast Of Leeches” has been released as video with the YouTube link provided below. “Return Of The Unknown” starts with a violin-driven pre-lude including female and male spoken word parts. It all transitions into a track at a slower tempo with parts driven by powerful guitar riffing, double-bass drumming, clean female vocals provided by Anna Murphy (CELLAR DARLING) accompanied by the growls, and a few very quiet parts in between.

“Return Of The Unknown” offers a change in sound and the addition of the female vocals adds even some jazzy vibes. The album finishes with “Writhing Lunacy”, which is a dark three-minutes instrumental, driven by the drums and the female grunts and screams. AZURE EMOTE’s fourth full-length album is a good one. “Cryptic Aura” is a smart blend of several Death Metal genres including technical, progressive, and symphonic Death Metal. The main drivers of the album songs are the guitar riffs, the drums, and the violin, and everything is kept smartly together by the complexity of the tracks, which is evidence of very mature song writing. The album is well produced. “Cryptic Aura” is not an album for the mainstream, not even for the progressive mainstream. The album has a unique sound and Death Metal open for twists in genres will enjoy what they hear.