ENDLESS VOYAGE X is a single-handed project hailing from Cleveland, Ohio that seamlessly melds Doom Metal and Black Metal. The sole member is Jake O'Brien, who started releasing his music in 2016, and at the time of this writing, is already featured in two EPs of his own and two splits. The EP that is the subject of this review is titled, "Those Whom Time Forgot", and it is a concept album telling the tale of a ship whose crews find themselves lost in the Bermuda Triangle.

The first thing I noticed about the style is that O'Brien seems to be considerably schooled in both genres, getting the best of both worlds to create a satisfying listening experience. His soundscape is well defined and the production proved to be surprisingly better than I thought before I heard it (single-handed projects tend to have that notorious reputation of low-quality sound and crappy mix, which is definitely not the case here). The four tracks are actually four episodes of a single tale with epic and dramatic overturns; a tale that manages to convey the various conditions of individuals in distress. This topic of lost ships is not new to him; having already featured a track titled, "As Ships Lost at Sea", in his debut release, "Darker Seasons".

The tracks seem to follow each other coherently, which does give them a sense of comprising a single theme. It appears they were recorded as a single track that was arbitrarily broken to distinguish between the episodes (though they are clearly self-evident). "Far from Home" starts with a tremolo riff and wonderful melody, which later subsides and give way to the plodding doomy section. One complaint, already at the beginning, is that the vocals are pushed way back to the background, and the ample reverb makes them completely unintelligible. Other than that, the music knows exactly where it's headed and sounds mature and focused. Again, the production is more than decent and is neither over-polished nor murky, which makes the instruments discernible in the mix. The atmospheric and slower "Perpetual "Misfortune" is aptly titled, as it does give a sense of looming calamity, one that disorients the senses, and barring proper judgment when one is being carried away into the unknown, which is exactly what the Bermuda Triangle is all about.

The disorientation episode is followed by "Melancholy", a stage in which overpowering depression hinders one's ability to respond. "At One with the Abyss" is the stage of reconcilement where one is realizing his fate is sealed and he has to live with the consequences, or perish. This is well expressed by the powerful riff and the blood-curdling vocals, accompanied by the mournful guitar solo, and the accelerated pace towards the ends ensures that the crew is on the way to oblivion.

This is a cool release in the middle ground between the dark (yet melodic, not evil, we are dealing with the Elements here) atmosphere of Black Metal and the dizzying and gloomy realms of Doom Metal. It is diversified and interesting enough to keep you on your toes, and not too long as to become exhausting. Now O'Brien is about to start working on a proper full-length in the near future, and I think that ENDLESS VOYAGE X has a fair chance of leaving an indelible impression and a long-lasting legacy.<