There is a pretty big number of combinations that simply do not fail; oxygen and hydrogen, for one. Playing around with the formula can yield some interesting results; two oxygens and one hydrogen makes a potable non-alcoholic liquid, but two oxygens and two hydrogens will make a powerful disinfectant. It can be very important, possibly even life-altering, to know the distinctions if you intend to experiment with them.

And experiment is certainly the game on "Erstwhile Befell", the debut full-length album by SHADOW IN THE DARKNESS. With all the subtlety of a medieval siege, the Greek quartet have brought together the otherwise potent elements of black metal and progressive metal, and what transpires is eight tracks of lightning fast key changes and intensely contrasting styles that, unfortunately, does not quite hit the bull's eye. This isn't for a lack of talent, which this band most definitely has; only real talent could account for what they do manage to achieve on this album.

Starting with a major misnomer in "Benign", the album is almost summed up entirely by the track's constant movement. The nigh unpredictable switching in rhythms are pretty much copyrighted and might leave the listener with a concussion by trying to keep up with them. The blueprint actually comes in the next two tracks, reprises of previously released tunes from 2019 and 2018 respectively. Time made negligible differences to them, sounding much the same as they did before.

The fourth track, "Aspalathus (Prelude)" is an acoustic but cohesive bridge leading to "21", which also gains a measure of focus in the back half. The experimental side comes roaring back for "The Deontology Of An Android" which gives the sensation of swirling while also blasting away with the jackhammer nature of the entire album thus far. "A Grand Parable" seems to be a Bible verse or some other literary screed in spoken word form over the style of music which has preceded. It quickly gives way to the final track, "From Conversion To Fixation", which begins and ends on a phantom-ish piano jaunt, the typical turbulence in between.

So, this experiment in agitation mixes its elements not so much like a cherry in a martini glass but more like a brick in a washing machine. There's very clear potential in "Erstwhile Befell", but there needs to be a decision made on what it wants to accomplish. The two belligerents of this genre conflict are nowhere near peace terms, which could still appease the section of metalheads looking for something strange to add to their collections. That said, it's jarring enough to turn away the purists from either side, and is far heavier than other modern Prog Metal outfits today like ANIMALS AS LEADERS. They don't stand alone on the heap, but they make their presence felt, for better or worse.

Then again, that sort of uncomfortability could be exactly what SHADOW IN THE DARKNESS set out to do in the first place. If that's the case, they may be stumbling into an Avant-Garde sort of situation. Whether that's good or bad depends on how they choose to make their next move; sophomore albums are always expected to outperform the debut, and while the ceiling is high, it's not unreachable for this band, though the current rubric may not be enough.