ECLIPSER is a young Blackened Death metal band hailing from Canada. After a successful album debut with "Pathos" in 2019 and having gone through line-up changes they return with a five-song EP reaching about 15 minutes in total. This delivery starts with the title track "Pages", furiously executed, it brings dissonant tones altogether with melodic aggressiveness. Their music differs from the traditional Black Metal sound, being more progressive, sometimes on the edge of an industrial sound and the vocals seem like a mix of the usual high-pitched vocals with a more tortured kind of vocals, I may be way off the line but it sounds to me like Mike Grewe singing Black Metal.

"Matternaugh" follows, being pretty short at just 1:26 in length, the dissonances and bring up an agonizing atmosphere along the bitter sensation of the vocals and intense drumming, giving way to a second half of the song that swings between mid-paced and raging riffs. It's kind of hard for me with songs like this one to actually feel like it is Black Metal at all. The sound leans towards progressive, melodic DM perhaps, yet there are elements here and there that bring you back to the Black Metal sound and path, same with "Carry Your Burden".

"To Never Wake Again" has a slower start, macabre and sinister, as it speeds up, constant directional changes bring forth that progressive musical construction that stands out. Impeccable riffing and a melodic approach give this one more "feeling" and it stands out to me as my favorite track. The final track is "Fathomless", which also has sort of an obscure start with disharmonic vibes and riffing, this song has more depth than the others, the feeling of abandonment engulfs me and I am devoured by a dark cloud of vibrant tones that become a musical journey. Much more fitting into the Black Metal genre perhaps, this is another track that stands out.

Definitely recommended if you want to get out of the box when it comes to a style that sometimes focuses too much into the traditional and old school. Although production could have been a bit better, without cluttering their harmonies and sound, ECLIPSER has put out a nice and complex EP that is a definite teaser of greater things to come.