The darkest embrasures of the woods may hold a seductive kind of evil, a mysterious essentia skulking the blackness seeking for its next prey to victimize. As the everlasting conflict between the darkness and light rages on, even if not visible to our commonplace visualization, it would appear that the only positive note that can come out of it is small triumphs for both sides of the field. As for the Metal and Rock worlds, it has been conjuring acres of songs and hymns. The Canadian Symphonic Black / Death Metal ruffians of ENDEMISE, hailing from the oaken dolorous woods, scour the coppices, spreading their vehemence. Newly signed to the local Maple Metal Records, the band released its sophomore offering, "Far From The Light", fusing a modernized version of melodic driven extremity, gripping the early and modern Scandinavian urges al'a DIMMU BORGIR, early DARK TRANQULLITY and CEREMONIAL OATH while pursuing the breaths of their local gods, KATAKLYSM. Crossing feels of a biting chill applied by atmospheric textures, "Far From The Light" is one of the darkness's countless of figures, a foundation for a plausible forthcoming verve.

Observing the big picture of "Far From The Light", it is impartially evident that ENDEMISE through their compositions find the leeway between Black and Death Metal, that entry point, along with Symphonic augmentations, displayed their tunes both energetic, devilishly loosen and foreboding while also somewhat intricate and detailed. I wouldn't exactly consider innovation while listening to the tracklist, but the band's blackened push, determination and their sagacity towards melodic implementations of lead fretwork and keyboards outlays, played quite a cumbersome role in this album's posture. The harmonic Black / Gothic intensely estrangement ascertained on "Echoes" portrayed the impressive musical vision of this band, like an extreme hymn, at times this tune felt like multi-dimensional being, when two worlds collide. Absorbing an elementary keyboards' line, which has been part of the production but not the lineup, "Edge Of Earth" walked through two planks of Death and Black Metal, with the melodic blackened fury being the prevailing end. There is a gushing feel as if all hell broke loose, yet through its midway point there is that soothing PARADISE LOST moment, embraced by an aura of melancholic licks discharging the entry of robust up tempo bass drum action. Generally, this is a rather flowing track, hunting the extreme borders of Metal with conviction. Furthermore, and it is probable, that this tune and the former wouldn't have been imposing without the halo of keyboards that created a trace of drama. "Entranced by Twisting Skies" recollects early 90's Death Metal surges with Norse type Blackish manifestations, displaying a spectacular soloing ferocity, redirecting the band's vigor towards other somewhat gloomy Gothic lines hurdled in harsh Metallic blackness demonstrating fine riffery.

Though being able to fine this album's true promise, yet this aptitude will possibly come to bloom on a later stage. Following the band's abilities to craft diverse extreme Metal pieces, that early "all hell breaks loose" didn't always turned out in their favor, causing their songs, also due to a mild mix, to sound like a chaotic jungle, there are good intentions with atmospheric segments though, Furthermore, and this has been this album's chief antagonist was the production of the vocals. Largely the vocals were divided to mainly what appeared to me as two layers, low end growls and high end blackened snarls. Personally, it took me time to withstand them as I found them to be badly mixed and even annoying being the dominant conjuncture of voices. In addition, my annoyance was also generated from the cacophony that was caused due to that awful mix. In the end, I clung to the notion that at least the music of this sophomore proved that ENDEMISE is a band to watch out for.