Austrian epic death doom metal band ENDONOMOS will release their new album, “Endonomos II - Enlightenment,” on September 27 via Argonauta Records. The album has six songs, and “Inversion” is first, and there is a lead-in of fuzz, distortion, and heavy thuds from the drums. The riff that follows is equally as destructive, along with some thick bass notes. The vocals are clean at first, but turn deadly with deep gutturals. “Atheon Anarkhon” begins with a smoky tension…the kind that lingers and creates anticipation of what might be coming out of the darkness. The riff that emerges is dissonant, dark, powerful, and punishing. The clean vocals sound almost ritualistic to me, as if you are swept up in a ceremony celebrating all things dark and evil.

 “Resolve” is a little more energetic, but the cold, sterile sound drags on for what seems like days. There is a good deal of dissonance as well, and for me, the resolve that comes into play is within the heavy structure of the music. “Entrapment” has very heavy, punishing tones in the main riff, and the longer you listen, the more the walls close in around you, hence the title. “Hostile” is a bit lighter and more depressive considering the title. For me, I get images of a lone wanderer, roaming the frozen plains of lands that only exist in the extreme parts of the world, and the cold breath of the vocals echo this. “Kafir Qal'a” closes the album. It refers to “the ruins of a citadel surrounded by a large agricultural enclosure north of the village of Zadiyan.” The tones are very ominous, and crushing.  Overall, this was an excellent album. The ultra-heavy soundtrack is supported at times with deep gutturals, while other times clean vocals take over, imparting a feeling of a deep depression that you might never crawl out of.