As many know EWIGKEIT is James Fogarty (IN THE WOODS, OLD FOREST, and many others) aka Mr. Fog. He hails from Brighton, England. EWIGKEIT emerged in 1994, took a hiatus in 2007, then re-emerged in 2012. Recently Mr. Fog has been remixing earlier releases, and on March 02, 2020, his third full-length album, "Land of Fog," will be re-issued as "Land of Fog - 20/20 Re-vision." This isn't a matter of egotism or even perfectionism, but rather a dispute over some unauthorized digital releases. Regardless the reason, the result is existing fans get to experience a classic album re-imagined and new listeners get to hear some ingenious music they may have otherwise missed. Count me in this latter category.

EWIGKEIT has evolved over the years, which I am sure has alienated some fans and delighted others. I, for one, enjoy following bands that grow and develop their approach and styles. That's kind of the way it is with life and there's nothing wrong with life being reflected in art. I never heard the original version of "Land of Fog," but I am led to understand this newer version is a bit of upgrade as far as production levels go with a cleaner, crisper mix. Musically, the album is sheer genius. Some may call it Post Metal, others Avant-garde or Experimental. Whatever you want to categorize it as, it certainly explores a wide range of modes. It is intelligent and sophisticated while still being insistent and visceral. The guitars, rhythm and lead parts, as well as bass are well executed. The drums are excellent. The synth work is mixed. I appreciate the melodic swells that provide directional undercurrent, but dislike the overt flourishes. I guess I prefer synthesizers to function as atmospheric background rather than foreground drivers. Lyrically, the album is deeply introspective. Any thinking and feeling person will recognize and possibly relate to the themes. Human thoughts for human people.

I won't bother with a track by track review of this album or even call out personal favorites. Every track on this album is outstanding in its own way. I prefer listening to it from end to end, but each track can easily stand on its own. Btw, I love that mid-album there is an instrumental track called "Interlude" and it is exactly that, an interlude. I also love the mix and clean and harsh vocals and that they come out of the same person.

All together, "Land of Fog - 20/20 Re-vision" (a clever confluence of verbal and numerical puns there, btw) is pretty much a mind-blowing album. Even though it can get a bit complex in its compositions, it still remains straight-forward, visceral rendering of metal. I think fans of Black, Prog, Stoner and even Doom will appreciate this album. I can easily see myself hunting down the original version of this album just so I can savor the level-up factor.