From a music steaming/pre-order save site called Substack, here is what author Sofia Frasz has to say about the new album: “The release of “Apocrypha” represents three years of practice, exploration, trial and error, learning, and a lot of overthinking. I started working on this album in July 2021, then realized that I didn't have the skills I needed to create the music I wanted to create. I took a short hiatus from working on original music to sharpen up my skills, take lessons, and play around with making covers as practice. I have a cohesive work that I am proud of, after years of nitpicking it endlessly. The songs each have their own unique character, given the long time span over which I nitpicked and tinkered with them, but they also flow together like chapters in a book or scenes in a movie.”

“The Summoning” is the first song, and somber piano notes lead the charge. I was not prepared for the deep guttural vocals that followed the gentle cleans, and it’s obvious that Sofia is mult-talented. Some of the cleans were just a bit pitchy, but this music isn’t doctored. “Blood of the Ancients” is led by harsh vocals screams and some lead guitar. The song has a good deal of energy as well as a mixture of light and darkness, and each pokes their head up at unexpected times. “Dreamwalker” features Metal Matt on vocals, and it’s a tender, ethereal sound that reminds me of waking up from a dream that you can’t quite tell was good or bad. It just leaves you to think, and ponder. “Altar of Moloch” is as dark as it sounds, and her scratchy Black Metal vocals are harrowing. There is also a second set of harsh vocals that join in, giving the song a full, thick sound.

“The Silence is Deafening” has a slower, and even more somber sound, fueled by emotive vocals and backing symphony. You can feel her anger gather strength after the half-way mark, with deep harsh vocals and the rise of sonority. “Deathslayer” doesn’t have the qualities you might expect from the title. It’s gentle, somewhat sad, and it follows a sober melody line quite well. Angry harsh vocals rise again however, putting the gentle sounds to rest. “Remnants” is laden with a lush, keyboard sound, and it definitely has the feeling of exploring remnants, which means “a small remaining quantity of something.” “Forbidden Majesties” closes the album, and it’s a full on, symphonic Black Metal attack. Clean vocals combine with harsh vocals and even some screams. The hasty quality of the song is the perfect ending to the album.

Overall, I enjoyed the album, and the tale. It was well crafted, and well executed, and considering this was all done by the hands of one composer, you have to appreciate her ability to create something that was this synergistic. Although she has a nice clean voice, I prefer her dark, raspy harsh vocals, because they have a real bite to them.