The Painter's Palette reviews
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Emi
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fantastic review (9/10) in french:
http://lordsofwinter.nexenservices.com/Chroniques/Chronique2.php3?groupe=423&album=807&type=albums
http://lordsofwinter.nexenservices.com/Chroniques/Chronique2.php3?groupe=423&album=807&type=albums
Emi
underdog
Emi
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Emi
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Emi
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Emi
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Emi
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from Urkraft Webzine:
Unfortunately I missed out on this Italian bands debut album, which got good responses in an instant after its release, but here we are, its 2003 and Davide Tiso and his Ephel Duath accomplices are ready to stir up some weird yet interesting music on their second album "The Painters Palette" and I´ll be damned if Im going to let this one pass by as well. Musically "The Painters Palette" is for the open-minded, those who are open to other music genres and new approaches towards metal music. Your tolerance and attention is needed in each and every second for the next forty-six minutes of this vast freestyle/crossover album. After so many consecutive listens to this album Im still not sure if I have succeeded in translating what initially was random noise into a greater art, albums like these are the most interesting, I think. The band moves around a lot in their compositions but always have some connection with jazzy rhythms and blackmetal guitar arrangements accompanied by brutal shouting and clean vocals. Its hard to even begin to imagine whats been going through the head of the individual band members when writing these songs; so many different atmospheres are spread out in between the metallic outburst. Whats even more perplexing is the albums lyrics and theme, something about various colours and they present the album with a black and white cover artwork?, they sure got me confused. The most important fact about the album is the bands cutting-edge precision in each song, which of course is very much needed when executing material of this technical magnitude; everybody is on top of their game, even though I detect a few improvisations here and there, extra credit goes out to drummer Davide Piovesan, the way he circulates around his drum fence and constantly changes pace is remarkable. Some of Davide Tolomei´s (thats the third Davide in the band by the way) clean vocals get lost in the chaotic musical current, frankly I think they wouldve worked better if placed in the calmer parts. Whether "The Painters Palette" will become a big success or not I dont know, but one things certain: it will have something far more challenging to offer than most metal releases in recent years. "The Painters Palette" gets an 8/10
Unfortunately I missed out on this Italian bands debut album, which got good responses in an instant after its release, but here we are, its 2003 and Davide Tiso and his Ephel Duath accomplices are ready to stir up some weird yet interesting music on their second album "The Painters Palette" and I´ll be damned if Im going to let this one pass by as well. Musically "The Painters Palette" is for the open-minded, those who are open to other music genres and new approaches towards metal music. Your tolerance and attention is needed in each and every second for the next forty-six minutes of this vast freestyle/crossover album. After so many consecutive listens to this album Im still not sure if I have succeeded in translating what initially was random noise into a greater art, albums like these are the most interesting, I think. The band moves around a lot in their compositions but always have some connection with jazzy rhythms and blackmetal guitar arrangements accompanied by brutal shouting and clean vocals. Its hard to even begin to imagine whats been going through the head of the individual band members when writing these songs; so many different atmospheres are spread out in between the metallic outburst. Whats even more perplexing is the albums lyrics and theme, something about various colours and they present the album with a black and white cover artwork?, they sure got me confused. The most important fact about the album is the bands cutting-edge precision in each song, which of course is very much needed when executing material of this technical magnitude; everybody is on top of their game, even though I detect a few improvisations here and there, extra credit goes out to drummer Davide Piovesan, the way he circulates around his drum fence and constantly changes pace is remarkable. Some of Davide Tolomei´s (thats the third Davide in the band by the way) clean vocals get lost in the chaotic musical current, frankly I think they wouldve worked better if placed in the calmer parts. Whether "The Painters Palette" will become a big success or not I dont know, but one things certain: it will have something far more challenging to offer than most metal releases in recent years. "The Painters Palette" gets an 8/10
Emi
underdog
yeah!! 
)):hotjump:
from PROGGNOSIS webzine, Progressive Rock&fusion:
[font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma]"The deconstruction of the most extreme styles of Metal music and its cocooning into some new forms of technical, inventive and artful approaches has just gained a new reference band: Ephel Duath !
In a fierce combat against the almost total stagnation of such genres as Black Metal, Hardcore or Death Metal, bands like Arcturus, Solefald, Theory In Practice, Maudlin of the Well or The Dillinger Escape Plan (just no name a few) have been striving to present new paths, new stratagems but, most important, new and excellent revolutionary ideas.
Italian newcomers Ephel Duath have succeeded, with their second recording, in achieving a very high position in inventiveness and an even higher level in terms of originality.
The Painters Palette is exactly that: a colorful palette of ideas, schemes and approaches bursting from a shell of extreme metal. The music is nothing short of outstanding in what concerns progression and innovation. This album feels like a light of guidance in a black stagnated swamp.
If part of the vocals can be hard to endure for most listeners (they have that harsh and dry growling so common in Hardcore venues), the other vocals involved are a lot smoother and even a bit cheesy. To accompany that, there is a whole paraphernalia of technical playing swirling from grotesque metallic riffs to atmospheric landscapes, passing through jazz outlets, complex progressive mayhem and, go figure, trumpet intrusions with a strong jazzy flavor. This band experiences it all.
While disregarding any role playing or associated rules usually associated to the extreme metal genres, Ephel Duath is the definition of experimental and inventive music. It may become almost unbearably heavy at some points, but all in the sudden the music turns an amalgamation of (apparently) disperse sounds, conjuring in a free jazz display of talent. The several styles are thoughtfully inbreeded in each others, making the next step unpredictable but in a strange way, logic.
So this album represents a nonsense idea of organized anarchy, where everything seems wrong but sounds right, where the most apart and opposite styles cohabitate in chaotic harmony.
I must confess I am very impressed with this album, not only because it fills a gap in the music scene today, but because it is played with passion, security and accuracy despite its controversial concept.
I consider The Painters Palette to be the metal album of the year, and one of the most refreshing metal albums of the last few years. To top, it is completely progressive in its philosophy, silencing many of those voices that state that metal can never be Prog.
Essential to those adventurous souls that are willing to experience the dark corners of extreme progressive metal.[/font]
by Nuno
http://www.proGGnosis.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=8653
)):hotjump:from PROGGNOSIS webzine, Progressive Rock&fusion:
[font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma]"The deconstruction of the most extreme styles of Metal music and its cocooning into some new forms of technical, inventive and artful approaches has just gained a new reference band: Ephel Duath !
In a fierce combat against the almost total stagnation of such genres as Black Metal, Hardcore or Death Metal, bands like Arcturus, Solefald, Theory In Practice, Maudlin of the Well or The Dillinger Escape Plan (just no name a few) have been striving to present new paths, new stratagems but, most important, new and excellent revolutionary ideas.
Italian newcomers Ephel Duath have succeeded, with their second recording, in achieving a very high position in inventiveness and an even higher level in terms of originality.
The Painters Palette is exactly that: a colorful palette of ideas, schemes and approaches bursting from a shell of extreme metal. The music is nothing short of outstanding in what concerns progression and innovation. This album feels like a light of guidance in a black stagnated swamp.
If part of the vocals can be hard to endure for most listeners (they have that harsh and dry growling so common in Hardcore venues), the other vocals involved are a lot smoother and even a bit cheesy. To accompany that, there is a whole paraphernalia of technical playing swirling from grotesque metallic riffs to atmospheric landscapes, passing through jazz outlets, complex progressive mayhem and, go figure, trumpet intrusions with a strong jazzy flavor. This band experiences it all.
While disregarding any role playing or associated rules usually associated to the extreme metal genres, Ephel Duath is the definition of experimental and inventive music. It may become almost unbearably heavy at some points, but all in the sudden the music turns an amalgamation of (apparently) disperse sounds, conjuring in a free jazz display of talent. The several styles are thoughtfully inbreeded in each others, making the next step unpredictable but in a strange way, logic.
So this album represents a nonsense idea of organized anarchy, where everything seems wrong but sounds right, where the most apart and opposite styles cohabitate in chaotic harmony.
I must confess I am very impressed with this album, not only because it fills a gap in the music scene today, but because it is played with passion, security and accuracy despite its controversial concept.
I consider The Painters Palette to be the metal album of the year, and one of the most refreshing metal albums of the last few years. To top, it is completely progressive in its philosophy, silencing many of those voices that state that metal can never be Prog.
Essential to those adventurous souls that are willing to experience the dark corners of extreme progressive metal.[/font]
by Nuno
http://www.proGGnosis.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=8653
Emi
underdog
from Throwinghorns.com:
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]<A id=ephel name=ephel>I'm contemplating starting this review at the beginning, shall we? NEVER! We will start from the middle! ...So when the first track "The Passage" opens up the disc, you are blugeoned with a wall of avant-garde jazz and a John Zorn-ish saxophone wailing-session, all within the first ten seconds. Then cutting into some of their more Black Metal stylings, but far from the typical standard of Black Metal only to digress into something that gives "acid-jazz" a new twist. Divergent from what they have done in the past, Ephel Duath likes to give you the unexpected at every turn and corner on this album. Where else will you hear jazzy compositions with a sudden split second blast beat and then converging into agressive breakdowns? This album has "attention defecit disorder" written all over it, in high contrast to their last release "Rephormula" which was some highly complex and experimental Black Metal with some very thoughtful guitar harmonies. It seems that they might have taken a few more drugs while recording this one. At times "The Painter's Pallette" seems as if the band is trying too hard to be different, and this might be somewhat of a "novelty" item to jazz and metal folk alike, but my hat is still off to them for their genuine musicianship - definitely no three-chorded punk rock kids playing in this band! The perfect test for this band would be to see them pull it off live, and I would certainly like to be there to see it. A word to the wise: don't expect another "Rephormula"!
-Colin Conway[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]<A id=ephel name=ephel>I'm contemplating starting this review at the beginning, shall we? NEVER! We will start from the middle! ...So when the first track "The Passage" opens up the disc, you are blugeoned with a wall of avant-garde jazz and a John Zorn-ish saxophone wailing-session, all within the first ten seconds. Then cutting into some of their more Black Metal stylings, but far from the typical standard of Black Metal only to digress into something that gives "acid-jazz" a new twist. Divergent from what they have done in the past, Ephel Duath likes to give you the unexpected at every turn and corner on this album. Where else will you hear jazzy compositions with a sudden split second blast beat and then converging into agressive breakdowns? This album has "attention defecit disorder" written all over it, in high contrast to their last release "Rephormula" which was some highly complex and experimental Black Metal with some very thoughtful guitar harmonies. It seems that they might have taken a few more drugs while recording this one. At times "The Painter's Pallette" seems as if the band is trying too hard to be different, and this might be somewhat of a "novelty" item to jazz and metal folk alike, but my hat is still off to them for their genuine musicianship - definitely no three-chorded punk rock kids playing in this band! The perfect test for this band would be to see them pull it off live, and I would certainly like to be there to see it. A word to the wise: don't expect another "Rephormula"!
-Colin Conway[/font]
Emi
underdog
Emi
underdog
Emi
underdog
from nightfall in middle earth webzine (france):
Ephel duath the painters paletteSil y a deux ans, ce groupe italien naviguait sur les eaux encombrées du black metal symphonique, EPHEL DUATH effectue aujourdhui, sous limpulsion de son guitariste et maître à penser Davide Tiso, une mutation salutaire.Autrefois duo, le nouveau line-up se compose désormais de cinq membres dont un percussionniste de quarante-sept ans nayant jamais eu aucun réel contact avec le metal, et un bassiste issu de lunivers de la fusion et du progressif. La musique proposée par cet assemblage hétéroclite a séduit les patrons dEarache qui signent le groupe sur leur sous-label The Elitist. Javoue sans pudeur avoir été moi aussi quelque peu émoustillé par ce patchwork musical dune totale originalité.Tous les chroniqueurs qui ont essayé de décrire The Painters Palette reviennent toujours aux mêmes références, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SOLEFALD et les géniaux CYNIC. Les points communs les plus évidents entre ces trois groupes sont leur souci de lexpérimentation et les tentatives de mariage entre metal et jazz.Lunion est ici en cours de consommation (encore deux ou trois coups de reins et on va y arriver). Les idées sont nombreuses et les premières écoutes sont éprouvantes tant limpression de chaos est palpable. Même les estomacs les plus costauds se trouveront dans limpossibilité de tout digérer dune seule traite. La voix agressive du chanteur Luciano Lorusso (qui me fait penser au hurleur de REFUSED) et ses sonorités hardcore me froissent quelque peu les oreilles et ne facilite pas lassimilation de cet ovni (objet vinylique non identifiable). Daspect abstruses au début, les interventions du saxophoniste sont encore loin des envolées lyriques de Miles Davis ou des phrases azimutées de Don Cherry. Les moins persévérants dentre vous auront donc quelque mal à plonger véritablement dans ce kaléidoscope qui ne révèlera toute sa beauté (à défaut dune véritable unité) quaux plus déterminés à laccueillir.Nez en moins, le couple a toutes les chances de durer et les relations pourront bien se bonifier avec le temps.Le jeu de Davide Tiso, difficile à décrire étant donné la somme impressionnante didées développées et létendue des genres parcourus (hardcore, metal et jazz expérimental) est riche en prouesses digitales mais évite les démonstrations inutiles. De son côté, Davide Tolomei nous gratifie dun chant clair mélodique et apaisant, véritable bol dair pur dans ce magma incandescent, qui contrebalance de façon providentielle les hurlements de Luciano Lorusso.Le seul point véritablement faible de cet album réside en lagrégation parfois bancale de toutes les données transmises. Nul doute que le temps permettra de pallier à ce petit défaut et que les prochaines fournées gagneront en consistance.Cette musique dune densité rare deviendra à nen point douter un disque de chevet pour les amateurs de fusion musicale et constituera pour les autres un superbe challenge. Jattends dores et déjà le successeur de The Painters Palette avec une impatience non feinte.
Ephel duath the painters paletteSil y a deux ans, ce groupe italien naviguait sur les eaux encombrées du black metal symphonique, EPHEL DUATH effectue aujourdhui, sous limpulsion de son guitariste et maître à penser Davide Tiso, une mutation salutaire.Autrefois duo, le nouveau line-up se compose désormais de cinq membres dont un percussionniste de quarante-sept ans nayant jamais eu aucun réel contact avec le metal, et un bassiste issu de lunivers de la fusion et du progressif. La musique proposée par cet assemblage hétéroclite a séduit les patrons dEarache qui signent le groupe sur leur sous-label The Elitist. Javoue sans pudeur avoir été moi aussi quelque peu émoustillé par ce patchwork musical dune totale originalité.Tous les chroniqueurs qui ont essayé de décrire The Painters Palette reviennent toujours aux mêmes références, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SOLEFALD et les géniaux CYNIC. Les points communs les plus évidents entre ces trois groupes sont leur souci de lexpérimentation et les tentatives de mariage entre metal et jazz.Lunion est ici en cours de consommation (encore deux ou trois coups de reins et on va y arriver). Les idées sont nombreuses et les premières écoutes sont éprouvantes tant limpression de chaos est palpable. Même les estomacs les plus costauds se trouveront dans limpossibilité de tout digérer dune seule traite. La voix agressive du chanteur Luciano Lorusso (qui me fait penser au hurleur de REFUSED) et ses sonorités hardcore me froissent quelque peu les oreilles et ne facilite pas lassimilation de cet ovni (objet vinylique non identifiable). Daspect abstruses au début, les interventions du saxophoniste sont encore loin des envolées lyriques de Miles Davis ou des phrases azimutées de Don Cherry. Les moins persévérants dentre vous auront donc quelque mal à plonger véritablement dans ce kaléidoscope qui ne révèlera toute sa beauté (à défaut dune véritable unité) quaux plus déterminés à laccueillir.Nez en moins, le couple a toutes les chances de durer et les relations pourront bien se bonifier avec le temps.Le jeu de Davide Tiso, difficile à décrire étant donné la somme impressionnante didées développées et létendue des genres parcourus (hardcore, metal et jazz expérimental) est riche en prouesses digitales mais évite les démonstrations inutiles. De son côté, Davide Tolomei nous gratifie dun chant clair mélodique et apaisant, véritable bol dair pur dans ce magma incandescent, qui contrebalance de façon providentielle les hurlements de Luciano Lorusso.Le seul point véritablement faible de cet album réside en lagrégation parfois bancale de toutes les données transmises. Nul doute que le temps permettra de pallier à ce petit défaut et que les prochaines fournées gagneront en consistance.Cette musique dune densité rare deviendra à nen point douter un disque de chevet pour les amateurs de fusion musicale et constituera pour les autres un superbe challenge. Jattends dores et déjà le successeur de The Painters Palette avec une impatience non feinte.
