Erdve originally came on my radar on a total whim: I’m a big fan of pretty much any act signed to Season of Mist, and they hail from Vilnius, Lithuania, which was a missing spot on my proverbial map of the metal world.  And you know what?  Their proprietary blend of sludge, metalcore, black metal and audio/visual fuckery got me, hook, line and sinker.  So much so, when I saw Epigrama drop into our promo list, I signed up for it without a moment’s hesitation.  Turns out, I’m making another solid call on this band.

If you know Erdve, or you read my previous review for their excellent sophomore effort Savigaila, you know they really like to do it all themselves.  From writing and recording to mixing and mastering, to promotion and tape trade, to booking underground shows in non-venues like former prisons and abandoned churches, to shooting and editing their own music videos to their cover art, they have all their bases covered, and they seem to know exactly what they’re about.  This makes the fact that Epigrama is about rediscovery and reinvention a peculiar thing; in a post-Savigaila world, Erdve actually spent a lot of time looking at their influences and rediscovering their love of and relationship with music in general.  Even though Erdve have never been content to sit idly by in the confines of genre, the goal this time around is to get even more experimental, while also making sure every part of a song and its presentation works towards conveying a message and a story.  The end result is an album that is undeniably heavy, but also nuanced and, dare I say, cinematic in its scope and weight. 

Upon first listen to Epigrama, the thing striking me the most is the production: there is such a unique sound to the guitars that I can’t seem to liken to much else out there.  They feel…fuzzy, but not in a ‘70s prog or ‘90s black metal way.  There is a crushing weight to them, especially when the mean riffs and brutal breakdowns kick in, but they almost blend into a smooth soundscape with everything else.  There isn’t much definition in the guitars, which I think might turn a lot of people away from this album, but I respect the choice, especially because it contrasts really nicely with how crisp and up-front the vocals of frontman and mastermind Vaidotas Darulis are.  The fact the guitars make this enormous wall of sound behind everything else makes all the hardcore barks and death metal roars cut like a hot knife through butter.  “Nyra” is a pretty perfect example of how these intentional production choices give Epigrama a life and feeling all its own: the lumbering sludge riffs making up the backbone of this track feel almost claustrophobic when they close in on you, but the hypnotic clean guitar melody stands out all the more simply through diversity in texture and serves as a grounding point for when the intensity builds to a crescendo. 

All this organized chaos is spearheaded by Darulis’ gut-churning bellow, and even though I don’t speak a goddamn word of Lithuanian, I feel every ounce of pain and passion behind these songs, as you’d expect from a band with a hardcore and metalcore background like Erdve’s.  There’s even a little flirtation with nu metal via “Ydos” and electronic music via “Trukmė”.  I do wish there was a little more variety in tempo on Epigrama (a punky circle pit starter would go down so smooth), but I also recognize that sludge bands are gonna do what they do best, so I can’t be too disappointed.

Epigrama is another absolutely stunning release from a band that truly has a vision like no one else out there.  The production and presentation might not be for everyone, but I think there is something here that goes beyond the confines of what is heavy and touches on some very real, deep and human emotions.  If Epigrama marks a new beginning for Erdve, they’re definitely going to keep making Lithuania proud.

-Ian

---

Epigrama is out now on Season of Mist.  For more information on Erdve, visit their Facebook page.