Amiensus – All Paths Lead to Death (2017)

Hailing surprisingly from the USA, today we have Amiensus and their latest EP “All Paths Lead to Death”. We are surprised they are from the USA because their Progressive Black Metal sound is quite European-like, delivering nearly 30 minutes of quality music that should not be missed by any fan of the genre. Perfectly mixing aggression with technical proficiency, this release has a certain Agalloch, Aenaon, and even Borknagar-ish vibe, making it quite impressive.

Opening with the brutal “Gehenna”, the release starts up with a very intense pace and crafty vocal arrangements going from harsh to clean. This opening track provides a peek into the band’s creative range and musical creativity. The onslaught continues with the pummeling drumming of “Moth of the Abyss” and its intricate guitar work. We particularly like how tight this release sounds thanks to the crystal clear production behind it.

Taking a different tone, “Prophecy” shows more of the band’s unique songwriting skills by introducing some more complex tempo changes and crafty drumming. As the song concludes, the epic and unconventional closing makes it one of the best of this release. For your headbanging needs, “Desolating Sacrilege” has that certain vibe that instantly makes you want to headbang furiously to the catchiness of the track.

As the album closes with the Agalloch-esque “The River”, we are left quite impressed by the quality of Amiensus music and their creativity. With a sound that incorporates elements from many great bands while still crafting their own signature style, “All Paths Lead to Death” is a very well-rounded EP that should that should be in the collection of any Progressive Black Metal fan.

Label: Apathia Records

Release: May 19th, 2017

Genre: Progressive Black Metal

Country: USA