Enfeeble
Momentum of Tranquility

Note that this is a republication of a review from last year due to this album now being released on German label STF-Music.

German band Enfeeble are back with new material, it is their second album we get to have a closer look at. The first thing we see is that it has a fairly dramatic cover art, just like the debut that was released a few years ago. I liked that debut, it was a very good album and I did interview the band in conjuncture with it as well. Now some time has passed and they have probably matured and evolved a little in their musical knowledge and skill. So it is with a little sense of anticipation I take on this new Enfeeble album.

An album that shows modern melodic extreme metal tendencies, some probably say melodic death metal while others pull out a name like metalcore. It is modern melodic extreme metal to me, with lots of drive and energy in the songs they create a powerful and heavy, yet melodic soundscape. The vocals are mostly growled or screamed but there are parts of clean vocals as well, the vocals are really quite varied through the album even though most common almost croaking screamy vocal style (kind of like that we hear in bands like Children of Bodom) is slightly sub-par.  The production however is excellent managing to keep a wide variation in check to make a coherent result; I like the piano parts and those small additions that add a nice depth to the album. Compared with the debut it feels a little more mature, more powerful and exciting, I think it feels as though the band has grown a little since the debut.

I like this album, it feel both epic and raw – sometimes almost at the same time. The depth of the album makes it interesting, and how they mix finer melodies with deep growls and crunchy riffs is another thing that adds to the sensation of listening to a very strong album. Sure there are points that could be better, like the croaking, and the playing time might be seen as a bit on the long side, I think it is a tad long but fortunately not a whole lot too long. There are many nuances on the album and it is one that I think has a fair deal to offer, especially to those of you who like the melodic death metal genre. If I were to complain just a little more I must also point out that even though they have a fresh sound and all of that, they still lack a little bit of innovation and novelty. Nevertheless, that cannot really detract from the fact that this is a very good album.

I think that all the tracks on the album are very good and I have a hard time trying to pick one that stand out more than any of the others. I think that the album are of a high quality all the way through and the catchy, melodic, heavy sound makes you want to listen to it more than once – and I don’t think anyone will grow tired with it in the first times listening to it, and that is even though I have put in a slight reservation for the quite long playing time. I think that it is an album well worth checking out, especially if you like their kind of music.

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