Rapheumets Well
The Exile

Second release by the band Rapheumets Well is called The Exile and it is an eight-chapter story about some ancient architects, some war, heroism, and some badass character and for the ladies there is some mild romance promised. That is in very shortened form the concept that this album is built around, and in one sense the story might seem to be holding some merit but the artwork and logo doesn’t look too exciting. The latter isn’t really a problem for me though as I never judge a book by its cover, so let us see what is contained within this cover.

It all starts very epically and interestingly, kind of movie like or something in that style. When the album gets going we are treated to something of a melodic extreme metal album and I suspect that these guys are inspired by a Norwegian band called Dimmu Borgir as I think that this album reminds me of said band’s style. Although the Norwegians have a better vocalist in my opinion, I think the vocals are the biggest weakness of this album – they are fine for most parts but there are parts that I do not find very appealing. They do however spice it up with female vocals that add both drama and depth to the album.

I would describe this as a very well produced album, the sound is very strong and they have good variation over the eight tracks. Another good thing is that they keep the playing time fairly short with a playing time just over 40 minutes. They offer a lot for us to enjoy with this album, although it may not quite be that interesting creatively and it feels a little bit like a slightly less good version of Dimmu Borgir. Fans of said band and the other similar bands I have mentioned will most likely find this album very appealing so if you are one of those I recommend you look closer at this album.

Speaking of the songs I think that this album ends better than it starts, the intro is great but the first songs are not that great, the greatness is found at the end and the ending of this album is quite great. In the end I find myself liking this album, sure it has some minor flaws (like the vocals) and so on but it is good nevertheless so if you like the similar band you should really give these guys a chance, they have made a fairly strong album.

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