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Reign of Perdition are a Progressive Metal band with textures from Death Metal, Black Metal and a multitude of other styles. Formed in Somerset, England in the latter half of 2011, this 3 piece set out to hone their compositional skills and craft a monster of a record. They did just that with their 2012 debut ‘Elegy’, which turned more than a few heads. Now they’ve returned with their EP ‘Fractured Reflections’, and seek to offer another display of visceral ingenuity.
Within just a few minutes ‘Perpetual Winter’ affirms this. Already it’s laced with layer upon layer of intricate sound, distinctive tones and subtle refinement. It weaves between vivid pensive Black Metal howls, left field rhythmic details and alluring acoustic interludes. Just as you adjust to the prospect that each twist and turn could encompass any one of these styles, the latter half slings just as many new stylistic approaches your way. An apocalyptic Death and Thrash cacophony intertwines itself with an increasingly sporadic arsenal of Prog riffs.
‘An Appartition of Winter’ conjures the same kind of bleak landscapes Opeth’s ‘Blackwater Park’ does. An underlying melancholy seeps into every passage, and as if trapped in some sort of biploar psyche, this mood transmutes itself to every shift of tempo and emotion. Even lush orchestral arrangements work themselves into the mix, investing even more grandiose variety.
EP closer ‘Fractured Reflections’ surfaces with a charming lamentation, and gives way to intricate yet gnarled riffs and scouring vocals which bring the work of Ihsahn to mind. I’ve scarcely heard Black Metals sinister nature and progs confounding tendencies work with such congeniality and conviction as here. Yet the closing minute strips back and bears a gloriously executed display of the most frostbitten form.
Despite just containing 3 full length tracks and an intro, ‘Reign of Perdition’ have made a retrospective analysis a challenge with their constant drive to construct ever more elaborate anthems. Every bend reveals an ever changing formula, always adding and never taking away. If this the result of less than 3 years of union, the potential for the future is boundless. Anyone with any appreciation for flair and creativity would be doing themselves a disservice by allowing this to fly under their radar.
Review by Sam Smart
Fractured Reflections is available Via the Bands Bandcamp page.
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