Epitaph Review

Release Date: Aug 3, 2004
Label: Relapse
Genres: Rock
Number Of Tracks: 8
Listeners who prefer a few more rough edges to their death metal may tire of Epitaph after a few songs, or at least wish there were a few mistakes here and there to give it more of a human feel.

Sound:	9.6
Lyrics:	7.8
Impression:	9.6
Overall rating:	9
Users rating:	9.9
Comments:	22

overall: 9.7

Featured review by: ICreamsodAI, on june 25, 2007

Sound: Necrophagist is probably the most regarded name in tech metal among aspiring guitarists. Every single song put out under this name (except for the last two songs on Onset of Putrefication) have been absolutely incredible. The CD's name Epitaph makes a clear distinction of the motif occuring in this album; death. This is probably the closest thing to damnation in music form imaginable. Completely remarkable, and probably my favorite CD that I've ever bore witness to. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: The vocals are not a major concern of this album. I believe that if it wasn't completely retarded, Muhammed would have simply grunted and growled with absolutely no meaning behind it. However, I must admit, growling along with the chorus of Stabwound is very satisfying. Don't listen to this for purely vocal intentions. // 9

Impression: Diminished To Be is great fun. My favorite. Polyrhythms are so fun, aren't they? I promise you, if you are at all open to death metal, this album will be nothing less than stunning at first glance. I would buy it then lose just as justification to buy it again. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Hendrix1970, on july 26, 2006

Sound: Necrophagist is perhaps one of the most impressive tech death metal bands I've heard lately. I first heard of them through a friend who had me listen to the first song on the CD called 'Stabwounds'. The songs are very careflly put together and the harmonization between the guitars is incredibly random. I bought both Epitaph and their first album as a band, 'Onset Of Putrefication', online. Although all of there songs are impressive, they tend to get repetitive, as do the solos as every one involves sweep picking of some sort. Some really standout tracks make up for this downfall however. 'Diminished To Be' is heavily based off of diminished scales, more so than the other songs. 'Epitaph', the title track, has the best solo on the album. Symbiotic in Theory is my favorite song on the CD as it has the best harmonization between the guitarists if you can call it harmony. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: There is nothing special about the lyrics, but there really doesn't need to be as I can't understand much of what Muhammed Suicmez is saying. I've never been a big fan of screaming and that's the only major downfall for me on this album. But when matched with the music it's hard to imagine someone actually singing to it so in the end it fits. I'm just glad that the screaming isn't high like what you hear in screamo and some death metal bands nowadays. It's much deeper making everything sound evil, like metal should be. // 8

Impression: Necrophagist's Epitaph in my opinion is better than their last album Onset. Onset did have some very good songs but Epitaph is much more refined and better organized. If it got lost or stolen I would definitely buy it again. I love the crazy tech metal genre but I'm really not big on screaming. This can be a drawback for some people but for the metal community this a groundbreaking release which any metalhead should buy. // 10

overall: 8.7

Reviewed by: metallicafan616, on october 30, 2009

Sound: The music on this album Is lighter and more melodic than the bands previous effort - Onset Of Putrefaction. The biggest improvement on the album is the drums, which as well as finally having a real drummer play them they're far less generic sounding and include lots more work on the toms rather than just the snare, cymbals and bass drum. The guitar work is absolutely perfect and complements the drums perfectly, whilst the bass plays intricate lines rather than constantly following the guitar. The solos by Muhammed and Muenzer are full of sweep picking, tapping, sweep tapping and have the most epic tone I've heard in all of Death Metal. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: The vocals are not for everyone, like all vocal styles outside of singing. The lyrics are better than Onset Of Putrefaction, although still require a bit more on some songs. For instance, The Stillborn One seems to utilize every metaphor for a stillborn child in existence and Ignominious And Pale seems to try make the lyrics as technical as the music with most words over 4 syllables. // 7

Impression: This is one of the best Technical Death Metal albums ever released, alongside Onset Of Putrefaction and Spawn Of Possessions Cabinet. My favourite songs are Stabwound, The Stillborn One, Diminished to B Epitaph and Seven, and the remaining three tracks are close behind. I love how the guitars are mind bogglingly complex yet still rhythmic and melodic unlike most Technical Death Metal albums. The only thing I dislike is how when listening to mp3 versions of the song the drums suddenly sound fake and the guitar tone sounds incredibly bland, although that does emphasise how good it sounds when heard on CD after listening to mp3s for a while. If it were stolen/lost I would definitely buy it again as the album is truly a short masterpiece. // 9

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: RondoGuitarDude, on january 10, 2008

Sound: The technicality of Necrophagist's music has never ceased to amaze me. Mohammed Suicmez reigns as one of the cleanest and most articulate sweep pickers I have ever heard, and his uncanny ability to growl while playing goes almost unmatched. The music is basically the same and just as heavy as the band's first album, but there seems to be more focus on melodic leads and melody in general than the first album. Stabwound and the solo section of Seven are both good examples of this. The riffs are still fast and brutal. I would probably say this album is musically superior to Onset of Putrefaction. Also, it's worth noting that Suicmez plays with live musicians on this album, whereas he recorded all the tracks and used a drum machine on the previous one. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics took an entirely different direction from Onset of Putrefaction. Though the first album's lyrics would be categorized as gore metal, poetic is a better word to describe the lyrics on Epitaph. The lyrics are much deeper and less violent than their previous work. Still, they fit the songs very well and don't feel out of place even for a moment. Not much to say about the vocals really. Suicmez growls just as good and deep as he ever has. No disapointments (or high-pitched screaming) here. // 8

Impression: Overall, this album is a MUST-HAVE for fans of Onset of Putrefaction and death metal fans in general. They remain one of the most technical bands around. The guitar work is nothing short of impressive, and is sure to attract metal players everywhere. Seven and Stabwound are my personal favorites on this album, and are 2 of my favorite songs period. If you like death metal and you don't have this album or have even heard of Necrophagist, I would encourage you to pick this album up or order it. // 10

overall: 8.3

Reviewed by: indiecult99, on march 13, 2007

Sound: the sound on this album is really tight. The sweeps and all of the lead stuff done by muhammad is really just sensational. The band as a whole is really clean and together. The album itself, to me, has sort of an egyptian feel to it, with some of the modes that are played in and scales that are used, the sound comes off as a sort of middleeastern feel, yet it still has that really heavy metal feel. I'm not a huge fan of "grind" and they incorporate it in this album as they do in general, and it's just enough that I can tolerate it. I really like the phrasing in the songs that are used and just how everything comes together as a whole. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: With a good vocabulary used and some symbolism hidden subtly in songs like Stabwound, the lyricist is pretty good. I wouldn't say that it's anything worth noting. The voice used on this album is pretty good, I think it matches up with the music pretty well, it creates for a really good blend in the final mixdown of things. I like it because it lets you concentrate on the band as a whole, whereas some metal bands just highlight either the music or vocals, not usually both. So it's good to hear how they decided to put this one out. // 7

Impression: When I listen to this band, I usually end up listening to bands like All Shall Perish or Nile, soon after. The styles and guitars just seem to relate in my head, moreso All Shall Perish than anything else. Only Ash Remains, I feel is the most impressive song on the album. Just turning the track on and hearing the bass and guitar lead intro, is really kind of astonishing. Despite the weird timing used as well, it's just excellant lead work and it's a highlight of the album, in my mind. There's not a whole lot that I don't like about this album. As I've said numerous time throughout this review, the blend is just sensational to me. I love the way this album was mixed down and how they decided to record everything and the roles of each of the band members. Great album. // 9

Comments

Seven. \m/

[*'-'*]

just to let you know. Mohammed doesn't scream, he growls

[troyponce]

Metal.

[BringMeTheCalm]

Hell yeah!

[Lambda]

the leads on this album are balls out insanity

[AmorVincitOmnia]

One of my favorite albums.

[Instrumetal]

Not as good as Onset... Great album though. Muhammed's growl is teh pwn, and Christian Muenzner is fantastic throuhout.

Only Ash Remains is the best song evar!

The songs are very careflly put together and the harmonization between the guitars is incredibly random

teh eff?

[mertt]

Guitars are very techical and well Muhammed Suiçmez is fantastic guitarist

[Josué]

Yeah my hero.

[headbanger703]

One of my favorite bands. They kicked ass in the Summer Slaughter Tour. The guitar work is mindblowing and I think the bass intro to 'Only Ash Remains' is the coolest bass riff that I have ever heard.

[huevos]

Hendrix1970 posted:
I'm just glad that the screaming isn't high like what you hear in screamo and some death metal bands nowadays.

if there is high pitched screaming (or screeching) in a death metal, its probably blackened death-metal. or straight up black-metal. as for screamo, yeah that ain't far off base.

im not helping you deface either genre though. there are some tight black metal bands, like Satyricon or Dark Funernal. as well as screamo, once you move past the weak ass shit like Senses Fail, Saosin, Finch, etc.
Circle Takes the Square, Saetia, Antioch Arrow, and Orchids either pinoneered screamo or kept it from becoming a [complete] corporate bastardization.
all genres will typically be turned into comtemporary *****houses anyway.

as for this album, its badass. haven't heard many Tech Death Metal bands actually making music (i.e. Cryptopsy, post-None So Vile era).
Necrophagist and Cephalic Carnage definitely take the cake for brutal music thats enjoyable as well.

[BFH]

Only ash remains \m/

[sambargun]

Necrophagist is true successor to Morbid Angel and Death. They've taken the music to a completely new dimension. Just one complaint. The lyrics. How many times will you sing about decomposing, dissecting, rottin bodies? They should look at bands like Cynic and Death who wrote about Philosophy and Life in general. Otherwise its a killer band. When's the next album coming out?

[ICreamsodAI]

sambargun wrote:

Necrophagist is true successor to Morbid Angel and Death. They've taken the music to a completely new dimension. Just one complaint. The lyrics. How many times will you sing about decomposing, dissecting, rottin bodies? They should look at bands like Cynic and Death who wrote about Philosophy and Life in general. Otherwise its a killer band. When's the next album coming out?

necrophagist does what necrophagist wants

morbid angel, death, and cynic can suck a dick


necrophagist owns all

[sambargun]

Wow thats some extremely mature observation mr.icreamsodal

[travd92]

my thoughts exactly sambargun, icreamsodal should open his mind a little, eh?? but anyways, what a wonderful album. from start to finish. its beautiful.

[Invis]

muhammed \M/
i love only ash remains intro

[steve_a7x]

one of the best metal albums i have heard. its up in my top 10 fav albums of all time! every track is insane, i dont know how this guy does it! Cant wait for next album!

[el_guitarrist]

staaaaabbbwwoooouuuuunnnnnddddd

[742627000017]

(Touliloulilalilululoulilalilalilututoulilalilalilulutululu)
UUUUURRRRRGGGGGHHHHH
Invisible blades penetrate

By the way The Stillborn one can make you cum three times while listening

[metallicafan616]

the guitar work in this album is amazing, i can play stabwound, diminished to be and any sweep picked section in the album, but what really amazes me is just how hard the riffs are. half the time my fingers can't even reach far enough for the intervals they use!

[RMM82]

Amazing, absolutely incredible guitar shred! This is my favorite tech. death metal album along with the new Obscura. Muhammed Suicmez is a GOD!!!