Power of Metal.dk Review

Neoplasmah
Auguring the Dusk of a New Era
Rating
Style: Death Metal
Release date: 22 November, 2014
Playing time: 34:39
 


Imagine going on a blind date and, unexpectedly, your date turns out to be a seductive and intriguing type. Well that pretty much describes my reaction to “Auguring the Dusk...” from a Portuguese band which I had never heard of before.

Let’s start from the vocals – the tonality of Sofia Silva’s singing is strongly reminiscent of Cadaveria and has equal doses of warmth, brutality and precision. There’s ever some oriental-style chanting in the title-track...one of many ‘little’ things that enrich the album. The rest of the band members, bar none, are similarly talented. The guitars predominantly use a Black Metal style of riffing but the album also contains a wide range of guitar techniques, not all normally associated with this genre of Metal. In ‘Ravishing Theatre of Chaos’, for instance, there’s a classical feel to the closing solo that I really enjoyed. And Alexandre Ribeiro, Neoplasmah’s bassist, is such an incredible player – his relentless pounding gives the music robustness while he also keeps bursting out of nowhere with these amazing bass-lines.

Despite all this, you don’t get the feeling that the technical aspect of the music is overwrought (I don’t consider Neoplasmah to be a Portuguese Obscura or Pestilence) because due attention in given to the compositional aspect of the songs. Certainly, this is a positive indication of the band’s level of maturity.

“Auguring the Dusk of a New Era” is a well-produced and creative piece of work that I confidently recommend.


Tracklist
01. Auguring the Dusk of a New Era
02. Ravishing Theatre of Chaos
03. Realm of the Lost Souls
04. Ruins of a Sham Empire
05. Stargate to Infinity
06. Storm Vortices of Neoplasmah
07. Miry Gateway Through Time
08. Absorbed in Perpetual Torture
Label: Helldprod Records
Distribution: Helldprod Records
Artwork rating: 60/100
Reviewed by: Chris Galea
Date: 25 November, 2014
Website: Neoplasmah @ Facebook