Eternal Deformity
No Way Out
(Temple of Torturous)
Eternal Deformity have apparently been around for 23 years, so how am I (along with much of the metal world, seemingly) just discovering how awesome this Polish band is? Well, part of that is the group’s ever-evolving sound has finally hit peak butterfly. Eternal Deformity’s style took blackened death metal and added layers of whatever it saw fit: gothic metal, symphonic metal, circus, prog, and it’s slowly become the truly stunning beast it is now. No Way Out finds the group honing in on a particular overall sound, even if the individual tracks highlight different aspects to their take on extreme metal. It has elements of everything that came before it, but with more focus and attention to detail than before. Unlike fellow countrymen Behemoth, Eternal Deformity are not concerned with calling forth Satan to slay any believers. The album is about current events and their accompanying conspiracy theories, giving the album an eerie feel for some reason. No Way Out certainly is dark at times, but the group color with the whole box of crayons instead of just choosing the darkest ones.
That multi-faceted texture informs why this record is so damn impressive. The stomp of parts of “Esoteric Manifesto” and “Sweet Isolation” contrasts beautifully with the hypnotic parts of those songs, as well as the sweeping “Reinvented”. The album feels progressive without feeling overly proggy or technical for technicality’s sake. The band are concerned, first and foremost, with songcraft and creating a cohesive (if especially diverse) listen. It’s easiest to appreciate what the band are doing by experiencing the album firsthand. The only major complaints are the too-loud production which minimizes the impact of the sweeping compositions, and “Glacier”, while quite excellent, doesn’t quite feel like a proper wrap up of all that’s come before it. Otherwise, Eternal Deformity have come out of seemingly nowhere to deliver a true progressive extreme metal gem. Those looking for unique yet truly compelling music will devour the record.
