Again from Russia comes another long-standing band, Abyssphere, who, a bit like Wine from Tears, have a history spanning almost twenty years; in this case the full length under review, Eidolon (Эйдолон) is the fourth in the series, following Images and Masks in 2008, Teni i sny… (Тени и сны…) in 2010 and Na puti k zabveniyu (На пути к забвению) in 2017. Unlike their compatriots, there was in the meantime a greater production, especially on the level of ep’s that have filled the time occursed between the secon and the first work, but above all, the fundamental difference lies in the use of the mother tongue instead of English, and if this may seem a limitation to fruition, it is equally true that the impact of the St. Petersburg band is much more dramatic and emotionally penetrating. Abyssphere‘s sound often takes on connotations close to gothic doom and is also notable for a certain variety resulting from the use of dual vocals in growl and clean respectively by Alexander Yakovlev, the only one left of the original line-up, and Konstantin Tsygankov; Eidolon is an excellent piece of work that fully confirms what the band had already done in past years, even though, needless to say, one does not expect any particular innovation or variation on the theme from works like this, but is essentially asked to offer in the best possible way what listeners expect, namely a melodic death doom full of beautiful melodies and emotionally charged. After familiarising oneself with the Russian idiom, which in this moment is perhaps not the most popular on the planet, and certainly not through any fault of Abyssphere, listening to Eidolon proves to be something very rewarding and therefore not to be overlooked by those who appreciate these sounds.
2022 – Independent
Mournful Sounds 
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