I always have a keen eye for records from Asia. While you can arguably argue about the dominance of Slam and Brutal Death Metal in South-East Asia - finding other genres is not so difficult after all. Adarrak, an international death metal band based in Singapore, promises intense riffs with grooves and epic leads. Their album “Ex Oriente Lux” has been out now for a while, and I am here to discuss about it.
The opening track “Final Ethos Demise” showcases intense tremolo riffs with grooves on drums. With melodic guitar leads layering, the track precisely sets up the atmosphere of the album prevalent throughout its run-time. “Into The Abyss” seems like an amalgamation of two songs - one with doomy, sludgy riffs and chanting clean vocals; the other being catchy to its core,with radiating vibes of metalcore and melodic death metal. Add some melodic guitar solos to make it more spicy!
“Mettle” immediately reminds you of cheesy metalcore intros used almost two decades ago. With grooves reminiscent of Lamb of God and riffs like As I Lay Dying, the latter half showcase some intense solo and shred actions on guitar. “Berift” almost uses the same song-structure as of its preceding track, with the stellar attraction being a Marty Friedman guitar solo along the halfway. “Withering” almost picks up where “Berift” left, continuing with slow arpeggiated sweeping pattern as the main riff, small elements of dissonance are added before flowing into intense groovy rhythm sections. A rather slow paced song - this might be the catchiest song of the album.
I can’t help but talk about the intro riff to “Beneath the vault of the World” that carries an uncanny resemblance to “Holy Diver” (I know my mind and my ears are just messing with me at this point !) The track just builds up on its technical proficiency and intensity with each passing second - being almost crazy with its guitar solo in the latter half. Instrumental tracks are my favorite for some reason - and the guys dedicatedly put an instrumental brings joy on my face. Epic lead sections and groovy rhythm, even some guitar sections - this one becomes the staple for the band’s musicality showcase.
Production wise, the album dates somewhere around late 90s to early 2000s - having an old-school vibe with the guitar tones, while also having metalcore song-writing. Dan Swano, with the production duties of the album, adds flavor to the melodicism of the album, making the album a nice listening experience. With the eight songs being equally appreciable, a question of memorability remains. With many song-writing tropes used multiple times across different tracks - this might throw off some listeners mid album. In Spite of all the minor bits and pieces, Adarrak proves their quality with a memorable record “Ex Oriente Lux” added to their discography.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Website: https://www.facebook.com/adarrakband
Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal
Worldwide Release: May 27th, 2022.
