Ephel Duath was formed in 1998 as a two-man group and taking their name after the fictional mountain range in J.R.R. Tolkien's book The Lord of the Rings. Their debut release was Phormula, on Code666. Following Phormula's release, they signed to Elitist Records (a sub-division of Earache), and repackaged the debut with three tracks from the 1998 demo, Opera, and two remixes. The album was released in 2001 as Rephormula.
Founder Davide Tiso recruited a diverse set of musicians with backgrounds in hardcore punk, progressive rock, jazz, blues, funk and pop. The first album with this lineup was 2003's The Painter's Palette. The album showcased an unorthodox combination of hardcore punk and jazz fusion. In an interview in May 2003, Kerrang! magazine described the band as "supermodels playing The Dillinger Escape Plan".
A new album, Pain Necessary to Know, was released in late 2005. After recording the album, drummer Davide Piovesan quit the band, and was replaced first by Sergio Ponti in 2006 and then by Andrea Rabuini in 2007. Ephel Duath later dismissed bassist Fabio Fecchio, with the band stating that they would intended to remain a trio to "explore more experimental music dimensions".
On November 27, 2008, Ephel Duath announced that Luciano George Lorusso had quit the band and had been replaced by professional poker player Guillermo Gonzales. They also released a new song, Guardian, on their MySpace webpage. In January 2009, Ephel Duath released Through My Dog's Eyes, featuring drummer Marco Minnemann and The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman. Weinman composed electronics on the song Bark Loud. On June 4, 2009, Davide Tiso announced that Ephel Duath had parted ways with Earache Records and that he was "thrilled" to be off the label.
From the band's departure from Earache until late 2011, Tiso was the sole member of Ephel Duath. He explained that this was due to the cost of hiring musicians out of his own pocket. He claimed to have received only $400 from his record label. Regarding how the financial difficulties affected the band, Tiso said that the former members of Ephel Duath "were often complaining, without even realizing how many problems I was hiding in front of their eyes. Now it's just me, and I'm pretty comfortable like this."
In November 2011, Tiso announced (via Facebook) that Ephel Duath signed with Agonia Records (Poland) for the release of an EP and two full-length albums. The EP, called On Death and Cosmos was recorded in January 2012 at Sharkbyte Studios in Oakland, California and released in the summer of 2012. Erik Rutan mixed the album at his Mana Recording Studio and Alan Douches mastered it at West West Side Music in New York. In December 2011, a new lineup was announced consisting of Karyn Crisis (Tiso's wife), Steve DiGiorgio and Marco Minnemann (who has previously worked with the band).
The band completed their fifth full length album, Hemmed by Light, Shaped by Darkness, again with producer Erik Rutan at Mana Recording Studios, and released it in late 2013. The black and white cover artwork was completed by artists Dehn Sora and Aeron Alfrey.
In December of 2014, front man Davide Tiso announced the end of Ephel Duath with this statement. "Today I decided that it’s time to put Ephel Duath to rest. This beautiful beast has been my life companion for a very long time, I cannot see it struggling any longer and I decided to kill it myself. This post is a way to make peace with the idea itself and, I guess, a way to keep you part of this. For many years I felt conflicted with the idea of sharing Ephel Duath’s music with its small public, now it’s time to let go. Ephel Duath changed shape and color many times, crossing different genres and musical styles, toward the end though, it started looking too much like me and I didn’t feel like giving it to you any longer. This is the reason why this has to end, because this band mattered so much to me that I didn’t get any joy in letting it be heard and dissected by you any longer. As I’ve never really found a comfortable place for myself in this society, my music has always experienced the same problem. Ephel Duath never quite reached a large public and it never really exploited its potential. I suffered for that but what I know is that I’ve tried my very best to make this band work and I stand behind every record we released. When I started Ephel Duath I was young, naive and tremendously ambitious. Now I’m 16 years older, and still naive enough to think that songs have their own souls, I just poured too much of my own in them, and it has been brutal to let them go. A part of me was let go. A big chunk. In the end, I’m not sure it was worth it. I’ve a gift that I cherish deeply, I can talk through my guitar. It’s easy for me to distill my feelings through riffs and everything I say that way has more weight and impact than my own words. In order to keep honoring that in the future, Ephel Duath needs to die today and so it will be. Thanks for reading, I could do a long list of thanks but I choose not, now it’s my time to be ungrateful. Davide Tiso"
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Crystalline Whirl
Ephel Duath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still profiles bond with seaweed rope to the wreck that will be.
My dive will end this circus parade.
The sweet proceeds through undistinguishable lanes
Caresses with a poisoned claw.
Zeal.
Warlike Drowsiness is the enemy.
I was fightining it with my rusty blade,
Now I'm defended only by a crystalline armor.
There are a lot of blinding reflections around my body.
Do you think it will be enough?
Do you think it will be enough?
The lyrics of Ephel Duath's Crystalline Whirl offer a complex and enigmatic message, using vivid and abstract metaphors to paint a picture of struggle and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds. The opening lines speak of an impossible task, trying to balance something with someone who is a bigot – implying that the situation is unworkable and doomed to failure. Despite this, there is still an emotional attachment illustrated through the use of seaweed rope to a wreck, which will certainly be destroyed. This is an example of sentimental bondage, the idea that someone is so attached to a toxic relationship that they are willing to be engulfed by its failure instead of letting go.
The perspective of the lyrics is from someone who is diving into the unknown, likely a risky or dangerous situation, in order to end a circus parade. It is unclear what this means; it could be interpreted as a metaphor for something chaotic or meaningless, or perhaps a situation where people are being exploited or mistreated. The sweet proceeds through undistinguishable lanes could refer to people blindly pursuing happiness or pleasurable experiences, metaphorically caressing themselves with a poisoned claw. The word zeal suggests that people are driven by passionate motivation, perhaps at the expense of their own well-being.
The second half of the song speaks more explicitly about the struggle involved in this situation. Warlike drowsiness is introduced as the enemy, indicating a torpor or lack of action that threatens to derail any progress. The singer had been fighting against it with a rusty blade, but now they are only protected by a crystalline armor, which creates blinding reflections. This armor could represent self-protection, beliefs, or a defensive mechanism to avoid being hurt, but again there is uncertainty about what it represents. The repetition of "Do you think it will be enough?" seems to express doubts and fears about whether their actions will make a difference, whether they will be enough to overcome the forces arrayed against them.
Line by Line Meaning
Impossible to save the balance with this bigot.
It's impossible to restore harmony with this narrow-minded person.
Still profiles bond with seaweed rope to the wreck that will be.
Despite the circumstances, people still cling to a doomed relationship.
My dive will end this circus parade.
My actions will put an end to this foolish and chaotic spectacle.
The sweet proceeds through undistinguishable lanes.
Pleasure is pursued through unclear and unknown paths.
Caresses with a poisoned claw.
The sweetness is actually dangerous and harmful.
Zeal.
An intense passion or enthusiasm.
Warlike Drowsiness is the enemy.
Losing focus and motivation is the adversary.
I was fightining it with my rusty blade,
I was struggling against it with my inadequate tools.
Now I'm defended only by a crystalline armor.
Now I'm protected solely by my unbreakable willpower.
There are a lot of blinding reflections around my body.
There are many distractions and obstacles that impede me.
Do you think it will be enough?
Do you think my determination is sufficient?
Do you think it will be enough?
Do you think my determination is enough to overcome the challenges?
Contributed by Xavier I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hirschtodblind
Hard to acess their music, but once it's accomplished, it becomes a freeking deep experience
DS
This is one of the most underrated heavy albums ever. Genius.
arkkisarkki
This whole album is just one left hook after another, brilliant!
Quinceps
This is fusion with some metal. And the name "Ephel Duath" has no relation to disappointment of this world, inherent to real metal. I rather like it not being metal.
matthew defoe
Awesome. really wide scope with these guys. =}
VOIID
I don't know what I just heard Fraken A! this is dope!
Ринат Ялчин
fucking underrated
Mr. Burger
Sounds like mr bungle
Quinceps
They only imitate some aspects of actual metal and sell it as metal. Avant-garde is avant-garde, it has no genre.
daxpwnsyouall
Seen them live three times and I can assure you that they're metal - This group is just an odd form of prog (like Mr Bungle)