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On November 27, 2008, Ephel Duath announced that Luciano George Lorusso had quit the band and had been replaced by professional poker player Guillermo Gonzales.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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I Killed Rebecca
Ephel Duath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Two eyes I've embraced.
When confusion seems to have your face,
It could be more simple to disfigure,
And I'm sure,
I'm sure that it will be the greatest pleasure.
This wall has no longer the same traits:
Images take a shape when you turn them over.
Here,
Our refused smiles levitate in the air
Like this chair with no legs.
Acid clouds become our secret prompters.
We'll enter this room
Where noise walks solemnly,
Words have precious trailings
And glances are a blinding tune.
Two hands remain,
Two eyes I've embraced.
The lyrics of Ephel Duath's song "I Killed Rebecca" are enigmatic and open to personal interpretation. The first stanza seems to suggest a violent act of disfiguration, as the singer talks about embracing someone's eyes and hands, while finding pleasure in inflicting harm. The second stanza seems to depict a hallucinogenic experience in which reality is distorted, and images take on new shapes when looked at from different angles. The last stanza portrays the entrance into a room where noise, words, and glances merge into a blinding tune, leaving the listener wondering about the nature of the encounter.
One interpretation of the song is that the lyrics are an allegory for the creative process of an artist who uses violence and destruction as a means of inspiration. The act of disfiguration could be a metaphor for breaking down old ideas and beliefs, making way for new ones to take shape. The hallucinogenic experience could symbolize the heightened state of awareness that comes with creative flow, where ideas and images merge and take on new meaning. Finally, the room could be seen as a metaphor for the artist's mind, where different aspects of their work and life merge into a singular vision.
Line by Line Meaning
Two hands remain,
Only two hands are left, likely belonging to the singer.
Two eyes I've embraced.
The singer has accepted and embraced another person's eyes, perhaps in a loving way.
When confusion seems to have your face,
When someone appears to be confused or lost.
It could be more simple to disfigure,
The artist suggests that causing harm or damage may make things easier or clearer.
And I'm sure,
The artist is confident in their belief or statement.
I'm sure that it will be the greatest pleasure.
Causing harm or damage will bring the singer great pleasure.
Look,
The singer points out something to the listener.
This wall has no longer the same traits:
The wall has changed and is no longer the same as before.
Images take a shape when you turn them over.
When something is looked at from a different perspective, it may take on a different meaning or appearance.
Here,
The artist draws attention to their current location.
Our refused smiles levitate in the air
The smiles that were not accepted are now present in the air.
Like this chair with no legs.
Comparing the floating smiles to an unsupported chair.
Acid clouds become our secret prompters.
The singer is being guided by negative or harmful influences.
We'll enter this room
The singer is about to enter a room.
Where noise walks solemnly,
The sounds in the room are serious or mournful.
Words have precious trailings
Every word spoken has a significant impact.
And glances are a blinding tune.
A look someone gives can be so intense it's like a song that overtakes you.
Two hands remain,
Repeating the idea of only two hands being left.
Two eyes I've embraced.
Repeating the idea of the singer accepting someone's eyes.
Contributed by Alexis D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
The AIDS Christ
One of their catchier down tempo songs
Odin Eli
Instablaster
Der Henker
This is sad. I still remember when Earache records used to release pretty good music.