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On November 27, 2008, Ephel Duath announced that Luciano George Lorusso had quit the band and had been replaced by professional poker player Guillermo Gonzales.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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Vector Third Movement
Ephel Duath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deep,
Twisting brush against the warp,
This waltz agrees to armorial bearings stuck on my route.
To glide from the light blue of desire's room
Seems to be my favorite sing song.
Shall we talk about intermittent blindness,
I've turned back to worm out a secret
But useless bounds are the presents.
Useless bounds are the presents,
I've turned back to worm out a secret.
The lyrics of Ephel Duath's song Vector Third Movement are emotionally charged and metaphorical, creating a sense of confusion and entanglement. The opening line 'Follies wedged, deep, twisting brush against the warp' is suggestive of difficulties and challenges surrounding the singer. It seems like the person is stuck in a complex and intricate web of problems that are hard to disentangle. The line 'This waltz agrees to armorial bearings stuck on my route' portrays that these challenges are related to the societal norms and expectations that the singer is trying to meet but finds themselves bound.
The second stanza explores the singer's desire to escape the complexities of their life. The lines 'To glide from the light blue of desire’s room seems to be my favorite sing song' point towards the singer's longing for a simpler and happier life. The following line, 'Shall we talk about intermittent blindness, can we roam without miss darkness?' highlights the ambiguity and confusion hovering around this desire. It's like the singer is unsure whether to take a leap of faith and escape the comforts of their current life, or stay and face the challenges that come along with it.
The concluding stanza reflects on the singer's attempts to uncover a secret, but their efforts turn out to be futile. 'Useless bounds are the presents, I’ve turned back to worm out a secret' conveys a sense of disappointment and frustration with regards to the outcome of the singer's attempts to find a solution to their problems.
Line by Line Meaning
Follies wedged,
Mistakes and foolish actions are firmly stuck or trapped,
Deep,
They are deeply ingrained and difficult to remove
Twisting brush against the warp,
These mistakes and actions are causing a lot of friction and difficulty in life
This waltz agrees to armorial bearings stuck on my route.
These mistakes and actions are like a dance that is leading to obstacles and challenges in my life.
To glide from the light blue of desire's room
To escape from the tempting but ultimately destructive desires that lead to these mistakes
Seems to be my favorite sing song.
This pattern of making mistakes and then trying to escape them is a familiar and recurring theme in my life
Shall we talk about intermittent blindness,
Should we discuss how sometimes we are unable to see our mistakes clearly
Can we roam without miss darkness?
Is it possible to live without making any mistakes or facing any difficulties
I've turned back to worm out a secret
I have tried to uncover a hidden truth or solution to my problems
But useless bounds are the presents.
However, these efforts have been fruitless and have not led to any meaningful change or progress
Useless bounds are the presents,
These efforts have resulted in nothing but further frustration and disappointment
I've turned back to worm out a secret.
Despite this, I continue to try and uncover a way out of this cycle of mistakes and difficulties.
Contributed by Elijah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.