Evoken: Hynagogia (2018)

First of all, I need to plan better when I decide to listen to albums to prepare a review.  Funeral doom metal is not terribly conducive to listening to while exercising.  The slow pace just does not really lend itself to increasing your heart rate.  That was exactly what I was thinking as I was listening to this while jogging down the county road with Reaper and Jinx (two of my dogs) by my side.

Now, I covered a release by Evoken fairly recently, so I do not need to do much introduction here.  This is the band's sixth full-length album and finds the band making some changes and evolving.  The first thing to note is that the band has quickened their pace overall.  Previous albums have been relentlessly slow and plodding, as is typical of a funeral doom metal band.  This one finds the band, comparatively speaking, with a spring in their step.  I know, odd wording considering how bleak and desolate this album comes across.  But the album reminds me more of something like My Dying Bride's The Angel and the Dark River than their previous releases.  At times, they really kick things into gear, such as the rumbling riffs about two-thirds into "Valorous Consternation".  Drummer Vince Verkay is quite busy behind the kit throughout the album and is one of the highlights of the entire thing.

It is not just the tempo that has changed on this album though.  Evoken also incorporates some piano and strings into their music this time through.  The additional instrumentation complements the somber tone of the album quite well and truly shine through in a number of places.  It is this change in instrumentation that also reminds me of the aforementioned My Dying Bride album.  At times, the strings are the main attraction and the vocals are delivered in a hypnotic baritone.  These moments have an almost gothic-doom metal sound, like something on a Draconian or The Sins of Thy Beloved album. 

I would be remiss if I did not discuss the story line of the album.  This is a concept piece that tells the story of a wounded soldier dying in the trenches during World War I.  He is writing his final words as he is slowly succumbing to his injuries and his soul eventually haunts the pages that he has written in vengeance for dying so horribly.  It is an incredibly dark subject matter that fits the tone of the music quite well.

This is an album that is still slowly growing on me.  It is a little bit different than I expected, mostly due to the faster pace.  But it is still compelling and mournful and beautiful all at the same time.  It is an incredible album.  I just have not decided if it is better than Atra Mors yet.