Artefacts - The Titan Chronicles Part II: Lucius

Artefacts hail from Belgium and are making a very big splash with their debut album “The Titan Chronicles Part II.” While some might wonder why they didn’t start with “Part I…”, a lot of great pieces of art have started in the middle (Like the Star Wars films for instance). Artefacts create something that is like cinematic Metal, blending a mix of Black Metal and Death Metal that will appeal directly to the likes of fans like mid era Septicflesh or Dimmu Borgir or even The Project Hate. Comprised of harsh/ clean vocalist Niklaas R, bassist Tom E, guitartists Tom L and Hans Jacobs and backed by drummer Joren Baert along with keyboardist Siegfried M, this chapter of music no matter if it is the start of something amazing, the middle, or the end- who cares- is going to grab listeners right from the start and keep them glued because like any big film or album, they pull out all the stops. It feels like sitting through a Lord of the Rings film with corpsepaint, so bring popcorn and soda/ water.

The cinematic feel can be heard mostly in the instrumentals throughout the album which come off more as Therion grandiosity meets Dimmu Borgir’s “Puritanical” album. It’s bombastic, well balanced, and sets the tone for the rest of the album. The choirs and keyboards sound organic and not random and overall has that ‘edge of your seat’ feel to it. The first Metal track to hit like ‘Nephereth’ continues that early 2000s Black Metal feel with a mix of “Puriticanical…” meets “Damnation…” by Cradle of Filth as it keeps up the bombast but with the melodic, but heavy riffs and semi growled and snarled vocals that are somewhat croaky, but have that Carach Angren appeal to it in their storytelling manner. The backing female choirs add more haunting elements and keep things interesting and the music twists and turns while keeping a core blackened sound. The solos are highly melodic and will even draw in those who enjoy Power Metal if they can get past the vocals. It should be noted that aside from the instrumentals that the meatier tracks are long- some stretch past ten minutes so be prepared for a lengthy listen.

Artefacts try to mix things up as much as possible, be it throw in the beautiful keyboard/ piano on ‘The Tower…’ or add in clean vocals on ‘The Path of No Return’ which are emotional, not forced, and fit the overall aspect of the music without any cheesy touches to it. Even the dramatic ‘ooh’ and ‘aahs’ of the choirs feel right to the music before the snarls come back in, and again we feel like we’re listening to early Therion again versus the overly dramatized later albums they released. Yes, some of the piano solos might feel a bit overused, but then when followed by the almost Eastern toned riffs mixed with horns, it just keeps showing Artefact’s progression as they do their best to create an album that isn’t just directly Black Metal, or trying to copy a particular band. Some of the bombast/ choir/ symphonic elements overtake the tracks more like a Septicflesh ‘Persepolis’ like the moody ‘Angur…’ which is complete with lots of quiet moments, jarring keyboards, and overall a rather up and down pace that breaks from the smooth flow of a track which sails along like ‘Her Brine Embrace,’ but it works without feeling like it overstays its welcome. Even the guitar solo brings that 80s synth feel to the music that breaks the usual 2000s gothic dramatization.

 Be a fan of Black Metal or Power Metal or Symphonic Metal, “Part II” is a genius start that doesn’t have one bad track to present. Even the interludes are captivating- though that is mostly to the unnamed female vocalist, especially on ‘For the Dead…’ which brings the album to a stunning close. The result is breathtaking and one cannot help but sit back and marvel at what they just listened to. For those who like their Metal full and lush and over an hour with heavy moments (but not too heavy), then Artefact is something that is worth listening too. A shining gem among all the other mediocre bands out there, listeners will not be disappointed with the listen and demand to hear Part I whenever it decides to get unleashed.

5 / 5 STARS