Aeternam

A collection of impressively produced tracks lush with melody and synchs, the Quebec-based band use Middle-Eastern and Eastern European folk-influenced death metal to introduce their stellar studio debut, Disciples of the Unseen. However, if you have listened to Nile, you might think that this is a clever adaptation, as the liberal use of mysticism, such as in the short but gorgeous interlude of "Iteru" and "The Coronation of Seth," which moves from an acoustic, folk-inspired introduction and effortlessly into a mid-tempo, Lacuna Coil-esque track, is reminiscent of the legendary band, but with a bit more modernity and less masturbatory doodling to their sound. "Goddess of Massar" delves into the heavy side, furious double-kick drumming riding on top of liberal keyboards, but they know how to edit, as you can feel the restraint, leaving room for a Joe Satriani-inspired guitar solo and a digitally manipulated (but good) choir to fade it out.