In an era where experimental weirdness reigns supreme in the heavy metal field, Memphis'
Epoch of Unlight fight for the honor of tried and true death metal in its original, blistering, nerve-ending damaging form. The hyperactive trio even start off their second album, 2001's
Caught in the Unlight with a creepy thirty second intro -- how old school is that?!?! They then proceed to crush the listener with the most uncompromising, ultra-technical death metal holocaust to emanate out of the South in some time. In fact, Caught In the Unlight is a classic "second chance" record. The kind that will leave even experienced thrash enthusiasts nonplussed upon first listen, then suddenly reveal itself as an absolute monster the second or third go-round. Standout tracks like "At the Threshold of Might," "Crimson and Steel" and "The Last to Fall" slowly infiltrate one's memory banks with their unabashed love for violence, awesome musicianship and subtle use of melody. Also particularly memorable, is the ultra-aggressive title track, as well as hysterically named "Ululant Cries," with its 'At my signal, unleash Hell' intro lifted straight out Gladiator and. And perhaps most distinguishing of all is the work of drummer (and head songwriter) Tino Losicco, whose eye-popping technique often involves the novel approach of avoiding flowing percussion and coming to a full stop at the end of each measure instead (see "The Ethereal Taint") -- strange, but certainly unique. A recommended release for lovers of early days thrash and death metal. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia