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Nephelium > Coils of Entropy > Reviews
Nephelium - Coils of Entropy

A hidden gem from 2012 - 95%

shouvince, March 21st, 2013

With ‘Coils of Entropy’, Nephelium dives deep into its sea of influences predominantly in the death metal space, while crafting something unique which bears characteristics of the old school and new school sounds. The band manages to seamlessly pull this off while keeping things interesting and technical all the same. If I were to cite last year’s tidal wave of OSDM-revival bands as an example, Nephelium would probably have one foot in those waters. Without trying to go overboard with this pretense of analogies and symbolism, I probably would describe the band’s sound by taking a cauldron and adding dashes of a chunkier-early-sounding Cryptopsy, Schuldiner-influenced guitar solos, guttural gnarly vocals and modern tempo changes. I, however, resist the urge to throw in a couple of more names as that would not only bias you but also take away the credit from the band’s display of original music. As some of you who have come across this band would know, Nephelium’s roots lie in the tiny country of United Arab Emirates. The band attained veteran status in the underground music scene with their monstrous live performances. But as luck would have it, the founding members Alex Zubair and Alan Madhavan shifted base to Toronto, a more vibrant music scene. With time and with the addition of new members giving the band a face-lift, Nephelium pieced together ‘Coils of Entropy’, their debut album.

With the above paragraph serving as a precursor to the rest of the review, I must mention that it has taken me multiple listens to gain the appreciation that I have for this album. ‘Coils of Entropy’ is more or less consistent in its delivery. The six song slab of music will astound you with the sheer amount of riffs and punishing drumming. The vocals are inescapably vicious and brutal. Boyan, the recording vocalist (note: he’s no longer with the band), is decidedly filthy in his sound spewing out harsh guttural gurgling vocals while also managing high-pitched screams making the songs more dynamic in terms of vocal delivery. But that’s not all. The Nephelium sound is strong in all aspects. The abundance of churning guitar riffs, the guitar solos which bear a tinge of eccentricity and a robust rhythm section where the bass and drums form the backbone to each of the songs makes ‘Coils of Entropy’ such a solid album. To top it all, the production does justice to the quality of music put forth by the band. It flirts with the old school sounds where the guitar tones sound fuzzy yet distinct.

The songs average at about six minutes each with the title track clocking in at ten minutes. This can be off-putting for those looking for short bursts of death metal carnage. But as the songs are relatively long and winded, the folks on the other side of the fence can see merit in that. Songs like ‘Merciless Annihilation’ and ‘Hellborne’ open up with pounding drums and then break out into a flurry of riffs. ‘Malediction’ is a pristine example of a song which captures all the aforementioned attributes of the album. It varies in terms of its tempo starting off with slow dreary chugging and then shifts gear. The drums are instrumental in effecting these several tempo-changes. This holds true for the title track as well. If a song is ten minutes long, you better be damned sure that it doesn’t bore the listener. And Nephelium doesn’t disappoint in that respect. If I were to point out a weak link in this album, I’d say it’s the first thirty seconds of the opening track ‘Burial Ground. As an opener to an album, it sounded quite monotonous. But that’s just thirty seconds to bear with because the rest of the track redeems itself in all the goodness that I’ve talked about.

To sum up, Nephelium stands at the cusp of old school death metal and modern death metal and ‘Coils of Entropy’, for me, was one of the hidden gems in metal from 2012.

Delicious death with a heaping side of grind - 86%

atanamar, November 26th, 2012

In the trenches of vile, visceral music, first impressions are everything; I’m in this for the thrill. Nephelium go straight for the entrails on their full-length debut, dishing out delicious death with a heaping side of grind. I’ll have an extra helping. Coils of Entropy is not music for idle observation; these songs invite the listener to partake of carnage.

Nephelium thrive on the dense, lockstep scrape of Dying Fetus but deploy a wider array of riffing and rhythmic diversity. Coils of Entropy evokes many of death metal's masters, whipping out aspects of classic Cryptopsy, Morbid Angel, Immolation, and Suffocation. While steeped in death’s essential stew, Nephelium have carved out a distinctive and cohesive sound, fully grasping the repugnant timbre of annihilation.

Stuttering riffs slide, swerve and swirl, resolving into grooves and rebounding into reticulated, tightly woven structures. The constantly shifting rhythms are trance-inducing, driven by indefatigable drumming with more than a little mojo. I wouldn't call Nephelium egregiously technical, but these compositions do feature fascinating complication. Some mind-fuckingly sweet riffs flirt with melody but never fully engage its saccharine embrace.

The vocals are spectacular expectorations, expelled with a phlegmy, drooling exigency. These goregrinding belches are imbued with slobbering vehemence, excellent diction, and much panache.

Nephelium aren’t the new shit, nor are they the old; they’re simply the shit. Coils of Entropy is about riffs and reaction; I feel an uncontrollable desire to destroy when in its clutches. Don’t pass on this engaging edifice of mandatory neck wreckage.

Originally published here: http://www.metalinjection.net/latest-news/album-review-nephelium-coils-of-entropy

An impressive full-length debut. - 80%

Roswell47, July 23rd, 2012

It seems like once or twice a year I stumble across a self-released album that blows me away. These rare albums are typically better than lots of stuff that signed bands release. As I discovered recently, Nephelium's Coils of Entropy is one such album.

Apparently Nephelium initially formed in Dubai sometime in 2001, but has since begun anew in Toronto. The band plays semi-technical brutal death metal that draws from classic bands like Cannibal Corpse, Nile, and Morbid Angel with touches of newer groups such as Decapitated and Beneath the Massacre. Nephelium's songs are loaded with tons of changes and plenty of impressive musicianship, but there's also an abundance of catchy parts to latch onto. Nephelium's blend of both brutality and melody helps to achieve this. The songs on Coils of Entropy last anywhere from five to ten minutes in duration, but to call them "epics" would a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, Nephelium's songs will have no problem holding listeners' attention. These are solid, well-written tunes that always have something interesting happening.

The strength of the songs on Coils of Entropy is due in no small part to the performances of each individual member. Nephelium is one strong band through and through; everyone pulls his weight. While the vocals may not be terribly original, they are certainly varied and effective. Most of the time they are standard issue low gutturals, but higher vocals crop up throughout the album. "Halls of Judgement" features even more variation with some angry warthog squeals and some higher blackened croaks. The different vocal styles all mesh well with the music except for some totally batshit John Tardy-style vocals that come out of nowhere in "Malediction." To top it all off, these insane vocals are followed up with an old-school Tom Araya scream. While very brief, this moment in "Malediction" sticks out so much that it's actually distracting. Otherwise, the vocals on Coils of Entropy are a perfect fit. Further adding to the strength of the album, the semi-technical guitar work has plenty of excellent finger-tangling riffs that are sure to keep the listener interested. There are also numerous wild shredding leads in songs like "Merciless Annihilation" and "Malediction." At times these solos have an exotic Nile-like feel such as the ones heard in "Burial Ground" and the title track. In addition to the six-strings, the bassist shows his skills when appropriate via some awesome fills throughout the album, especially in "Malediction." Thankfully, the bass on Coils of Entropy is usually clearly audible due to the solid production. Laying down the foundation and probably the highlight of the album is the superb drumming. The drums are extremely varied and always very "active." The fact that the drums move around so much yet have no problem holding the songs together is truly impressive.

Each of the members of Nephelium blend their different talents and influences in such a way that the group doesn't sound like any one specific band. This gives Nephelium a somewhat unique sound, even if it isn't always a totally seamless blend. Nephelium has a few rough edges that need polish, but there really isn't much to complain about. Coils of Entropy is an extremely solid album and is all the more impressive because it is a self-released CD from a little-known band. The fact that Nephelium is releasing something this strong before it is even signed puts the band way ahead of plenty of groups out there today.

You can listen to Coils of Entropy for free on Nephelium's Bandcamp page. If you like what you hear, buy the album and show your support. Coils of Entropy proves that Nephelium is an up-and-coming band to watch. I know I'll be glad to hear more from these guys soon.

Originally written for http://www.metalpsalter.com