By no means whatsoever do I consider myself an authority on anything metal, but in all my years of being an avid metalhead, no black metal group has astounding me more than Ende. It was their record of “The Rebirth of I” that made me aware of this French phenomenon, and then it was last year’s split with Sorcier des Glaces, “Le Puits des Morts”, that made me a real fan of the band. Now, after a good few months of anxious waiting to see what else Ende can do, we’re being presented with their third full-length album titled “Emën Etan”. And holy s**t is it something to be heard! This record is easily the definitive piece as to what Ende can do as it really breaks the mold of what Ende has made – a mold that’s much up of riffs and raw black metal that persisted through “The Rebirth of I” and “Le Puits des Morts”, but with “Emën Etan” we see the true musicianship behind Ende. A new effort brings a new approach for Ende as a whole, and with ten tracks smashing through our ears, this record gives us a black metal experience the likes of which you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. “Emën Etan” truly hits it right out of the f**king park in its absolute entirety as we get everything we could ever possibly want out of an album from this style. It’s the brilliant two interludes, the sheer intensity of it all, the raw power Ende constantly brings, and subtle melodies that truly make “Emën Etan” as astounding as it is clearly the opus that Ende has always been leading up to whether or not the band knew it or not. Everything comes together so diabolically well and unbelievably smooth that even as someone who knew “Emën Etan” wouldn’t disappoint, I’m still getting blown away after listening to the record literally dozens of times. I’ve already heard my fair share of black metal albums to have come out since the very beginning of this year, but there’s no question in my mind to who now stands on top so early in the year. Ende has truly set the bar for the rest of the genre for the rest of 2017, and I have a good bet not many – if any! – will be able to top the occult masterpiece that is “Emën Etan”! So, come! Bring your crows and your inverted crosses, for Ende has several sermons of brimstone to show you, and they do not let down!
“Emën Etan” releases on March 1st! You can purchase the record via Bandcamp here, or stream the entire album via Transcending Obscurity here.
