Epilogue is the fourth and final of Graveland’s industrial tinged demos. It is also the best—though that doesn’t qualify it as a particularly great recording. Four of the six tracks are rerecordings of the songs on the prior demo, Drunemeton. In each case the track is improved—if only slightly. Generally speaking, this demo is superior to its predecessors because the production is more balanced and the drum machine doesn’t wash out every other sound. For example, on the Drunemeton version of “The Eyes of Balor,” the riff isn’t even audible behind the wall of whipping drum machine. On the Epilogue version the riff is actually audible. On the downside, it is a really bland riff.
There is a cool intro added to “Shadow of Doom,” containing operatic female vocals and neoclassical keyboard noodlings; certainly not the most sophisticated intro, but it does add some flavor. “Forest of Nemeton,” easily the best song on the prior demo, is given a little more dynamism, by drawing the haunting synths in and out of the composition, allowing the gritty underlying riff to move in and out of concealment. The new addition, “Children of the Moon,” is a dull, plodding piece that repeats a boring tune over and over. However, it does contain a few epic synth lines that will be put to better use on In the Glare of Burning Churches.
Like the other early Graveland demos, these are really only for diehard fans that are curious about Graveland’s origins. These are far from the masterful works we expect for Rob. The songs are redundant, the execution is substandard and the drum machines are annoying as fuck. However, slight improvements are made on each demo, giving subtly foreshadowing the quantum leap that would come with Graveland’s fifth demo, In the Glare of Burning Churches.
Overall: 4/10
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