Adarrak - Ex Oriente Lux

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In Brazil, we have and old popular saying that states that ‘I had my tongue burnt’. It expresses that we had an idea or said something that time shows that we are wrong. Due the many reviews about Singapore Death Metal acts, personally I had the (wrong) idea that the bands from such genre from the country had to deal with problems and even with a naïve point of view that push back their works. But the trio ADARRAK burnt my tongue with “Ex Oriente Lux”.

Their musical work is based on a classic Death Metal model, but with many updates and elements that turns the band’s work something different from the usual (something that can remind the early days from Gothenburg Death Metal). Maybe it can be said that their energetic and catchy musical work has influences from other Metal genres (even melodies can be traced on some parts, as on the guitar solos and on “Mettle”) that aren’t often used or can be said that they belong to the genre. It means that they dare to create something of their own, that is filled with energy and that deserves applause from the listeners.

Wisely, the band brought the master Dan Swanö to mix and master the album (whose words are showing what I meant above: ‘ADARRAK is truly progressive since they are not afraid to implement all kinds of metal into the mix, anything from epic leads to insane blast parts’), so to say that things are sounding great, defined and in their due places, and with a wise choice for the instrumental tunes. Yes, everything is really excellent at this point. And by the way, they brought some guests, as the 6-strings ace Marty Friedman on the solo of “Bereft”, Nicholas Chang (guitarist of WITCHSEEKER) on the guitar solo of “Into the Abyss” and Edmund “Ed Quekstein” Quek on the guitar solo of “Fire Will Cleanse”.

“Final Ethos Demise” is a bone-crushing Death Metal song that shows a classic Death Metal insight and catchy energy (and what great work on bass guitar and drums), the Groove approach on some parts of “Into the Abyss” (some clean vocals are really fitting on the hard melodic instrumental parts, and excellent guitar riffs and solos can be heard), the hard weight and neck-destroying approach shown on “Bereft” (a modern and catchy outfit similar to the one used on Gothenburg Death Metal acts in the past, and what an amazing guitar solo) and on “Withering”, and the excellent work on the instrumental song “Fire Will Cleanse” (that shows a very good technical work from bass guitar and drums, and it isn’t on the album to fill some time left) are the ones to give to the listeners a taste of what “Ex Oriente Lux” is.

In the end of all, ADARRAK is just beginning their career (“Ex Oriente Lux” is just their first release), so their musical onslaught seems to be great in the future.

Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 8
Production: 9