ATARAXY - Where All Hope Fades (Sealed) (LP)

With a certain maturity and poise, a sense of deep-set misery almost pushes the record into death-doom territory. Almost_but not quite. The sound remains tensely energetic, albeit with a sense of space, time and songcraft which is more impressive than ever. Gruesomely textured wraith-like melodies intertwine monstrously hammering double-bass rhythms, the delicate interplay of guitar harmonies threading a perfect line between devious subtlety and straight-ahead bludgeon. Perhaps above all else, the gasping tortured vocals imbue a horrific terror upon the listener. It is the sum of all parts which so masterfully elevate Ataraxy above their peers.