So back in 2010 I reviewed the self-released debut from Portugal’s Karnak Seti, and it was a surprisingly good melodic death metal effort that imbued the the genre’s once hailed stylings and even reminded me a little of Disillusion‘s landmark debut.

Well, the band were kind enough to send me the follow-up, In Harmonic Entropy, and I’m happy to report that even though the band is still criminally unsigned, they have managed to release a consistent and improved successor to their debut — one, that fans of classic and modern melodic death metal should check out.

The band and this release, as with the previous release, oozes class. From the presentation, packaging and the music contained on the disc, everything is simply top notch. And it’s bands and releases like this that make melodic death metal fresh and enjoyable again; crystal clear, energetic riffs, thoughtful solos, a light flocking of synths and a dash of vocal variety all just come together perfectly. The 9 well developed songs play like like mid-era In Flames (Colony, Clayman –as they were just starting to experiment a little) mixed with Disillusion‘s more progressive and adventurous sound…but less sprawling and epic.

Vocalist Luis Erre has a solid mid-range rasp that really enforces the Disillusion tone, and his few clean croons are understated and well done. The guitar work of Renato Remo and Antonio Jesus is a perfect blend of compact, melodic riffs and dancing solos. None of the songs really jump out, but that’s really because the quality throughout is so high. From opener “Long Gone Shadow” to the eight minute, appropriately reflective closer “Collateral Dreams”, In Harmonic Entropy canters by with a sturdy but upbeat gait, being heavy enough to headbang (“Only Red Mist Descends”,”Luctor et Emergo”) to, but enough restrained and melodic, catchy eloquence (“Among the Sleepless”, “Stranded by Existence”) to give it a amicable if somber gloss. Occasionally even, the band can flat out get surprisingly fierce (“Loss”,  “Figureless Icons”) showing they are far from a powder puff melodic death metal act

There’s no traces of nu-metal, metalcore or taint of any other genre. In Harmonic Entropy is about as purely rendered as melodic death metal gets and I recommend it to any fan longing for the genre’s glory days.

[Visit the band's website]

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