Review by Joshua on May 6, 2005.

Mixing electronic music with metal? Nothing special. Cubanate did that in 1992.

Using keyboards to create textured atmospheres and establish melody? Not impressive. Amorphis did that in 1993.

Smoothly integrating electronica, Swedish death metal, and a mélange of other styles and structures to create a stunning metal fusion album, ranging from experimental jazz to pounding thrash rhythms?

Okay. That is a brilliant idea.

This is the fourth album from The Elysian Fields, a relatively obscure Greek death metal outfit. The constant style fluctuations will probably merit some comparison to Japanese experimental masters Sigh, but the style’s turbulent vicissitudes aren’t that similar. It’s obvious that they’ve developed and practiced this sound, though: the technical finesse of this album is astonishing. In places it rivals the legendary Cynic album, and in places it can match the best In Flames and Edge of Sanity.

My editors will send poisonous snakes after me for placing anyone on par with Cynic, but it’s a valid comparison. The experimental jazz influence that defined the former band’s brief career shines through in many Elysian Fields segments, though it’s sometimes disappointingly ephemeral. Don’t worry, so are half a dozen other influences. You’ll hear touches of Wolfsheim in “Anathema Unveiled”, shades of Amorphis in “Ravished with the Light”, and The Haunted with a touch of London After Midnight in “An Overture of Sorrow”. In case you’re wondering, I didn’t think that was possible either, but I have since seen the light. Er, the darkness, anyhow.

Keep an open mind while listening; one moment’s keyboard introduction becomes another’s driving Gothenburg-influenced metal rhythm. Transitions rule the day, brilliant and flawless segues from one playing style into a completely different genre, then back again before you can fully realize what happened. Granted, the production is occasionally weak, and the electronics overshadow the guitars in a couple segments where the guitars should clearly dominate, but there are no major weaknesses. You might find a missed transition here and a buggy sequence there, assuming you know what you’re listening for, but the finished product sounds outstanding.

This album captures so well the spirit that escapes so many “melodic” and “experimental” albums. It’s a brilliantly innovative approach to experimental metal, often incredible, always entertaining, and in some places unforgettable. Regardless of your particular musical taste, this is worth tracking down.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 7
Originality: 10
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Nekrist on June 2, 2024.

As many already know, Lord Mantis is my favorite extreme metal band of all time, they have been the only ones capable of combining all the elements that capture me in extreme music in a millimetric and precise way, captivating me among their apocalyptic and disturbing sound.

Although for me their album Pervertor (to which I already dedicated a passionate review) is the highest point of the darkest and most sinister metal, the album titled Death Mask has been the only one that has come close enough to the greatness of the aforementioned album, I thought they would never be able to match or even replicate such a feast of depravity and madness, and boy was I wrong. In Death Mask Lord Mantis reinvents themselves, achieving a spectacular results, perfecting a little more what they had done in their previous work.

The album begins with a bit “à la” Hellhammer riff that reminded me of the old glories of extreme metal, but soon that feeling of “being at home” fades and we plunge into a swamp full of boiling wax. The music of disfigures until it reaches its dark and sinister “blackened sludge metal”. The band once again uses the resource of using voice samplers to create caustic, ghostly and electronic atmospheres, providing an “industrialoid” touch to the album, enriching the sonic wall that we are listening. Here we see a much more pessimistic, perverse, gloomy side and even a melancholic and even depressive side that caught me off guard in a song like 'Three Crosses', which drains the soul and withers everything around it, a devastating song.

The composition and musicality left me completely astonished. The guitar riffs can be very technical and at other times extremely rhythmic and groovies, the vocal and lyrical delivery are simply impressive. The way Charlie Fell, Andrew Markuszewski, but especially Dylan O'Toole puts rhythm to his incredibly gnarly voice, it is spectacular, spitting out all that hatred and gutturality, my favorite extreme metal vocalist without a doubt. The lyrics are twisted and disturbing, they never leave aside their sexual perversions. Mr. Bill Bumgardner's (R.I.P) drums pulverizes us, causing the atmosphere to become a hydraulic press that disintegrates us.

It is a solid record that reaffirms that Lord Mantis were a unique and unrepeatable band. They already recorded their name in the history of metal with letters of gold, always being consistent and faithful to the demonic channelings that they transformed into extreme music. Another resounding 10 Lord Mantis.

Rating: 10 out of 10