Faceless, anonymous and cloaked in obscurity, Enshroud are a unique entity, a mystery and an anomaly within the realms of extreme music. A dark sense of disquiet, married with reserved excitation of this latest release has caused rumblings and reverberations throughout the metal community. To follow up Darkness Grips Us All with something equally as powerful was no mean feat but let me put all concerns to bed right here, right now……Mortal is a colossus. It’s a kaleidoscope of raw energy in its purest form, adorned with visceral lamentations, and this great oceanic tsunami of compelling and melodic wizardry. Mortal is an album that weighs heavy and heartbroken by its subject matter, but musically, it will elevate the listener with some of the finest death, doom and melodic metal you will hear for a long time to come.

Opening with Dust To Dust, Enshroud have nailed their colours to the mast in what they want to achieve with this album. Harmonic yet punishing, the atmosphere here is thick and overcast. The opening vocal delivery is harsh and dogged, but all of a sudden, the tone shifts, and we are graced with some glorious harmonies and dual vocals, all delivered above a mist of synthesised atmospherics. It’s not too often you can speak so openly about melody within extreme music, but here, Enshroud have mastered that tight rope, and have flawlessly balanced this musical contradiction.

Frailty has that Gojira inspired intro, that has you instantly locked in with its brutal and menacing riffs and its double kicked ferocity. Gravelled vocals bite and gnaw through every guitar shred, and ultimately lead you into what can only be described as a moment of overwhelming joy and ethereal splendour. The keening and pining that comes thundering though the speakers tie a knot in the pit of your stomach. Its forlorn, yet beautiful. Simply sublime.

This album, I’m told is written about the experiences that someone goes through with the loss of a loved one through terminal illness, an emotion and a hurt that many of us will have to experience in our lifetime. Enshroud were able to bring all that hurt and heartache and manifest something that is as heavy as fuck, but with just the right amount of celestial harmonies and melodies to make it feel personal. A Fate For No One exemplifies this to perfection. Soft, sullen guitars and weightless vocals open the track with gentle waves of synths washing over it all. As the track evolves however, the mood changes and the emotion reaches new heights, with spiralling guitars, crushing rhythm guitars and those soft sullen bass lines tying it all together.

There are eight tracks to consume you on Mortal, all equally as powerful as the next. Diversity is key here, and the ease at which Enshroud can metamorphosize themselves is a joy to listen to. Take the prog-inspired Safe in Forever for example. I don’t know where to begin describing this track! It has everything, and everything is in its right place. The tempo is engaging, the vocal harmonies are inspiring and the journey the music takes you on is transcendent.

Fallen time closes the album with a brooding and metronomic groove which in turn releases more of those gorgeous, translucent vocals we’ve been graced with earlier in the album. It’s never easy to choose a closing track on an album, because to me, it must leave a mark. It has to resonate, so much so, that you need to listen to that track on its own once more, and then replay the whole album again afterwards. And this track, my friends, is perfection. The emotion I felt listening to this final chapter of Mortal hit me hard. This is an aural blizzard of epic proportions, where the musicianship is mind-blowing, and the sentiment is both powerful and poignant. The hairs on the back of my neck stood in awe at this track, at the whole album really. Enshroud are special, and Mortal HAS to be in your collection. Available through Burning Metal Records.