INCOGNATION

"Incognation" is a self-released EP by Belgian symphonic/melodic black metal act Axamenta. The EP features 3 tracks and a total playing time of 16:32 minutes. "Incognation" was used by the band as a promo to attract labels, as the deal with The LSP Company they had for "Codex Barathri (2001)", was only for one album. The EP at the same time bridges the gap between their debut and 2nd full-length studio albums "Codex Barathri (2001)" and "Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture (2006)".

The music on the EP is symphonic/melodic and keyboard driven black metal. The 3 tracks are well composed, well played and powerful, and the sound production is professional and well sounding too. Influences come from artists like Dimmu Borgir and especially Old Man´s Child. If you´re familiar with Axamenta´s previous releases "Nox Draconis Argenti (1999)" (EP) and "Codex Barathri (2001)", you´re in for very few surprises, but since those releases were both of pretty poor quality, I owe it to Axamenta, to mention that "Incognation" is a decent quality product if you´re interested in the symphonic/melodic black metal style.

Upon conclusion "Incognation" is a good example of symphonic/melodic black metal with dominant keyboards, but it´s not a release that stands out as something special in the genre. A good quality yet pretty standard release deserving a 3 star (60%) rating.