EVOLUTION - CREATIO EX NIHILIO

Evolution: Creatio Ex Nihilio is a promising second album from the British threesome Enochian Theory. They bring a tasty mix of Katatonia, Anathema, Riverside and Porcupine Tree with various features from other styles. The resemblance to these bands makes comparisons unavoidable. They are not always in Enochian Theory's favour, but this album sure has plenty on offer for the fans of modern heavy prog.

The tracks of this concept album segue fluently into one another and make for a coherent album. It's an ambitious thing to do so early in their career, but Enochian Theory pull it off quite successfully, remaining coherent throughout while providing some diversity and unexpected twists.

The general ambience is similar to Katatonia and Anathema, but the music is very eclectic on occasion. Unfortunately it sometimes succumbs to a conflicting mix of styles that seem to work against each other instead of cooperating. The opening of A Great Odds for example tries to mix dirty grinding post-rock guitars with neo-prog keyboards. A rather inadequate combination. Also the hardcore shouts and math-metal of the opening of Apathia fits in rather awkwardly. It's an original feature of this band but they will need to distil it into something that is not only unique but also effective. Another option would be to avoid the styles that they are not entirely comfortable with.

There are stellar moments packed with emotion throughout the album. Ben Harris-Hayes is an excellent vocalist who handles both tranquil melodious moments and powerful flashes of emotion. The songwriting is generally excellent but not all tracks manage to provide the memorable hooks that can be found on songs such as Movement and Tedium / Dimentionless Monologue. Tracks like Waves of Ascension and The Fire Around The Lotus for example only manage to maintain the approach of the preceding music without injecting it with anything memorable or remarkable, they sure lack some distinctiveness. Also many of the instrumental interludes fail to provide the necessary change of tone. I'd like to see this band adding some more musical and melodic development.

The weaker points on this album can turn it into a weary listen, but there are emotional highlights throughout. 3.5 stars will have to do for now, but I'll be happy to hear further growth from this band.