Release Date September 11th, 2026
Format CD/LP/MC
Genre Progressive/Death Metal
Origin France
Epitaphe is a French progressive death metal band whose music combines extreme metal, acoustic guitar work, experimental arrangements, and atmospheric elements. “III” is the band’s third full length, following the acclaim surrounding “II”, with a lineup featuring PB on vocals and saxophone, AG on drums and percussion, and LB on guitars, fretless bass, keyboards, and effects. LB also wrote the lyrics, while the music is credited to Epitaphe.
Recorded at Mémoire Mécanique Studio and Pentachrome Wave Studio by James Leonard, who also handled the mix, the album was mastered by Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios. Finnish artist Petri Ala-Maunus provides the artwork with his painting “Spring Frost”. The album arrives through Aesthetic Death on CD and vinyl, with Gurgling Gore handling the cassette edition.
“III” runs for fifty-five minutes across five tracks, combining dissonant death metal, intricate guitar arrangements, acoustic interludes, and atmospheric layers that stretch the compositions well beyond conventional song structures. “Windswept” and “Spring Frost” take up a substantial portion of the running time, moving through extended instrumental sections, shifts in intensity, and recurring melodic ideas.
The saxophone adds an unusual tonal element, bringing warmth and an almost jazz influenced quality to music otherwise rooted in dark, progressive death metal. The fretless bass and keyboards add further detail to the arrangements, while the production preserves the separation between the heavier guitar sections and the quieter acoustic material. “III” is an ambitious and technically accomplished release, though its drawn out structures and demanding pacing prevent every section from having the same effect.
|7.0
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