The Exile is the brand new album from Rapheumet’s Well and it’s a pretty adventurous piece with plenty of epic symphonic lines, heavy instrumentation and powerful vocals to back it all up. The band have got the balance between heavy and melodic just right, and The Exile is a rewarding listen as a result.
Rapheumet’s Well waste no time in getting things going with opening track Ressurecting The Blood Gate, which sets the scene with an acoustic and stripped-back line before swiftly progressing into a heavier and fuller sound, complete with an absolutely stunning symphonic section, and when the vocals kick in, they hit you like a tonne of bricks. There’s so much body and power behind their delivery, and they subsequently leave a real impression on you.
The Exile progresses well from there, with another highlights being the rather suitably titled The Epic Of Darmak which features some particularly stunning choral lines, however it’s the title track that’s perhaps the strongest track of all. It takes its time to get going, with Rapheumet’s Well taking their time in building up the ambience and atmosphere before the track gets fully moving when the full band kicks in, featuring some absolutely tremendous guitar solos that complement the symphonic elements perfectly.
Although at times it does sound almost like the band is emulating Fleshgod Apocalypse, as a whole this is a well-established and enjoyable listen, and it will be interesting to see where the band goes from here.
8/10
