Gothic material tends to be something that I don’t find myself enjoying as much as I feel I should be simply because the material tends to be lacking in multiple departments for me. Either from the overall quality or just being able to keep my attention, it’s only been since recently that I could find a gothic record of any kind that could I could latch onto. I didn’t think I’d find another so soon, but it’s with their debut EP that Ostracist has delivered just that.

This is just a humble 4-track debut without much to it and Ostracist can absolutely improve this work a lot, but I’d be remiss if I were to say that they didn’t do a bang-up job with it. From pretty much every angle, “Epoch” does exactly what it’s supposed to without falling into the trap of sounding either way too boring or immensely pretentious that many other acts constantly succumb to. These are simple tracks that are all laced with strong flavors of doom of the classic variety that never once overpower the gothic nature, but, rather, enhance it to add a tasteful layer to what “Epoch” offers. Ostracist rarely lets a minute go by without introducing something tasty or interesting to keep our attention, and it really keeps you guessing to what’s coming next. Whether it’s a brilliant show by the vocals, tight riff that hits on all the right notes, or a fantastic instrumental piece that is a fun listen in it of itself, Ostracist knows how to satisfy right from the get-go. It makes “Epoch” a very tasteful EP in even its smallest moments as we can see what this fresh act out of Greece is capable of, and I’m absolutely keen to see more with this being just their beginning.

Material like this is always what I’m hoping for at the very least from the gothic world, but only on rare occasions does it actually happen in my experience. Ostracist has done a very good thing with everything that they’ve done here with “Epoch”, and I can only feel that it’s going to get better and better for this band from here on out.

LISTEN to “Epoch” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Ostracist on Facebook here.