The very existence of symphonic metal is something that I can’t help but appreciate since it taps into a glorious section of metal that was always destined to be at one point or another no matter what happened, but it’s my fervent belief that the style has not been living up to its expectations lately in my experience. There is loads that the style is capable of at any given moment should it just be put in the right hands and given the right treatment, yet it’s despite several expeditions into what the style has brought forth over the course of the past years it’s only been a few that stand out and succeed where many fail. Thus, in my eyes, it falls to new acts the really show what the style can be capable of which is a monumental task to live up to I must admit. But, it’s in the case of Immaterium that we see the beginnings of such potential even if it does have its own missteps.

A debut of any kind is the sort of thing that, I feel, deserves some reservation since it’s not often that we can come across any band’s first work and expect to come out on the other side feeling bewildered or as though you’ve experienced a work that’s as fascinating as it is mature and multi-dimensional. When considering a multi-faceted sound like symphonic metal, it’s hard to envision a newcomer to the scene managing to craft something that can be considered compelling or vastly engaging for many different reasons, yet that doesn’t once stop acts like Immaterium from attempting to bring their own life into the mix to make for a worthwhile performance. In just the three tracks of “The Primal Evil”, it would be wrong for me to insinuate that Immaterium hasn’t given it their all for an interesting performance that manages to take cues from many different areas that have ever gone to influence the style as a whole from acts of death, power, and folk metal and likely everything else in between that’s all brought together with flavorful confidence that permeates all three of these tracks that offer us plenty of what we could ask for out of the style. Even despite the miscues that Immaterium occasionally makes throughout “The Primal Evil” whether it be somewhat clunky songwriting or for a more dynamic sound that really holds the attention of the listener, it’s for the whole of this debut EP that Immaterium meets its burden of delivering a worthwhile performance of symphonic metal that doesn’t fall flat on its face, failing to deliver a performance that’s no more interesting as it is engaging. The symphonic elements enhance the performance at large rather than act as the sole attraction with the surrounding metal being more than enough to make me curious as to what Immaterium is truly capable of given the boon of time and capacity to truly understand its craft which we certifiably see the beginnings of in this EP.

Such a creation like this is beyond difficult to come across no matter what kind of band we’re dealing with whether it be veterans or newcomers, and yet that didn’t once stop Immaterium from killing it on its very first effort even given its own mistakes that are able to be overtaken in order to deliver something that easily catches the ear. There’s still plenty to be improved upon, but it’s with the basic foundations that are laid down in “The Primal Evil” that I cannot help but feel that we’re in for a real treat should we keep a close eye on this fresh act.

LISTEN to “The Primal Evil” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Immaterium on Facebook here.