Persefone – Lingua Ignota: Part I

To anyone who knows me, you know that Persefone is my all-time favourite band. To those who don’t know me (probably most people reading this), now you know too. I say this because I expect this will not be a completely unbiased review, and I need readers to know that. However, I will do my best to separate my personal opinion from the objective facts (to whatever degree they even exist in art). The Andorran progressive death metallers have had quite the journey as they’ve developed their sound, and while I believe that 2013’s “Spiritual Migration” and 2017’s “Aathma” were the albums that truly solidified their musical identity, I find that they still find ways to change and evolve. Their 2022 album, “Metanoia”, showed a significant boost in use of synths, orchestrations and overall production quality and now, with “Lingua Ignota: Part I”, they started tinkering with the songwriting approach again.

The first single, ‘One Word’, is actually catchy, which is uncommon for them. Persefone were always kings of odd time signatures, disrupted rhythmic songwriting and extreme technicality, so to see them scale down on these extreme aspects was something I really wasn’t ready for. I was also afraid they’d just dilute their creativity to please a wider audience. I want nothing for my favourite band than to see them grow their fanbase, income, and career, but this should not happen at the expense of the art. Thankfully, this was not the case. Persefone is as strong as it ever was, if not even stronger, so stick with me as I detail on what exactly I mean by that.

As far as I can tell, the reason why the previously mentioned albums were so insanely good is because despite the absurd technicality and challenging rhythms, it was always artistically coherent. It made sense. Fast playing came across as powerful. Odd rhythms were associated with elements and lyrics of an inner struggle, creating the sense of a fight. Build-ups would lead to an explosion or a sense of triumph. These things weren’t immediately obvious but sitting through the songs a few times eventually revealed what they aim to express. And I don’t think I know any other band that was able to extract so much emotion and meaning out of what initially might just seem as “tech-wankery”.

Persefone – One Word

And that gets me to Lingua Ignota. As much as I may have been afraid of the reduction in extremity, I realize that I was in fact afraid of losing what the technicality offered in terms of emotional payoff. I was afraid the music would no longer blow my head off in the most epic way possible. But this EP still does that, it just uses slightly different tools. Melodic themes are more clearly distinguishable and they last longer. Riffs that sound good and catch your attention actually repeat instead of playing once then going to do something else. It’s less cognitively straining. But the composition is actually still progressive, still technical, still challenging, just not to the same extent, or maybe not as focused on that as it was. ‘One Word’ hides the guitar swirls and unpredictable kick-drum patterns under clear melodic lines. It has a big bombastic chorus that is allowed to sound catchy all the way through. It has more space to breathe. This means that when the progressive parts actually kick, they feel even more powerful (second verse, I’m looking at you).

The next song, ‘The Equable’ has to be the most chill Persefone song written that is actually a full metal song. It’s sitting on themes and riffs for longer. It almost comes across as melodic death metal instead of progressive death metal. But the targeted emotion is different with this one too. The word ‘equable’ refers to an emotional state of stability, hard to be shaken. So, a solid, stable songwriting approach is exactly what it needs. Spurts of technicality, swift drum transitions and even a very fast solo are still there, but they create a song that sounds unshaken, massive but at the same time peaceful.

The two songs I addressed so far are the ‘singles’ that actually came out with videos, and off these two songs alone, I was still concerned that Persefone might be becoming “less”. But when hearing the EP as a whole, a bigger picture is revealed. The title, “Lingua Ignota”, refers to a language that can’t be spoken in words, and this theme is beautifully depicted in the lyrics, but even more so in sound. It makes sense that when you target this topic, the songwriting would be more subtle and sophisticated. I feel like in these songs the technical aspects are subdued to create a sense of mystery. You have to look for them to find them. Or at least that is the case with the first 2 songs. However, the title track is still a Persefone epic in its own right. With over 7 minutes run time and 2 verses following completely different patterns, it exits the ‘catchy song’ aesthetic quite effectively, and it is also the most insane with regards to speed. It has a blast beat, IN A GUITAR SOLO. It has the most explosive sound, and I think the only reason why it comes across as less progressive is because the writing is more fluid and coherent. Because if you actually pay attention, the rhythm is all over the place. I also like how it goes through various movements and emotions before settling into a powerful, mantra-like feeling that fades out into the outro. If I am to conclude anything from all this, it’s not that Persefone are losing their technicality, but rather their dependence on it. They can create equally powerful songs without having to chase away all the listeners that need a hook. But they can still go balls to the wall if they want to.

Persefone – The Equable

The drum performance on this EP is spectacular. Most death metal drummers have a playing style in a straight line, meaning blast beats and double bass. But Sergi “Bobby” Verdeguer must be one of the grooviest extreme metal drummers I know. And on the title track he spends more time transitioning between patterns than playing said patterns. This creates an extremely dynamic, and interesting flow to the songs, that keeps the listener hooked. The “straight line” playing only hits at the end. The guitar riffs and bass parts now focus more on punch and groove than constant changing, leaving the technical parts for the changes and solos. This makes the music easier to follow, not less exciting. And the solos are the most balanced they ever wrote, mixing shredding and melody while integrating themselves into the rhythmic groundwork seamlessly. And then we get to the vocal parts and keyboards, and that’s where Lingua Ignota takes the winning cake in the entire Persefone discography. The electronic effects often bridge gaps and keep energy flowing throughout breaks or suspenseful moments in the songs, and they also tie the overall sound together, like glue that binds all the instruments, making this the most massive sounding release this band has offered us yet, and there is not better demonstration of that than the intro track, “Sounds and Vessels”. Also sandwiching the three main songs between this intro and the atmospheric closer “Abyssal Communication” makes the EP feel like a singular piece.

Another surprise is that this is the first release with Daniel Rodriguez Flys as Persefone’s new vocalist and he gives a fresh sound to the screams, slightly less aggressive but more controlled, showing a wider range of textures and sounds. All this comes together to show Persefone trading brutality for sophistication, and it allows me to see them in a different light. But the funny thing is that despite all the changes, they still sound undeniably like Persefone. I don’t know how they were able to make all these things work at the same, but they did. Are you excited yet? If not, then get excited!

Track List:

1. Sounds and Vessels (02:16)
2. One Word (05:57)
3. The Equable (06:28)
4. Lingua Ignota (07:34)
5. Abyssal Communication (03:46)