Right, first thing first - Ephel Duath are NOT a metal band. To describe them even "jazz metal" would be to lump them together with the multitude of bands attemping to spice up their generic mosh with the odd jazzy motif. If they must be classified, Ephel Duath are a jazz band, albeit one that was dropped on its head as an infant and has never been quite the same since. With nary a power chord in sight, Davide Tiso and chums weave an intricate web of manic fusion, interspersed with aggraveted screams of Lucio Lorusso. Abandoning the clean vocals of the past entirely, the listener has to put in some serious work, and even then it's never completely clear what's going on. Glockenspiels, electonic squelches and a random music box add to the confusion, leaving you to wonder, "What the hell was that?" Necessary? Essential more like!