Tag Archives: Evoken

The New Jersey funeral doom masters, Evoken return with their long-awaited, sixth full-length album, ‘Hypnagogia.’ It’s the quintet’s first LP in six years since 2012’s ‘Atra Mors.’ Over the course of an hour across the eight tracks on ‘Hypnagogia,’ John Paradiso (guitar/vocals), Chris Molinari (guitar), Dave Wagner (bass), Don Zaros (keyboards), and Vince Verkay (drums) take the listener on an atmospheric, psychological mindfuck of a journey from dark to even darker. The low, sludgy riffs crush with the weight of massive concrete slabs under the sorrowful weeping of crisp, lead guitar melodies. Drums and bass are deliberate and punishing, while keys provide an ominously haunting complexity. Vocally, Paradiso’s deep, guttural growl resounds like an otherworldly being beckoning through the endless void. For those who care to indulge in such morose pleasures, ‘Hypnagogia’ is a beautifully depressive, brutal, and immersive rite of passage into the darkest abyss. Continue reading →