Band:	Apophis
Album:	I Am Your Blindness
Style:	Death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	2005

01. Mount To Redeem
02. Sick At Heart
03. Welcome To My World
04. Extinct Life
05. That's Why I've Killed You
06. Reanimation

WOW!! Catchiness? Let me tell you that this is exactly the kind of death metal I'm craving for: old-school without rehashing the hash, great sound, great musicianship but not overly technical, and above all, catchiness. This is so catchy that I feel a daily urge to give it another spin. Seriously, I Am Your Blindness has not left my cd player since I received it two months ago. You really want to give it a try.

And I thought they were newcomers. Nope. They formed in 1989 - which means they're one of the oldest active bands in the German death metal scene, they already released three albums through the 90's before being on hold and starting up again a few years later. They also used all-Egyptian lyrics way before Nile popularised it.

After hundreds of listening, I can say pretty confidently that this is one hell of an album. Of course, there is some stuff that needs to be worked on, like the quite monotonous growls - though they're better than those of the former vocalist as far as I know. But there is some serious riffing here, I even dare say that the greatest strength of Apophis is this amazing songwriting that keeps you awake and longing for the next step all along the album. I Am Your Blindness is full of memorable moments, like the melodic riffs of "Welcome To My World" or "Reanimation", catchy solos and choruses and intelligently scattered little breaks here and there that allow you to catch your breath while waiting for the next attack. They have a knack of mixing the heaviness inherent to old school death with discreet keyboard parts and mid-paced passages without actually subtracting any power from the music. That's quite a feat if you want my opinion.

So, death metal album of the year? Could be, if only it was a bit longer. I mean, when you have not recorded anything for more than half a decade, you're not supposed to release an album that hardly clocks above 30 minutes, are you? Two extra songs would have been appreciated, even if the band itself asked for this cd to be sold at a very special price due to its short running time. But just put this aside, and prepare to headbang, for I Am Your Blindness is an amazing collection of kick-ass old-school riffs.

STEP IN!

Highlights: Sick At Heart, Welcome To My World, Reanimation