With Fractures in the Crystal Vault, Niphredil deliver an EP that manages to feel both concise and ambitious. Spanning just two tracks, it could have easily come across as a stopgap release, but instead it works as a showcase of range and intent.
In less than 13 minutes, the band move confidently between the leaden weight of Doom/Heavy Metal and the sharper, more urgent world of Melodic Black Metal.
The opening track, The Masked Seer, leans heavily into doom territory. Slow-burning riffs set the foundation, thick and deliberate, carrying a sense of grandeur without ever tipping into monotony. There’s a patience in the pacing that allows atmosphere to build naturally, giving the song a kind of ceremonial gravity. It’s heavy in a way that feels purposeful, almost majestic, rather than just crushing for its own sake.
The second track, Death By Dreaming, takes a dramatic turn, combining doom’s slow crawl with blackened urgency. Tremolo riffs slice through the mix, percussion drives forward with restless energy, and yet melody remains at the heart of it all. Where many bands in this style might let aggression consume them, Niphredil keep things tight and composed, shaping chaos into something memorable.
It’s a shift in tone, but not in identity—the two songs feel like different facets of the same vision rather than mismatched experiments.
What makes Fractures in the Crystal Vault resonate is the band’s knack for dynamics. The ebb and flow between heaviness and intensity, atmosphere and attack, gives the EP a depth that belies its short runtime. If this is intended as a statement of what Niphredil can do, then it’s a convincing one.
Short, sharp, and confidently executed, Fractures in the Crystal Vault positions Niphredil as a band worth keeping a close eye on.
Fractures in the Crystal Vault is available now
CHOICE CUT: Death By Dreaming
RATING: 3 OUT OF 5
RATING SYSTEM:
- 0: Fucking Shit
- 1: Shit
- 2: Not Bad Shit
- 3: Pretty Good Shit
- 4: Amazing Fucking Shit
- 5: The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear
PRESS SOURCE: Cátia C./Against PR.
