The Way of Puritywill perhaps tell you nothing and yet, their second album“Equate”, with the voice of Tiril Skårdalcame out the month of April 2012 on the labelAural Music/WormHoleDeath. This formation has the distinction of being hidden, and don’t reveal their identity (except for the blonde frontwoman). And most importantly, their music is there to deliver a message.

Line-up:

• Tiril Skårdal -Vocals
• XDeadGirlX – Vocals
• XDeath WishX – Guitars
• XWithoutNameX – Guitars, Vocals
• XLostMyFaithX – Keyboards, Vocals
• XJeffreyX – Bass
• XWallOfDeathX – Drums

Tracklist:

1. Artwork of Nature
2. Death Abound Everywhere
3. Eleven
4. Eternal Damnation To René Descartes
5. Keep Dreaming
6. For All Who Thrive Unheard
7. The Mighty Fall
8. The Last Darkest Night
9. A Time To Be So Small
10. Lijti Crjsty

The firsts listening to our mysterious Norwegian/Swedish (we’ll say Scandinavian) seem to evolve in a classic melodic death, which takes almost all the clichés of the genre: mean by that frantic battery, a guitar always present, a voice almost continuously (constantly if we talk about the singer, her only clear vocal lines can be found on “Keep Dreaming”) screamed in short, it sounds like pure death juice which exudes certain influences and has nothing to do with originality. This is somewhat true… but it is still generally pretty wrong. Indeed, the music of the formation has a major asset, which will draw a real personality to their group, an identity which will enable them to build a sound of their own: the keyboard. Yes, so this instrument can be found very often, you know, he is there to give a little melodic touch. But, the Scandinavians are aware of what is fashionable (especially in their nations of origin), and decide to take the opposite way. So don’t be surprised to find sounds typically from darkwave, batcave or other. So yes, the mixture may seem surprising, as the “Eternal DamnationTo René Descartes” or “For All Who Thrive Unheard” for example, and yet it works perfectly. This instrument is not there to look pretty, give a little melody and a little relief. No, it will, in the same way as the guitar, be a pillar of the band’s music, omnipresent and yet never do too much thanks to a good insertion. We warn you about not trusting the appearances, and it is quite true with The Way of Purity which, besides their activists’ words, is not a formation who likes to do like any other.

So, with the quartet, much of the success of the music is mainly based on atmosphere rather than on the ‘in your face’ side in“Equate”(though what they offer us is still far from wimpy). The duality keyboard/guitar sometimes works better on some tracks than others, but often, the duel ends in a tie, and this is how the Scandinavians find a perfect compromise: how to create an ambient music while keeping some power and dynamics in music. In addition to delivering a bunch of titles highly diverse in the arrangements and structures, that aren’t so repetitive, that they seem to appear at our first listening, we managed to be carried away while enjoying the energy contained in the pieces. This is the case of “The Last Darkest Night”, where the balance is well respected (with an interesting break, almost trip-hop), or on “Keep Dreaming” more aggressive and resolutely rooted in death metal, but on which the keyboard is still having a heart to joy, and each naturally finds its place, revealing these masked men (and woman) a real talent for the composition. So, for the moment, if we summarize, there, the band lays a music at the antipodes of current fashions while keeping them close in some way, which has a sound of their own, an excellent production and which gives us interesting titles. Obviously, there must be a flaw somewhere right? Yep, there is…

Indeed, if a balance is well done, it’s not here as a guarantee of sustained excellence. If diversity is actually (omni) present in this disk, some songs suffer from a lack of interest. Not bad, but they will be far to excel or to match those that make you want to listened more. There, on the dock, can be found two culprits: “Artwork Of Nature” and “Death Abound Everywhere” - and on top of that, these two songs are placed at the head of album, not the best choice for the person who discovers their music (well, in a sense, we can say that we saved the best for last, this which in this case is quite true). The first named is the most uninteresting, even with something that reflect within“Equate”: it’s banal. Not a bad track, no, but not to jump to the ceiling either, a heart-breaking classicism despite the quality of its composition. It does not suffer to be itself, no. It suffers from a rather more cruel evils, namely to be a black sheep in a sea of ​​music much better in many ways. Here, it hurts more, and we’ll soon forget this opening track. The next starts well, and we must be acknowledging that this one had something the other one had not: a really good damn intro, which is filled with suspense and makes you want to know what will happen next. And wham, our hopes are betrayed: without being bad, the track is also too classic, and a little flat around the edges, with no real relief and not being what the group will give us later, which is pleasure. Without getting bored, we listen to it absentmindedly to it once we past the intro, with the regret of not seeing a good idea germinate. It would have been of good quality to combine this beginning with the rest, what the keyboards partially try to do.
And so, since we must make float the all with one voice (as it is death it will be a growl), the young Tiril accompany us throughout the journey. The singing of the girl is both a default, and quality. Explanation: the lovely one still has some progress to accomplished, because the technique, if present, is not yet fully acquired. It’s not by this point that the frontwoman will stand, her voice seems at first glance rather linear. Another lesson: do not rely on first impressions with The Way Of Purity, you will miss something. The small lack of technique of the singer (who should certainly reduce with time and work) makes up however with something interesting and carefully glue well to the music: her growl is expressive, and capable of adopt different tones, rage to despair, she manages to convey something.

The young singer is perhaps not excellent, but her performance is promising, thanks to the expressiveness contained in her singing, especially valuable. We need to keep an eye on this young woman. Note also some clear vocals in the share: Tiril on “Keep Dreaming”, although just a few seconds, but successful, but alsoGiulia Stefanifrom the Italian formationRavenscrywho sings very well, and brings a lot to the tracks “Eleven” (where she will be majority) and “The Last Darkest Night”. Also note, another female voice, which is not the info that could be found, no guest announced (we find that female vocals on “For All Who Thrive Unheard” and “A Time To Be So Small”, maybe their new singer,Marja Panic). If this is Tiril itself, it is clear that she is doing really well in this area too! It is therefore important to mention something about the music of The Way Of Purity, which even seems to be essential: the themes and lyrics. Indeed, the hidden group has a philosophy very special, where human beings would be like a virus escaped from a laboratory that would have been corrupted, precisely moving away from the path of purity. The model on which the Scandinavian base is therefore the one of animals, which they place as being superior to man, a way of thinking that they transcribe through their artwork, or in the words of their songs (proof, “Eternal Damnation To René Descartes’” pamphlet against the theory of the French philosopher, defending the fact that the animal is a machine without feeling, obeying only a series of mechanisms). A way of thinking that we adhere or not, but which does not alter the quality of the music. For more details on the cause defended by the formation, you can find more information on their Facebook page.

Closed parenthesis, back to the music itself rather than its message. In the batch, it stands uniformity in the quality of the tracks (except the first two). But, however, three find themselves above the others: the most interesting of all is “A Time To Be So Small” with this excellent ethereal clear vocal. But this is not what we notice only. The title is much slower, ambient, and it works wonderfully with a very prominent keyboard, far from being kitsch, sounding both modern but outside the modes and codes of the genre. It exudes an aura of this piece, which thus appears as the title distinguished from all other, fully cutting edge with all the habits of The Way Of Purity. We will also have a soft spot for “The Last Darkest Night”, which combines keyboards and guitars in a beautiful mixture, but all with the beautiful voice of Giulia, in dramatic tones which really suit her, the whole made in a clever way. Finally, “Keep Dreaming” is powerful and it is fun to see that the Scandinavians are able to compose such a piece, without of course relegated the keyboard to the background, or making too much. Again, there is an ideal dosage.
The Way Of Purityis not a group like any other, and we must admit that their music something unusual outside the conventions, clichés and automation that can be found in this style. Rather than confine itself to the role of a clone, they choose the boldness, which is to their credit, and so they finally find a way, their way.“Equate”is an album of very good quality for a quartet that is to follow very closely. Just the rather daring bet they take deserves some praise.

Highlights: A Time To Be So Small, The Last Darkest Night, Keep Dreaming