Encelado is an Italian death metal duo formed by longtime friends Simone (vocals) and Damien (guitars, bass, synth, backing vocals). Their latest release, “Pillars of Creation,” is their debut EP, launched on April 29, 2025, via Regenerate Records.

Encelado, Pillars of Creation: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production. Our analysis will provide valuable insights to help you determine if this album is worth adding to your collection.

The First Three Sins, The Summary

The First Sin, The Strings/Keys: The riffs are intricate and crushing, weaving between relentless aggression and calculated precision. The bass, chunky and weighty, provides a solid foundation, ensuring the low-end remains thick and punchy. The Second Sin, The Vocals: The vocals are raw yet controlled, leaning heavily into the brutal death metal aesthetic. The Third Sin—The Percussions: The percussion is explosive and relentless, showcasing outrageous speed, technical precision, and sheer brutality.

The Fourth Sin, Overall Discussion

Unleashing the Chaos: The Opening Assault

The moment the listener hits the play button, the opening track, Dark Nebulas, confronts them with an intense aggression that continues seamlessly into the next three pieces.

A Four-Track Barrage of Brutality

Pillars Of Creation delivers a relentless four-track barrage of aggression and brutality, spanning a total of fourteen minutes—just enough time to shatter your soul and ears. The lyrics cover themes that range from space travel, artificial intelligence, human consciousness, and death.

Influences & Sonic Identity

As the listener is guided through their horrific and brutal voyage, they will be met with a dark fruit of art sound deeply rooted in the influence of bands such as Aborted, All Shall Perish, and Dying Fetus. Even the listener will find that Simone‘s guttural vocals are inspired by Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation. This beast may be short, but is far from lacking, delivering a richness of experience in a condensed time frame.

Production: Raw Yet Refined

Pillars Of Creation is recorded in a production and sound that is raw yet polished, preserving the ferocity of death metal and ensuring that every instrument cuts through the mix sharply. It is this attention to detail that causes the listener to enjoy the subtle aspects of the elaborate arrangements and annihilating performances that fill the album. Every blast beat, vocal line, and riff is executed with pinpoint precision.

Breaking Down the Tracks

This is more than just a play-through; it’s a unique experience… and if you can let yourself loose from headbanging, take a deeper listen to each composition: Dark Nebulas – a frenzied opener featuring demanding riffing and brutal drumming—yet the listener will encounter ambient synth layers, creating a sense of vast emptiness before the chaos unfolds. Gravety – where unrestrained speed combines with jarring vocal effects, creating a whirlwind of fury. Fragments of Fear – a technical terror that will not yield. Pillars of Creation – the self-titled centrepiece integrates ferocious speed with measured restraint, creating pockets of dynamic power and synth textures to enhance the song’s dynamic shifts, making the transitions between crushing riffs and atmospheric moments feel seamless.

Instrumental & Vocal Brutal Execution

Within the realm of devilmanship, everything is tightly arranged and flawlessly executed, offering the listener with guitar and bass work crafted by Damien. Forming complex and destructive riffs that effortlessly mix the frantic pace with a groovy undertone. The bass is chunky and weighty, supporting the monstrous guitar play without becoming lost in the mix. Two session drummers are featured on the EP, and they add explosive and unforgiving power to the tracks. They are characterized by the tempo, complexity, and difficult nature of these pieces, with blast beats, rapid tom fills, and ear-shattering snares — the definition of technicality and pure brutality. At the same time, Damien incorporates synth elements into the EP, adding an eerie, cosmic atmosphere that complements the band’s themes of space exploration, artificial intelligence, and human consciousness. The synth work is subtle yet effective, weaving through the brutality of the guitars and drums without overpowering them.

Simone unleashes deep, guttural growls, heavily inspired by Cannibal Corpse and Suffocation. His vocals are raw and restrained, leaning heavily into the brutal death metal genre. Effects are used sparingly, allowing his unfiltered power to dominate the sonic landscape.

Final Verdict: A Deafening fruit of art

Overall, Pillars Of Creation has delivered a fast, brutal, and deafening short release, that will make you smash that repeat button, and crack the volume to max.

Concluding the album, Pillars of Creation, where the whole music and sound, leaves a lasting impact and ear-drums ringing like tolling bells. We want to give a shoutout to Encelado for letting us review their album Pillars of Creation. Now, we are going to conclude the review by talking about the final three sins and concluding the review.

The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia

Although Pillars of Creation is essentially an EP, it makes a significant impact, raising the question: why not a complete album? With its intricate orchestrations and passionate performances, Encelado has demonstrated that they are a formidable presence in the death metal genre. Enthusiasts of extreme metal—especially those who appreciate powerful drumming, technical skill, and raw intensity—will be completely captivated by this release. This transcends just extreme metal — it’s something beyond that! I eagerly anticipate future releases; this EP has completely overwhelmed my mind and senses.

Encelado — Pillars of Creation Review

The Sixth Sin, The Artwork

The artwork captures this space imagery with metal aesthetics suggests a conceptual or progressive leaning—possibly touching on themes like cosmicism, creation myths, existentialism, or astrophysics.

The Seventh Sin, Disrelish

There is nothing to dislike in the musical offerings of Pillars of Creation. With a start to finish, that delivers unrelenting brutality, technical precision, and immersive atmosphere, making it a standout and fruit of art release. Every blast beat, riff, and vocal growl is executed with accuracy and raw intensity, ensuring that the listener is fully absorbed in the sonic chaos. Thus, we conclude our review of Encelado and their fruit of art album, Pillars of Creation. I sincerely appreciate your time in reading this article and exploring the depths of this powerful release. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to dive into the works of Encelado.

The Hymns

01. Dark Nebulas
02. Gravety
03. Fragments of Fear
04. Pillars of Creation

Encelado

Damien — Guitars, Bass, Synth, Backing vocals
Simone — Vocals