Illusions Play – Empire of Desolation

Illusions Play
Empire of Desolation
Label: IP Records
Out: December 13^th, 2024
Playing time: 55:35

Illusions Play were formed in 2011 by Ukrainian musician Vitaliy Petrenko. He now lives in Turkey and has found new musicians for his band. After a break of around ten years, the band returned with the new album ‘Empire of Desolation’. Whereby these ten years probably refer to the album releases. The debut album ‘The Fading Light’ was released in January 2014, followed by the two-track EP ‘Snowflakes’ in November 2015, and four singles were released between 2021 and 2024.

‘Morning Dew’ starts with guitars and the sound of wind behind them. Even when the guitar, bass and vocals kick in powerfully, it remains calm and solemn. It tends towards Funeral Doom. Then the bitter growls of Vitaliy Petrenko can be heard. Even if the tempo picks up slightly, the quiet area is not abandoned. Later on, you can hear that Vitaliy can also celebrate expressive clean vocals. ‘The Passage’ is a short instrumental interlude. The guitars sound less distorted and are underpinned by string tapestries and later accompanied by a deep bass line and accentuated drumming. An almost contemplative-sounding transition to the title track ‘Empire Of Desolation’. And then there is another mixture of Epic and Funeral Doom Metal. Growls dominate most of the time. Clear vocals can only be heard towards the end. Tapestries of strings are also among the means of expression. In the middle, the sound of the sea is also included. The music doesn’t change much from then on either. And yet there is variety. Strings and piano can be heard in ‘Last Hours’. The song doesn’t sound quite so melancholy either. Also, because the proportion of clear vocals is significantly greater than before. ‘Under Shining Moon’ can be described as the ballad of the album at the beginning. Although hard guitar riffs and bitter growls can also be heard from time to time. But then it gets much harder and faster. The guitar solo is outstanding. ‘Unformed Existence’ is a monster track with excessive length. The introduction features sacred organ sounds and a clean guitar. But then it goes in the direction of Funeral Doom again, with evil growls and hard-hitting drums. In between, melodic guitar hooks counteract the gloom a little. Strings dominate the middle section. Towards the end, surprisingly, you can hear clean plucked guitars. A true epic. ‘The Spaceless’ is a little quieter again. Tapestries of strings are underlaid with rhythmic drums and electric piano. I consider the final song ‘Under Shining Moon’ to be a bonus track. It is merely the slightly shorter radio version of a previous track. Without a balladic part but also with a little less brute force.

I have listened to ‘Empire of Desolation’ over and over again with enthusiasm. I find this mixture of Epic and Funeral simply breathtaking. And thanks to this mixture, the album also sounds varied. The alternation between growls and clear vocals also convinces me. If you like evil growls like I do, you can enjoy an impressive sound experience when listening to this album.

Illusions Play – Under Shining Moon: https://youtu.be/8pcbxS5KWAQ?si=7hST4K6lgOZygcFt

Lineup:

Vitaliy Petrenko – Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Sezer Söylemezoğlu – Guitars, Backing Vocals
Metin Dellal – Bass
H. Arda Burhan – Drums

Track list:

• Morning Dew
• The Passage
• Empire of Desolation
• Last Hours
• Under Shining Moon
• Unformed Existence
• The Spaceless
• Under Shining Moon (Radio Edit)