The Pernicious Enigma

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The Pernicious Enigma
Esoteric TPE.jpg
Studio album by
Esoteric
ReleasedApril 1997
Recorded9–26 July 1996
StudioRich Bitch Studios, Birmingham
Genre
Length115:00
Label Aesthetic Death
Producer Esoteric, Steve Wilson
Esoteric chronology
Epistemological Despondency
(1994)		The Pernicious Enigma
(1997)		 Metamorphogenesis
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Ave NoctumStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
SputnikmusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]

The Pernicious Enigma is the second studio album by the British doom metal band Esoteric. It was released in 1997 through Aesthetic Death Records. The Pernicious Enigma comprises two discs with a total running time of an hour and 55 minutes. [3] [4] [2]

Contents

The album has received much praise since its release, and is seen as one of the band's best works. It has been cited to have helped influence the funeral doom and death-doom genres. [5] The album would later be remastered and released as a three-disc vinyl set in 2016, limited to only 600 copies. [6] A CD edition based on this remaster was issued in 2018.

Production

The album was recorded at Rich Bitch Studios during the month of July 1996 and was mixed in October the same year, starting on the 9th and ending on the 15th. Mixing duties were held by the band itself, while the production and engineering featured the band being assisted by Steve Wilson. Anthony Brewer was hired as a session drummer to record on a few tracks on the album. The album was mastered at Strype Audio Studios, Oslo, Norway by Tom Kvalsvoll. The track "NOXBC9701040" was improvised in studio on 21 July 1996.

For the remaster, the album was mixed and mastered by Greg Chandler in 2015. Kevin Metcalfe also helped cut the lacquer used for the record manufacturing for the album at Soundmasters, London, United Kingdom.

Track listing

Disc one
No.TitleLength
1."Creation (Through Destruction)"13:13
2."Dominion of Slaves"16:01
3."Allegiance"11:50
4."NOXBC9701040"12:48
Total length:53:52
Disc two
No.TitleLength
1."Sinistrous"12:40
2."At War with the Race"2:52
3."A Worthless Dream"13:09
4."Stygian Narcosis"13:17
5."Passing Through Matter"19:15
Total length:61:13
Total
115:00

Credits

Original 1997 edition personnel
Additional 2016 remaster personnel

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References

  1. ↑ Woods, Pete (2016-05-26). "Esoteric - The Pernicious Enigma". avenoctum.com. Ave Noctum. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Esoteric The Pernicious Enigma". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  3. ↑ "Esoteric (Gbr) - The Pernicious Enigma". Canada: The Metal Archives . Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  4. ↑ "The Pernicious Enigma". allmusic . Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  5. ↑ Davis, Cody (2016-03-04). "Funeral Doom Friday: In Remembrance of Esoteric The Pernicious Enigma". metalinjection.net. Metal Injection. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  6. ↑ Thomas, Patricia (2016-05-05). "Patricia Thomas Band Management". patriciathomasmanagement.com. Wordpress. Retrieved 10 July 2017.


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