Elliott's Keep's sophomore effort, Sine Qua Non, picks up right where the debut left off. It maintains the excellent songwriting of In Medias Res and adds an even more aggressive element than before. EK are able to build on a traditional/epic doom sound and weave death and black metal aspects seamlessly into their songs. The record starts out with Fearless, which begins with a nice mid-paced guitar and clean vocals and progresses into a faster/gutteral vocal section before smoothly transitioning back to the previous pace. The changing tempos and vocal styles help tell the stories contained within EK's songs, and that's what these songs do, tell a story. Beloved, my favorite track on the CD, tells the tale of trying to find a lost love and reunite in the afterlife. The rawest track is Witchburning, an angry sounding number that will have you joining the mob and shouting "Burn Her, Burn Her" in no time at all. Jonathan's guitar playing is very full and rich sounding and is complimented well by the rhythm section of Ken's bass and Joel's excellent original drumming. This CD is a wonderful progression from their first CD and should cement them as one of the leaders in the doom metal scene. Pick this one up today!
