Ixion belong to the new breed of doom metal bands that have one foot firmly placed on the prog metal side of things. While they might not be as prog as a band like While Heaven Wept, they do use keyboards as a lead instrument many times. Their sound does harken back to bands like Tiamat, who pushed the limits on what was considered doom.

“Enfant de la Nuit” is dark but at the same time has a lot of beauty and melody that isn’t always part of the doom genre. Having an atmospheric, almost ambient touch to many of the songs actually feels perfect with the darker, heavier sound. It’s two halves of the same whole.

“Ghost in the Shell” starts off with a thick wall of keys before a blast of guitars and harsh vocals cut right through. The song is a perfect balance of heavy guitars and thick synths. It also moves away from the slower doom pace at times to give it the dynamics that I love. It finishes with a melodic guitar solo. It works as a nice introduction to the rest of the album.

“Doom” is an interesting track because you would assume that a doom band with a song called “Doom” means this would be…well, doom. Sure it is slower but there’s so much power to this track that it goes way beyond traditional doom. It’s more Katatonia than anything else.

That’s the key to what Ixion do. They take the doom blueprint and use ambient synths and double bass drums to widen the scope of their sound. The vocals are harsh mostly but also clean when the song needs them to be. Listen to “The Shining” for a good example.

I love when a band puts keyboards to good use. Synths, pianos, strings. Ixion uses everything in their arsenal to craft a textured, epic sounding album with “Enfant de la Nuit.” This is a gripping, layered album that hopefully will get on the radar of people who like their doom with plenty of prog.

Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:
1. Ghost in the Shell
2. Allegiance
3. Discovery
4. Doom
5. The Shining
6. Children of the Night
7. The Passenger
8. Promised Land
9. Odyssey

Website: ixiondoom.wix.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ixiondoom