From: Metal Delirium
Published: November 1, 2012
Original Link

Epitimia’s Faces Of Insanity is just the kind of music I enjoy listening to as the seasons change and the weather begins to get colder. It’s dark, atmospheric black metal that just fits it well. The first track, the instrumental “Reminiscentia,” sets the tone for the album. It features frenzied screams behind ice cold melody that carries a somber tone. Although the lyrics aren’t in English, the mood and atmosphere help conv...

Continue reading ...

From: Midwinter Fires Webzine
Published: October 25, 2012
Original Link

Epitimia managed to capture immediately my full attention, since the first time I approached “Faces of Insanity”. When I started listening to the first notes of “Reminescentia” I felt instantaneously took away towards a black hole of profound, emotional tunes. Before going on I preferred to enjoy that beautiful sensation several times, to fully enter Epitimia’s universe. A good idea, I must say. I crossed the black...

Continue reading ...

From: Nocturnal Cult Webzine
Published: October 23, 2012
Original Link


Continue reading ...

From: Black Belle Webzine
Published: October 11, 2012
Original Link

 Russian trio Epitimia deliver their third full length album 'Faces Of Insanity' for the prolific and always interesting Canadian label Hypnotic Dirge Records which for an outfit birthed only four years ago in 2008 makes them relatively prolific themselves as well, almost putting out an opus for each year of existence. 
Continue reading ...

From: Aristocrazia Webzine
Published: October 7, 2012
Original Link
*Google translation of Italian review

 The Russians epitimia passed recently on our site, we interviewed them in the expectation that was published the third act of their discography "Faces Of Insanity". The album was released through Hypnotic Dirge Records and contains nine tracks that move in different territories drawing on a view that seems to collimate the feelings expressed over the years by such act Katatonia, Drudkh, Burz...
Continue reading ...

From: Les Eternal
Published: September 19, 2012
Original Link
*Google translation of French review


Continue reading ...

From: Headbang Magazine
Published: September 10, 2012
Original Link
*Google translation of Italian review


Continue reading ...

From: Deaf Sparrow Webzine
Published: September 10, 2012
Original Link

Essentially, this is post-rock with black metal vocals and that’s that. Key word being ’essentially’ and not post-rock, nor black metal. Obviously, the weight of the music balances everything out to that mopey (post-rock) genre and the vocals, largely the only black metal element, do not really balance the record to the metallic camp, but offset the overall result. The reason for this being the rawness of the vocalist�...

Continue reading ...

From: Nocturne Magazine
Published: September 4, 2012
Original Link
*Google translation of Serbian review

Trio Epitimia of Saint Petersburg has released its third studio album "Faces Of Insanity", more complex and darker than its predecessor. Release Panel composed of nine songs with an excellent mix of atmospheric post-rock-and depressive black metal, it is ideal for those who want to experiment with new sounds. Since our opening instrumental "Reminiscentia" create a bit creepy atmosphere and pre...

Continue reading ...

From: Lords of Metal Webzine
Published: September 1, 2012
Original Link

There is a school of thought that says that black metal has to be mean, grim, depressing, hateful and that it never can be beautiful and hypnotizing. To those who adhere to that school of thought I would like to say: Stop reading because ‘Faces Of Insanity’ by the Russian Epitimia from Saint Petersburg is not for you. Anyone else who can appreciate beauty in black metal and has melancholy high on his wish list I urge to ...
Continue reading ...

From: Global Domination
Published: August 30, 2012
Original Link

I saw this shit being tagged as ““atmospheric black metal/post rock”, from muthafucken Russia. I have never heard ““atmospheric black metal/post rock” before but understand from the composition of those genres that this is bound to suck on at least a couple of levels. Not just one. 

You know what? I was correct, didn’t need too many listens to this crap to come to that conclusion. Instead of going into analyzing mode I...

Continue reading ...

From: Lunar Hypnosis Blogspot
Published: August 29, 2012
Original Link

Formed in 2008 within Saint Petersburg, Russia, Epitimia is the collective work of Alexander Machtakov (guitars & bass), K. (vocals) and M. (drums) and 'Faces of Insanity' is the bands third full-length release. 

Featuring lyrics in their native Russian language, Epitimia offers up a strange variation of black metal that has its fair share of depressing qualities, but also a strange sense of deep beauty buried within as well a...

Continue reading ...

From: Music of Shadows
Published: August 13, 2012
Original Link

Many people these days complain that black metal isn't interesting anymore because artists always do the same shit without creativity. I think that the problem are the listeners because whenever someone creates something a bit different than the "old school black metal" they say "it's not metal", "it's fake" and stuff like that. 

Anyway, here we have a release that's full with new and creative ideas and that doesn't lose the roots of...

Continue reading ...

From: Dead Void Dreams
Published: August 12, 2012
Original Link

From the first song of this album you cannot be sure of what you will hear: depressive black, ambient black or just an experiment of the three members in a more post-rock sound? What's certain is that you are going to hear a dark innovative album, completely different from any other band in the ambient black metal scene, ideal for those who want to experiment with new sounds. Depression and melancholy is pervasive throughout the who...

Continue reading ...

From: Feedback Magazine
Published: August 11, 2012
Original Link


Continue reading ...

From: Teeth of the Divine
Published: August 6, 2012
Original Link

This is the third full-length from St Petersburg’s Epitimia, a band listed as ambient black metal on the Metal Archives. I haven’t heard their previous releases, so I have to assume that’s correct, but on Faces of Insanity, their sound is more like a mix of the lush, melodic death/doom of Swedish and Finnish acts like Katatonia, Swallow the Sun and Rapture, and the rustic, naturalistic black metal of Eastern European acts li...

Continue reading ...

From: Infernal Masquerade Webzine
Published: August 1, 2012
Original Link

Arriving all the way from Saint Petersburg, Russia via Hypnotic Dirge Records, today we have Epitimia and their latest full-length release titled “Faces of Insanity”. With a very melodic Ambient Black Metal sound, this excellent band pummels through nine highly melancholic tracks not apt for the faint of heart. With such a rich and atmospheric sound, this Russian 3-person outfit is by far one of best bands in the genre...

Continue reading ...

From: ZWaremetalen
Published: July 30, 2012
Original Link
*Google translation of Dutch review

Sometimes it is really Quatsch what you find on Metal Archives. Epitimia come from Russia, but does not clear with ambient black metal, and it is very doubtful that this band have ever brought. The trio has been around for four years and brings very black melancholy that I feel firmly under the 'suicidal' denominator falls. 
Continue reading ...

From: Alternativ-Musik
Published: July 30, 2012
Original Link
*Google translation of German review


Continue reading ...

From: MSN Entertainment; Metal Blog
Published: July 10, 2012
Original Link

The third album by the trio from St. Petersburg, Russia turns out to be a surprisingly graceful blend of black metal’s iciness and post-metal’s expansive beauty. Never mind the fact that the lyrics are in Russian; the tortured delivery of vocalist/lyricist K. gets the message across. This is forlorn, desolate stuff, yet often as bracing as an icy Baltic Sea wind in January. 

Continue reading ...

From: That Devil Music
Published: June 24, 2012
Original Link


Continue reading ...

From: Pure Grain Audio
Published: June 18, 2012
Original Link

Russia's Epitimia are a jewel of a band that are just waiting to be discovered by the extreme music scene at large. Their latest release, Faces of Insanity, is a fine album full of atmospheric black metal that is simultaneously both beautiful and ugly. The songs are very ambient-sounding and even pretty at times, while the harsh black metal vocals bring a more sinister twist to the whole package. Check out this three-piece band for so...
Continue reading ...