Apophis - Down in the Valley (1996)

   Three years passed until the second Apophis album came out. During this time their music changed a bit and went through on some progression.
   The concept remained the same, the Egyptian mythology stayed as the main inspirational source of the band, and the lack of relation between the music and the concept too. But while on "Gateway to the Underworld" it seemed like that the band didn't find the common ground yet and their music balanced between raw themes, melodies and complexity, on the second album they found the most suitable style for themselves. The complex, almost technical-like themes were gone, and the rawness of their music reduced. Melodies became common which may refer to the classics of heavy metal, but the rough backbround and intense performance just don't let any nostalgia to happen. In general this style reminds to ordinary German metal as it wears the characteristics of different genres and styles which are usual at German bands. These are the vocal style, the way how they operated with melodies and composed the song structures. "Down in the Valley" still could have the impression of a  "balancing" album, but the band just fixed the main features of their music and their tools of expression.