Hellenic Metal |

Chaostar - Chaostar

Chaostar are Septic Flesh. In 1998 Septic Flesh released A Fallen Temple, an album which tend to different directions. There are the new, more Gothic Metal songs, there are the re-recordings of some old Death Metal songs and there is the symphonical, orchestral song, which was divided in two parts, called The Underworld I+II (there is also a third part on their The Eldest Cosmonaut EP). At that point, Septic Flesh parted their music in two pieces, Septic Flesh would continue as Gothic/Death Metal band and the orchestral music would become Chaostar. The members are the same. The homonymous debut album Chaostar was released in the year 2000 from Holy Records, which was also the label of Septic Flesh. The music is, as I wrote, not metal, but purely symphonical music, enriched with some modern samples. A weird trip into a strange world, ´cause the lyrics of Sotiris are forming a concept album. So the music and lyrics remind the soundtrack of a Science Fiction-movie. The story is very well embedded into the songs. The music can´t be described easy, ´cause there are so many elements, like the operatic voice of Natalie, the clean voice of Sotiris, the growls of Spiros, the female choirs (written and arranged like all the music of Chaostar by Chris), the various classic instruments like violin, cello, tuba, trumpet and horn, and last but not least the modern samples, which create a dark atmosphere. Together with the concept story, all elements form a unique piece of art, which is surely not easy-listening, but open-minded metal fans or fans with an affinity for classic, orchestral music should tune their ears to this release!

Written by Skariotis

Chaostar - Threnody

One year after the debut, Chaostar released their second album called Threnody. Label was again Holy Records. Not much has changed between the two albums, Chaostar is still the musical vision of Chris (he studied music and composing). Natalie becomes the main singer, as Sotiris and Spiros (he did the whole artwork and cover, under his pseudonym Set<H>) are not singing anymore for Chaostar. But there are some tracks with clean male vocals, Kostas of Swan Christy has a guest appearance on this album. The main differences to the debut are the following: the lyrics have no concept story and the music is even more intricate, tricky and there are some really weird parts. There are all members of Septic Flesh mentioned as Chaostar, but it seems, that it is more the baby of Chris and Natalie, therefore they are only them on the band photos (there is not really much to do for a guitar player and a Death Metal singer on Threnody). But at the end the band surprises us with the real gothic rock song Mantis, which is written by Spiros and could also be on Septic Flesh´s Revolution DNA album. Nice song at the end of a strange, but mind-blowing album.

Written by Skariotis

Chaostar - The Scarlet Queen

Chaostar´s third album was released in 2004 by Holy Records. Chris is now the only member of this project, ´cause female singer Natalie is not anymore part of Chaostar. There is a new female vocalist called Sapfo, but her part is not so big on this Chaostar release. But the songs on The Scarlet Queen do not demand a main singer at all! The music is not only made for an imagined horror-movie, this IS the perfect soundtrack for an apocalyptic horror movie! Bombastic orchestral parts are changing with very calm parts (sometimes you can hear absolutely nothing). The orchestra is creating a dark and disturbing atmosphere. The electronic samples, as used in former albums, are gone. I got the soundtrack of Bram Stoker´s Dracula and there is absolutely no gap of quality between the two CD´s. One is from a well-known and well-paid Hollywood-composer and one is from a young guy from Athens who is known as member of a Death Metal band... That shows the great talent of Chris Antoniou and I hope that his music will actually accompany sometime a real movie as soundtrack!

Written by Skariotis

Daemonia Nymphe - O Bakchikos Choros Ton Nymphon

Daemonia Nymphe is not a metal band, although the two members are not strangers in the Greek metal scene. Spyridon and Pantelis Giasafakis are also the members of the Hellenic Pagan Metal band Fiendish Nymph, which released an excellent EP of best Hellenic Black Metal (The Sibyl Of Elikona EP). With Daemonia Nymphe they explore the same ancient paths, not equipped with electric guitars and bass, but with instruments which outlived the ancient times. So you won´t find a roaring guitar and a pounding bass here, but calm melodies played with acoustic guitars, flutes and ancient drums. The vocals are from male and female singers and often just recitations. The lyrics are sung in ancient and modern Greek and are a reminiscence to ancient times and invocations to the Olympian gods. For better understanding there are also English translations of the lyrics included! There are only four songs on O Bakchikos Choros Ton Nymphon (= The Bacchic Dance Of The Nymphs), which was released in 1998 through German label Solistitium Records. The band sounds 100% authentic and pagan, so far away from today´s I-wanna-be-a-Viking-trend. At least I don´t know any band that sings in an ancient scandinavian language (the problem is that there are even Viking metal bands that come from Mexico or Bavaria...). If your interest in ancient cultures last longer than a Finntroll album, then search for Daemonia Nymphe.

Written by Skariotis

Diabolos Rising - 666

Diabolos Rising is a side-project of Magus Wampyr Daoloth of Necromantia and Mikka Luttinen of Impaled Nazarene. 666 was their debut album and it was released in 1996 by french Osmose Productions. The music is done by Magus and the vocals are done by Mikka. It is hard to describe the music, it´s like aggressive techno with Black Metal vocals, industrial parts and a few guitars here and there. In contrary to NAOS, this project is much more aggressive. Just listen to the opener, Genocide - I Am God. But there are also calm parts in 666, but it´s not rave dance music or something like that. Diabolos Rising manage to make aggressive music without calling it metal music (despite some blastbeat parts). Their music will please open-minded Black Metal fans and Darkwave fans too!

Written by Skariotis

Diabolos Rising - S.N.T.F. EP

The EP was released in the year 1995 between the debut album 666 (1994) and the second album Blood, Vampirism, Sadism (1996). It was released via KRON-H (EP is KROHN-H 01!), a sub-label of French Osmose Productions. Diabolos Rising was, if you don´t know it already, a side-project of Necromantia´s The Magus and Impaled Nazarene´s Mikka. First song is S.N.T.F., which is also the opening song of the second album. Second and last song is Devilreal, which appears only on this EP. Both songs are not metal songs, but simple-programmed techno music with purely satanic lyrics. Devilreal is the darker song, therefore for me the better track on this EP. Both tunes are together just seven minutes long and, as I wrote not metal, so be aware of it before buying it (if you´re just a "normal" metal fan)!

Written by Skariotis

Diabolos Rising - Blood, Vampirism, Sadism (also known as Industrial Vampyric Art)

In the year 1996, Diabolos Rising released their second album called Blood, Vampirism, Sadism, through Osmose Productions. The line-up was still the same, Magus Wampyr Daoloth and Mikka Luttinen. Also the music changed not much, it´s still a weird mix of techno, Black Metal, Industrial, Darkwave and satanic lyrics. A slight difference is that the music is a bit lesser aggressive (I thought initially, but the end is the pure armageddon!). The vocals are done by both musicians. This stuff is really not for sensitive souls! There is also another version on the market, with a guest appearance of Cronos of the mighty Venom!

Written by Skariotis

Divorce – Divorce

Divorce was a female-fronted band in the early 1990’s. The band consisted of George Ozmak and Antonis Delaportas, the owners of Molon Lave Records and the singer Johanna Gian and guitarist Kyprianos Gregoriou. The music differs a lot of the typical Molon Lave roster (Death and Black Metal). This album is the homonymous debut and it was released in 1991. The whole project sounds like a fund-raiser for the notoriously bankrupt Molon Lave Records. They obviously tried to make something more commercial. Well, as the label closed its door in the mid 90’s, they weren’t so successful as they wanted to be...

Back to Divorce’s music. Imagine Madonna would have done a rock album in the late 1980’s, this is exactly how Divorce sounds. The basement of the songs is often 80’s pop music, played with guitars instead of synthesizers. The mix is an accomodation to commercialization, the guitars are mixed in the background, taking away the little energy the songs once had. Singer Johanna (girlfriend of the label owner) delivers a good job, even as a Madonna-clone. Music sounds very obsolete nowadays, but this seems not to be a problem for the “world’s best record label” Unisound Records. They re-released the debut together with the Triangle album in the early 2000’s, with a cheap booklet and without remastering.

Written by Skariotis

Divorce – Triangle

Triangle is probably the second album of Divorce, the band of Molon Lave Records owner George Ozmak and his girlfriend Johanna. It was released in 1993 through his own company. Musically it’s almost identical with the debut album: pop rock of the mid/late 1980’s. The problem was, the calendar showed the year 1993 as they released the album. The music was obsolete even back then, imagine how exotic it sounds today. There is one more release of Divorce, but in the mid 90’s George Ozmak shut Molon Lave Records and “fled” to the USA together with his girlfriend/wife Johanna. They must be somewhere there today, polluting the myspace-community with countless ridiculous myspace-sites, trying to sell these same old songs under a new banner, as Unisound tries to sell a cheesy re-release from the first two Divorce albums in Europe...

Good luck...

Written by Skariotis

En Garde - Comedia De L´Arte

En Garde is a Gothic band with two singers, a female and a male. En Garde is their debut album and it was released in 1996 from Cypriot Throne Productions. The vocal style of both singers is most time solely operatic. The music is mid-tempo or slow Gothic Metal with some piano and keyboard parts. Gothic fanatics will have their fun with this CD, the rest should check it out before buying. There are absolutely no aggressive vocals here, only the duet between the two opera divas, which becomes sometimes very boring. There are some nice riffs in The Secret and Jupiter. Summer and La Masque feature not operatic, but normal, female voices. These songs are a bit faster and have also a touch of punk and metal music. Award for the worst booklet photos ever taken goes to a certain Kostas and to the band. After that album En Garde disappeared (I bet that was the fault of that ridiculous photo-session). Sleaszy Rider Records re-released that album together with a previous EP in 2003 under the name Forgotten Memories.

Written by Skariotis

NAOS - The Final Harvest

NAOS is a one-man-project of Magus Wampyr Daoloth (George Zacharopoulos) of Necromantia. The debut album The Final Harvest was recorded in 1993 and released in 1995 through German label Itsemuhra Arts. The music is not Black Metal or any kind of metal, but Gothic/Darkwave. The vocals are just spoken words and the lyrics are about satanism and individualism. The atmosphere is a very dark one, the beats are mainly slow and there are some haunting keyboard melodies as well. Black as hell, even without a guitar! Some songs are too long in duration, so there is sometimes too much replication in one song. I don´t know if this kind of music is something for metalheads, but I am sure, that even Black Metal fans need a silent hour once in a month. Then I would recommend NAOS!

Written by Skariotis

NAOS - Iron Youth

The Iron Youth EP was released in 1996, just one year after NAOS debut album The Final Harvest. It was released through German Devilish Music Propaganda and contains two songs, Iron Youth and Brother Satan. NAOS is a one-man-project of Magus Wampyr Daoloth, the bass player of Necromantia and he is as a musician, producer and label-owner a fundamental member of the Hellenic metal scene. NAOS music is not metal at all, but something between gothic and darkwave. The songs are played with keyboards and drum computer and the vocals are not sung, but spoken recitations and invocations which sound kind of demonic. The EP is limited to 666 copies.

Written by Skariotis

Raism - The Very Best Of Pain

Raism is the new name of Diabolos Rising, the infamous project of Magus Wampyr Daoloth and Mikka Luttinen. The Very Best Of Pain is their debut CD and it´s released by Osmose Productions. I don´t know why they changed their name, I don´t think they wanted to sell more using a new name! Maybe it´s because they changed a bit their style, but not so dramatically that they couldn´t keep their old name. The new Raism uses a lot more metal guitars, which are played by Sotiris of Septic Flesh! Also, the cover is done by Spiros (Set<H>) from Septic Flesh. The techno beats remained but they must share the music with heavy, amazing guitar riffs, which make Raism´s music more accesible for metalheads! Chaosphere and Killing Machine just kick ass! Les 120 Journes De Sodome (A Velvet Ballad For De Sade) is slower but features a haunting keyboard and a cool guitar riff too. Alienation continues on the same level, a great mix between Industrial, Black Metal and techno beats. The metal side is stronger than ever in their music. What Kind Of Hell Is This Anyway close the album perfectly. Raism managed to integrate ripping metal guitars in the sound of Diabolos Rising and the outcome is a very strong release!

Written by Skariotis

Raism - Aesthetic Terrorism

One year after their debut The Very Best Of Pain, the infernal project of Mikka and M.W. Daoloth returned in 1997 with a full-length album, released by Osmose Productions. Not much has changed, but the music got a lot more brutal. Their EP was full of great riffs mixed with techno beats, but the songs were not really fast. This time they are. The guitar is played again by Sotiris of Septic Flesh. This album is splitted in two parts, almost every normal song is followed by its techno remix. Nice idea, ´cause now they have elements of their former, purely dark-techno project Diabolos Rising integrated into their music. The album starts with Survival Of The Fittest Scum, a primitive, catchy song with very aggressive vocals. It is followed by S.O.T.F.S. Destructive Club Version, a high-speed electronic song. Next is Aesthetic Terrorism, which has a very traditional, cool riff and it´s enriched with some techno elements. Again, its followed by its remix, which has, like the first remix, an ultra-fast techno beat. Very aggressive techno, can somebody dance to this? I can´t imagine... Then comes Gluttony, a slower song, but it rocks very well. Its remix is, you guess it, full of fast-as-the-shit-of-a-F16-pilot-techno-beats. Seventh track (and not the eight, mistake in the booklet) is Hate You, a cover of The Daredevils, the band formed by Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion). Of course Raism managed to put some more aggression into that tune. It has no remix, but the following Negative is surely no peaceful hippie-song. Politically Incorrect (Non P.C.) is not only the ninth track, but the band´s motto, ´cause the lyrics of Raism are taking no prisoners and Mikka is spitting all his hate upon humanity. Last song is Nexus, which begins slowly, but turns into a high-speed inferno. The two last songs have also their relentless techno-remixes. This CD is one of the heaviest I got (the heaviest, not the most brutal/metal). The mix of aggressive metal and fast techno is like a mad trip through a nightmare. Give it a try, but you have been warned!

Written by Skariotis

Swan Christy - One With The Swan

Swan Christy´s debut from 1998 was also the debut of the Greek label Black Lotus Records. Swan Christy plays orchestral, gothic-oriented Hard Rock, with additional female vocals and violins. The mood on the album is calm, but it has its "rocking" moments. The piano plays a big part in their music and Iraklis (played also keyboard for Astarte, Necromantia and Thou Art Lord) is doing a good job. Also Kostas, the vocalist, is a really talented guy with a great voice. One With The Swan is a concept-album, the band tells a story in the booklet, which accompanies the 13 songs. The only thing that bothers me is, that there is no really strong, remarkable song on One With The Swan. The album is more like a movie-soundtrack, the music sounds like it is not the main aspect, but something which correspondends to certain scenes of a movie or theatre. The silent piano parts are too many and too long, so the listener needs much attention to follow the music/story. But sometimes, the attention gets lost between the songs.

Written by Skariotis

Swan Christy - Today Died Yesterday

One year after their debut album, Swan Christy released their second album in 1999, again with Black Lotus Records. Just one year, but many things changed to the better. The band tightened its songwriting and lost the weight of too much orchestral parts. The songs now are similar to One With The Swan, but much catchier and a bit heavier. The piano and violin parts are embedded well into the songs. Vocalist Kostas and his companions are doing again a good job. The listener will find some real pearls of progressive Metal/Hard Rock. Today Died Yesterday, Ressurection If Possible, One Foot In Grave, No More Everything and The Benefactor (with guest appearances from Ferdy of Rough Silk, Sakis of Rotting Christ and Spiros/Set<H> of Septic Flesh). The sound of the CD is almost perfect. The weird artwork is from Set<H>. Today Died Yesterday is much better than the mediocre debut! Keep it up!

Written by Skariotis

Swan Christy - Black Is The White Color

In the year 2001 it was time for a new Swan Christy album. Black Is the White Color is their third album and it is released again from Black Lotus Records. I think the band is getting better and better, the album starts with a really great song. Because A Motherfucker Said So is a strong, hard rocking piece. The symphonic parts are gone, the piano remained, but it does not sound obsolete and fits perfectly to the music. What I should mention are the fantastic vocals of Kostas! The band is really lucky to have a singer like him. The music has many cool rocking riffs and in combination with the vocals and the piano they are building up the good music. Many songs are highlights: Cast In Tears, Enough Of White, Salt Penetration and I Am In Hate With An Alien. There is a slight modern element audible, some electronic samples instead of piano. These elements will play a big part in the band´s future. But for now, Black Is The White Color fulfils all expectations for a modern metal album!

Written by Skariotis

Swan Christy - Julian

In the year 2003, Swan Christy released their fourth album, simply called Julian. First of all: Julian is NO Metal album. So stop reading here if you are already disappointed. If you are interested in good music, go ahead. I don´t know how to call this music, but I know, I like it. The album starts with Comedy/Drama, with its nice acoustic guitars and Iraklis on vocals. His voice is also good, but Kostas is sure the better singer. The few electronic elements from Black Is The White Color are very present now, the heavy guitars are gone. There is almost no distorted guitar at all on Julian. But I don´t know why, Julian is for me the best album of Swan Christy! The songs are all calm, electronic, based on the piano and on computer samples, scratches etc., but sounds not cheap like shitty pop music. This music is maybe perfect, if you want to chill out a Sunday afternoon, after heavy drinking! Due to fantastic songs like Comedy/Drama, Second Opinion, Pure Inspiration, Old Man´s Ego, Julian Just Died and Sense And Possibilities I can enjoy Julian every fuckin´day!

Written by Skariotis

Swan Christy - A Decent Album

A Decent Album is Swan Christy´s fifth album. It came out in 2005. The music is totally in the vein of their last album Julian. So don´t expect Heavy Metal, but electronic music with many samples, loops and programming. It is cool to see, that Black Lotus didn´t kick them out, because they changed style so dramatically. As on Julian, this album is full of chill-out music. The mood is a bit more melancholic now. But I have to say, that Julian is better then A Decent Album. The songs are all OK, but they cannot reach the level of the Julian-songs. So it is a kind of stagnation for the band to release two albums which are very similar, but the previous one was better than the new one. The band should climb the next musical step into the unknown path of the music.

Written by Skariotis

The Bloodcult - Night´s Plutonian Shore

The Bloodcult is a side-project of two Medieval Demon members. Unlike their main band, this is not Black Metal but Gothic Metal. This is their first album (and their last one) and it was released in 1998 by Unisound Records. If you have insomnia, try this and you will sleep like a baby. Listen to every song you want, you will fall asleep. The organ intro is as boring as all other songs on Nights Plutonian Shore. This is melancholic-wannabe, gothic-wannabe, darkwave-wannabe, Type O´Negative-wannabe, music-wannabe music. Sad but true.

Written by Skariotis