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Acid Death/Avulsed - Misled/Deformed Beyond Belief Split LP

The split LP of Acid Death and the Spanish Deathsters Avulsed was released in 1993 by Greek Molon Lave Records (MLR 053). Avulsed contributes one intro and five songs of brutal Death Metal in the vein of the classic Florida scene unter the title Deformed Beyond Belief.
Acid Deathīs side contains also five songs, but the band had always a more technical (luckily not too technical) approach to Death Metal (the mighty Death began to evolve and became more technical at the same time!). Their side is called Misled. Listening to the songs, I just donīt know why nobody recognised the band. Of course there were thousands of Death Metal bands around the globe then, but most of them just copied the American or the Swedish scene. Technical Death Metal bands were not so many. Highlight of Misled is the song Apathy Murders Hope, which was also released on the homonymous EP. This split LP is highly recommended for any Death Metal fan, Acid Deathīs side is highly recommended for fans of technical Death Metal!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Acid Death - Pieces Of Mankind

After some EPīs and some demos, Acid Death released 1998 their debut album called Pieces Of Mankind. My copy is from English Copro Records, but Iīve read that this album was released initially by Metal Mad Music. The sound on Pieces Of Mankind has matured, it is not in-your-face-Death Metal anymore, but a lot more sophisticated. The song structures are more complex, featuring a broad range of  elements of extreme and progressive metal. Calm acoustic parts, thrashing metal riffs, blasting drums, complex guitar and keyboard arrangements and playful melodies are admixed and dominate Acid Deathīs songwriting. Sometimes it reminds me the later material of mighty Death. The main difference between these bands are the vocals, īcause Savvas Betinis concentrates his energy to sound like a Thrash Metal vocalist, he is not growling. I see some similarities to Exhumation, they were also a Death Metal band which used more thrashy vocals and not growls. Of course the songs on Pieces Of Mankind are not the catchiest thing Iīve heard in my life, but fans of the progressive Death Metal genre donīt give a shit about this fact. And therefore I think they will enjoy Acid Deathīs Pieces Of Mankind!
       
 
Written by Skariotis

Acid Death - Randomīs Manifest

Two years after the debut Pieces Of Mankind, Acid Death released in 2000 their second work, this time under the banner of Black Lotus Records. Randomīs Manifest is the next logical step for Acid Deathīs music. It is not only more aggressive, but also trickier, faster and better produced than its predecessor. But the main difference is, that in spite of the all these elements, the music became also catchier, which seems to be not possible at first view, but due the elaborate songwriting Acid Death managed to make it possible! And they still kept these jazzy parts in their songs. Singer Savvas do not sound anymore like a Thrash Metal vocalist, but returned to his raspy Death Metal vocals. Shall I mention the skills of the other musicians? It is more than evident of what they are capable, weīre talking here about progressive Death Metal maniacs! With a killer like Randomīs Manifest, Acid Death should be known well in the global Death Metal scene, but the exact opposite is reality.  Unfortunately, the band disbanded after their best effort in the year 2001. After the split, singer Savvas Betinis formed the band Kinetic. If you like music from bands like Death or Cynic, you shall not miss Acid Deathīs Randomīs Manifest!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Acrimonious - Perdition Gospel

Acrimonious is a new acquaintance for me, but I have to say I like what I hear. Imagine orthodox Black Metal a la Watain with some traces of Satyricon, with an orthodox approach in the lyric department (meaning satanic). This four track MCD is also released as a 10" vinyl. The first song is the strongest, mostly because of a highly addictive melodic guitar lead. But the rest of the MCD contains great songs as well. This is definitely a worthy addition to any Black Metal fanatic’s collection, particularly if you like the orthodox approach. Some of the songs are downright catchy as well. Highly recommended!

 

 

Written by Morten

Agatus - The Weaving Fates

Eight years after the cult album Dawn Of Martyrdom, Agatus released 2002 their second album called The Weaving Fates. The main difference between both albums is, that the 2nd has much more traditional Heavy Metal elements than Dawn... Sometimes it reminds me the Killers album from Iron Maiden, and the main reason is the raw, traditional metal feeling, that is on both albums. Of course there are still plenty Black Metal elements, but the mix between traditional metal and Hellenic Black Metal makes this album so amazing! It was released from the Greek/German label Iron Pegasus.

The first song is the title track, The Weaving Fates. Great melodies and strong riffing make this track one of the best Hellenic metal songs, a perfect start for a killer album. Next comes Era Of Tiamat, a fast, but melodic song, which is too short, not even three minutes long. Track three is Conqueror Of Fear, the most traditional song Agatus have ever written. Traditional metal riffs combined with mid-tempo groove and a vocal part in the middle, which is very high-pitched, almost like King Diamond (it is sung by a guest vocalist)! Especially the vocals from Eskarth are not so typical Black Metal screams on the whole album, but still raspy enough! Next comes Night Mares, which is a fine mix of all Agatus-elements. Then comes an interlude, in form of an acoustic instrumental with a Hellenic touch, called LīArivee De La Victoire. After that break, the battle continues with Night Of A Thousand Stars, again a great song, which only Agatus can make it that way! Song seven, Faustian Call, is a fast one, with all lyrics sung in Latin, except the refrain, which is in English. What a great song, but again, too short, not even two minutes long. The next song has a Greek title (it is also written in Greek, so that the most non-Greek reviewers canīt read and canīt spell it right). It is called Progonolatria and it means Worship To The Ancestors. Track nine is an old song, which appeared the first time in 1993 on the legendary A Night Of The Dark Ages demo under the name Circling Around The Fire Of The Woods(II). Here it is called Visions Of The Moon, and it is an evidence, that the sound of Agatus was since the beginning Heavy Metal-influenced. Last track is a calm acoustic outro, with the fitting title, Epilogos (Epilogue). The lyrics are just two words, the Greek words Kyrie Eleison (master be merciful).

This album is from the beginning ītil the end outstanding. The mix between traditional metal and Black Metal is really well done. Just a few songs could have been longer (in contrary to the first album, on this some songs could have been shorter). Nevertheless, itīs for me one of the best albums of a Greek band!

 

Written by Skariotis

Astarte - Doomed Dark Years

Astarte was formed in 1995 under the name Lloth, but later changed the name to Astarte. This Greek band gained its popularity from the fact that it is an all-female Black Metal band (it is a shame that in the reviews and in the interviews they make such noise about that fact, they should concentrate better on the music!). Dooomed Dark years is their first album and it was released in 1998 from Greek Black Lotus Records.

After the intro, the band begins with the song Voyage Of Eternal Life. This song is, like Astarteīs whole music on this album, purely inspired by the Norwegian scene (and so is the outfit: black leather, spikes, nails, corpsepaint...). The song is grim and got fast and slow parts, with the typical arrangements, like Norwegian masters of Satyricon, Emperor, Darkthrone... Despite the grim and cold songs, they use the keyboard often, to complete their songs and to make them more atmospheric. A highlight on that album is the fifth song, Thorns Of Charon (part 2) (Emerge From Hades), which sounds more epic than the rest, with a nice guitar riff. The sound is good, typical Norwegian Black Metal. The drums are sometimes very weak and Iīm not sure if this is a real drummer and no drum computer. The vocals are raspy screams (sound not very female at all!). The problem on that album is, that the songs are too ordinary. Beside the first track and Thorns Of Charon there are no moments, that can be remembered as something outstanding. The songs are very similar and not really amazing. For Black Metal fanatics this album may be good, for me the only good thing on it is, that Astarte entered the Greek Metal scene, īcause there will come much better art from them in the future!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Astarte - Rise From Within

Rise From Within was released two years after the debut, in the year 2000. Things improved concerning the songwriting and Astarte show the first indication of getting their own style, īcause their debut was a bit too mediocre and standard Black Metal. The band slowed slightly the velocity and added more keyboard in the right place. There are also more melodies and not just high speed riffing. The album is really better than the debut, songs like Furious Animosity, Rise From Within I and II, and Non Existent Equilibrium prove that. But the most songs are too long in duration, with too many equal sounding parts. Even with the improved songwriting, Astarte fail to give us an album which is amazing from the beginning till the end. But Rise From Within tends to the right direction and their next album will surely be even better!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Astarte - Quod Superius Sicut Inferius

This album is Astarteīs third and the last with the old line-up, Tristessa (bass, guitar), Kinthia (vocals, guitar) and Nemesis (guitar). It was released in the year 2002 from Black Lotus Records.
 
This album goes many steps further than the previous two. The songwriting improved much and the songs are by far better than the songs of their debut album. The grim, Scandinavian influence disappeared. The new album kicks off with Reign Unfold, a fast, melodic neckbreaker. Song two Inflamed Paradox,  is a beautiful slow song, with many different parts and a wonderful melody. There are also clean vocals from the vocalist Kinthia and it does not sound cheesy like some gothic bands. Next songs, Oblivious Darkness and Deep Down The Cosmos are in the same mood, slow, variable and melodic, creating a melancholic atmosphere. Track five is called after the bandīs name, Astarte and it contains guest vocals from Set<H> from Septic Flesh. His deep voice fits perfectly to this song. Next song, Incarnate Legend Of Mummy Queen, got a few fast parts, which are really rare on this album. Track seven In Velvet Slumber reminds the second one, but it cannot reach its quality. Next song, Sickness is an instrumental, which begins with techno beats and a sharp guitar riff. In contrary to the rest of the songs, this is not a melodic one, but a great rocker. The title track, Quod Superius Sicut Inferius (which means something like "As Above, So Below" in Latin) has again a guest appearance of Set<H>. Last song Crossing, The Wounded Mirror Of Death finishes the album.
 
The musical change is clear and Astarte changed for the better, īcause now they sound much more self-contained. The band is easily recognisable and no Black Metal clone anymore. This album sounds very melodic and less brutal, but it is still a Black Metal album. The vocals of Kinthia are, despite the few clean voices, raspier than ever. The sound is very good, even the drums sound better (hard to say, human or programm?). The only negative thing on that album is the duration of the songs. They are all too long, the average duration of a song is over seven minutes, the most songs are over eight or nine minutes long. If they had made some short songs between, or shortened the songs to five or six minutes, the album would be much easier to enjoy. But anyway, the best Astarte album so far!

 
Written by Skariotis

Astarte - Sirens

Many things happened to the band since the last album. The old line-up broke in anger and bass player Tristessa continued alone with new (of course female) band members. The fight for the rights of the band ended in the courtyard, īcause Kinthia claimed the rights of the band too. This lawsuit ended after the new band released the fourth Astarte album, Sirens, so there is not the same Astarte logo on that. Tristessa got right at last. The new members are Hybris (rhythm guitars) and Katharsis (keyboard). The new vocalist is Tristessa. Again there is no drummer in the line-up. The band also moved to another label, to the well-known Italian label Avantgarde Music (Mayhem, Behemoth, Carpathian Forest...).
 
There is no better way in a critical moment, than releasing a good album, which will make an end to non-musical blabber in the scene. Exactly this album is Sirens! It starts with Dark Infected Circles, a slow and complex song, which for me is not the ideal opener, but quite a good song, which could have been on their last album Quod Superius... Next song is Black Mighty Gods, a song with great refrain and some melodic parts. The vocals of Tristessa differ only slightly from the vocals from Kinthia, they are a bit more thrashy and dirty. Track three is Lloth, which was also the former name of Astarte. It begins calm with a wonderful piano and guitar melody. There are no vocals on that song and it is short in duration. A welcomed interlude, something that was absent on the last album (as I mentioned on my review). Next song is Bitterness Of Mortality (MecomaN), which has guest vocals from Nicolas S.I.C. Maiis, the vocalist of the Greek Death Metal band Insected (in which Tristessa also participate as bass player). His voice is deep and makes a good contrast to Tristessaīs screams. Song number five is Deviate, an aggressive, but variable song. Tristessa is sounding like a rabid dog, ready for attack! Then comes Oceanis Procellarum (Liquid Tomb). On this song, Sakis from Rotting Christ is making a guest appearance. The refrain is great and kicks very ass! Sakisī vocals are a little bit too silent, but thatīs still OK. The Ring (Of Sorrow) has a guest appearance too, nobody else than Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir! His voice is immediately recognisable and it fits very well to the song part. Thatīs a really great song! Song eight is Twist, Nail, Torture, and after the slow start it turns to a grim rocking giant. Hell, yeah! Sirens, the title track contains a fine acoustic guitar. The last song Underwater Persephone is a nice, calm outro.
 
The production is good, the guitars and the drums are more in the forefront than ever. The keyboards are less present. These circumstances make Sirens a rawer album than its predecessor, which was more polished. This here is more brutal, more straight in your face, but there is still enough melody to call it melodic Black Metal. The songs are four or five minutes long, which is much better than the nine-minute-giants of Quod Superius...! After the mediocre start, Sirens becomes a really good album, that, with the cooperation of the new label, will surely spread the fame of the band!
 
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Astarte - Demonized

Three years after the great Sirens album, Astarte released Demonized in 2007. Itīs the fifth album of Astarte and the second for the label Avantgarde Music. There are again some small changes in the line-up, beside main-woman Tristessa on bass and vocals there are now Derketa on the synths, Hybris participated with lyrics and the guitar was played by a guy called Lycon. The musical change towards the Death Metal scene, which had begun with the last album, continued on Demonized. Itīs hardly a Black Metal album and Astarte are nowadays not a pure Black Metal band anymore. Nevertheless, they remain one of Greeceīs best known extreme bands and their Black Metal roots are still hearable.
The powerfully produced Demonized album begins furiously with Mutter Astarte, a straight Death Metal song with some nice keyboard sounds. Next good song is Lost, it begins uncompromisingly and turns to a great thrasher at the end. The song Lycon features the first guest appearance on this album. Attila from Mayhem contributes here his distinctive roar. The celebrity show continues on Queen Of The Damned, where Henri Sattler of God Dethroned is the guest singer. Heart Of Flames has no guest vocals, Tristessa herself gives her normal voice a chance, something which she should do more often, to bring more variety in Astartes music and especially in her vocals, which sound sometimes very monotonously. Everlast breaks the brutality of the album and gives the listener a well-deserved recreation time, which heīll need for Black At Heart. On this song Tristessa gets vocal support from Angela Gossow, the best-known extreme female singer and frontwoman of Arch Enemy. At the end, Astarte pays tribute to the German band Accept, covering the song Princess Of The Dawn. The album closes with the wonderful Everlast II (Phoenix Rising).
Just like Sirens, Demonized is a good album, full of strong riffs, fast drumming and extreme vocals. But for me, Demonized couldnīt top Sirens. Maybe because of the lacking of a real killer song like The Ring (Of Sorrow) or Oceanus Procellarum, or because of the fact, that Sirens was a great mix of Black, Death and Thrash Metal, and Demonized is too much of one kind, therefore it cannot reach its forerunner. I donīt know. But the album is strong enough and no disappointment at all, neither for me and surely nor for the ever-growing number of Astarte fans!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Athos - The Awakening Of Athos

Athos is a one-man-project of a guy called Kerveros. He is responsible for songwriting, all instruments and vocals. The Awakening of Athos is the debut album and it was released in 2007 by Candarian Demons Productions. The name of the band derives from Athos, a peninsula in Northern Greece, where Greek-Orthodox monks have their "independent republic" and there are several very old monasteries build on this peninsula. To this day it is forbidden for women to enter Athos, as this place is exclusively reserved for the "greatest woman of all", for Maria, the mother of Jesus Christ. The band Athos now argues that the peninsula Athos was, before Christianity arrived, an important place for pagans and the peninsula was created as the gods fought against the titans.
 
Knowing these facts, itīs clearly to recognise Athos as a pagan Black Metal band, fighting a lyrical war against christianity.But with an album like The Awakening Of Athos as weapon, the battle will be very difficult for Kerveros. The whole release sounds if it was recorded in a plastic box with plastic instruments. And you canīt win a war with plastic weapons! The sound is barely OK for a demo, it is absolutely unprofessional for an album. The reason for this bad sound is probably, that Kerveros self-released two years before a demo, also called The Awakening Of Athos. So Candarian Demons Productions took this amateurish demo-recording, put two bonus songs to make it longer in duration and released it as "new album". The reason I write so much about the bad sound is, that it destroys much of the musicīs atmosphere. And that which remains isnīt so good to persist with bad sound. The drum computer is most of the time on full speed, the riffing is also fast but also too familiar, as many Black Metal bands use the same riffing. Athos put some strange parts in-between those hyperspeed riffs, like hippie music or bad spoken recitations (which talk about a guy called dzeeesous...). I hope that the next Athos album will be a real album, with satisfying sound and professional attitude, so that Kerveros can show us what he is capable to do.
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Bathomet - Bathomet Mini CD

It seems that there are still people who trust notorious Unisound Records. Some of them form the band Bathomet (or is this another rip-off without the bandīs permission? Maybe, īcause there are more versions of this CD on the market). The result: a mini CD with a cover and the titles on the booklet, and nothing else! No lyrics, no album information, no member information, absolutely nothing. Nice work Unisound! At least the music deserves not more. The CD sounds very promising at the beginning, the sound reminds the old Storm Studio, where many classic extreme bands from Greece recorded their early material. But after a few seconds, the band turns to total chaos, as they try to be the band with the fastest drum computer in the world. This sounds absolutely fake, īcause the speed is ridiculous fast and the drum sound sucks. The vocalist sounds as if he had a plastic bag on the head as he recorded his vocals. These characteristics appear on every one of the five songs. If they didnīt had these cheap-sounding drum machine I would say that they play a very primitive form of Black Metal, but now I must say that they play a cheap form of Black Metal. Intensity can not only be created from the speed of the drums, there are many ways to make a song sounding intense. The last song is a Mayhem cover of the song Necrolust, but the result is the same: good beginning, but bad continuation, due to mad drum programing.        

 
Written by Skariotis

Black Winter - Dismal Fields Of Nihillism Split CD

Maybe it was an omen to name the last demo Still Alive... But Soon Dead. In the same year (2003) the band recorded the five tracks of this Split CD, but soon (2004) the band was indeed dead! Or better, they split up. Luckily, they noticed how strong the recorded, but unreleased  material is, and so the band came together again in 2005. The swiss label Black Tower Productions signed them and released the material in 2006 on a split CD with the Polish band Moontower. I canīt write anything about the Polish side, īcause I have only the promo version of Black Winter.
It starts calmly and majestic with the intro Orchestral Indolence, which was written and performed by Bob Katsionis (Nightfall, Firewind). Immediately after the intro, the band kicks off with My Dreams And Nightmares Come True. The band evolved since their second demo, the music is much more melodic and not so grim and Norse-like anymore. They incorporated great guitar melodies and show a matured songwriting, which culminates in the second song Hellenic War, for me their best song ever. This song was also featured in the compilation Greece Attacks: The Next Assault. Luckily they use the keyboard sparely and have no female vocals, so they avoid stupid comparisons to other, bigger melodic Black Metal bands, like Cradle Of Filth. Black Winters melody is based solely on melodic guitars and not on mainstram songwriting, predominant keyboards and female vocals. Next good example for that is the next track Somewhere In The Lands Of Cold. Last song is Tormenting In Hades, which stands on the same level as the other songs. Black Winter made big steps forward with this split CD. The band now knows how to write good songs and to perform them well. The sound of the songs is very clear and strong, which make them even better! The production (Nemesis Studios) belongs to the best I have heard from Greece! Since the songs are already three years old, I canīt wait to hear new stuff from Black Winter.
        
 
Written by Skariotis

Condemnation - Entering The Gates Doom Mini LP

After a demo release from 1991, this Mini LP is the first professional output of Condemnation. The band released Entering The Gates Of Doom in 1993 through the Greek label Molon Lave Records (MLR013), which had released many stuff of Greek underground metal bands at that time. The Mini LP contains one intro, four songs and one outro, bursting with an excellent mix of  Thrash and early Death Metal and a load full of enthusiasm! I didnīt know what to expect as I pushed the play button, but now I am more than satisfied. Condemnationīs songwriting is, despite the possible narrowness of the Thrash Metal genre, very versatile and all four songs are strong compositions. Thrash Metal riffing with the typical Hellenic sound (recorded in the Molon Lave Studio, later known as Storm studio, the birthplace of the Greek metal sound!) meets ripping guitar solos (remember Kill `Em All?) and a vocalist who sound almost like Mille of Kreator. Luckily, the band added some calmer, melodic parts (and of course some keys), which enrich their sound even more. This is not an amateurish demo release, the musicians know their profession and deliver a fine job. Highlights are the title track and Frontiers Of War. Just two things suck: the cover artwork and the fact, that since this great release the band disappeared without any other sign of live. How can you split up after such a strong release? There must be a curse on Greek bands, not to be noticed even with great material, just like Condemnation. I hope that this was not the fault of the crappy frontcover...
     
 
Written by Skariotis

Crossover - Debauchery

Crossoverīs debut Debauchery came out in 2002. It was released by French DeadSun Records. Cossover is not a rap/hardcore band, but their music is a crossover between Death and Black Metal with some Thrash Metal influences. The Black Metal elements are not many, but nevertheless the band has corpsepaint like a Black Metal band. Also the singer Zion is not sounding blackish at all. For me heīs the weak link in Crossover. The music is well played, with some strong riffs and nice melodies. If they wouldnīt have the corpsepaint I would  say that they are a good Death Metal band with a Thrash Metal vocalist. Anyway, higlights are World Crescendo, Errors, In The Name Of Blood and The Pilgrimage. There is also a cover-version of The Sign Of Evil Existence from Rotting Christ. The album starts strongly, but gets weaker as the end comes nearer. God Possessed tries to save the day, but in conclusion, Debauchery is a nice, but mediocre album.


Written by Skariotis

Crossover - Dogma

Dogma is Crossoverīs second album. It was released in 2004 by Greek Sleaszy Rider Records. Fortunately, many things changed for the better. Their last effort showed us a band that had not found its clear-cut path, too many different metal styles were mixed together and the outcome was a bit chaotic and undefinable. Dogma is easier to define. Crossover became a melodic Black Metal band, which is still using influences from other genres, mainly from traditional Heavy Metal, but the mixture sounds much more homogeneous than Debauchery. With the symphonic intro When Debauchery Ends..., they smartly build a bridge to their debut Debauchery. The sentence is completed with the last song, ...Begins The Dogma. The title declares the end of an era and the beginning of a new one, called Dogma.The increased usage of keyboards, both melodic and atmospheric, calls immediately the listenerīs attention. The debut featured them only very little, now they are well present. Additional to the keyboard, singer Zion altered from a Thrash/Death Metal singer to a good Black Metal vocalist, making Crossoverīs music more Black Metal-sounding than ever. There is also a guest appearance of Kaiaphas from the Norwegian band Ancient. Listen to melodic Black Metal grenades such as Martyr Of My Pain, Narcotic Love, Acheronīs Walk, Controversial Falsehood,  Six, Six, Six or the beautiful Trapped In Misery and you will notice that the band moved with speed of light since 2002. Normally I do not write about hidden tracks, but Dogmaīs hidden track is a fucking blast! Amazing song! I didnīt expect this progression before I listened the first time to Dogma. Crossover sound stronger than ever and I hope that they will progress even more in the future. The solo-album of Zion was also a big step forward to the musical supremacy of the new generation of Hellenic Black Metal bands. Now we know what we have to expect!  

 
Written by Skariotis

Dark Vision - Full Moon Shines

Dark Vision released their debut in the year 2002 through the Greek label NMC Music. The band plays an interesting mix of Heavy, Gothic and Black Metal, combining the harsh vocals with very melodic keyboards and nice guitar melodies. The band characterises its sound as melodic Heavy Black Metal, which is a proper description. Artwork was done by Set<H>.

The album starts with the title track, which features additional clean vocals. Good song, with many tempo changes and some nice parts. Highlights of that album are Black Knight, which is a good mixture between Dimmu Borgir and Iron Maiden, Nocturnal Prowler, with its amazing keyboard melody and Passing The Gates, which features beautiful female vocals in the refrain! The last song, Velvet Sky, is an epic track with a duration of more than ten minutes. This album is for fans of COF or Dimmu Borgir, they will get to know, that there is still space for bands like Dark Vision in the corner of melodic Black Metal. Not bad for a debut album!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Descend - Beyond The Realm Of Throes

Descend was known in the early 90īs as Epidemic. Under this name they released one EP and one album. One of its early members was Efthimis Karadimas, who left to form the great band Nightfall. I donīt know why they changed their name to Descend, they had obviously their reasons. Their debut album as Descend was released in 1998 by Black Lotus Records. I read that Epidemic was a Thrash Metal band, something you still can hear. But Descendīs music has much more influences than just Thrash Metal. The band added slow, melancholic parts and melodic guitars into their sound, not far away from Greek masters Rotting Christ. These slower, blacker parts are often interrupted by angry Thrash Metal attacks. This is probably the legacy of Epidemic, which appears suddenly when you got familiar with the slower sound. These thrashy parts remind me early Kreator. Singer Jimmy Morphis is also sounding like a vocal bastard of melodic Black Metal and aggressive Thrash Metal. All songs are of equal quality, highlights are not easy to name, maybe Son Of Loss, In Time Warp and Falling Rain. Only two things suck on this CD, first of all, the sound, īcause the guitars are too powerless and the whole mix is fucked-up, too sterile and dry. Second, the cover and the band logo has absolutely nothing in common with the music. Just look at it, would you think that behind this drawn boredom you can expect music which combines Kreator and Rotting Christ? Would you buy a CD with such a cover? Since their debut from 1998 there is sadly no sign of life from Descend. Maybe they split up. Fans of the bands I mentioned above can invest without fear if they will find this CD, but I think it will be not easy, due to bad distribution.
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Deviser - Unspeakable Cults

Deviser is a Black Metal band but it has influences of Thrash and Heavy Metal as well. After some demos and an EP, they released their debut album in 1996 through Mascot Records. The music is played mainly up-tempo. They have also some female vocals but they sound very bad. The band uses keyboards (for my taste it is mixed too loud), but in another way as many metal bands from Greece. Other bands wait for the right moment, to play a keyboard part, to create a certain atmosphere. But Deviserīs keyboard is fulltime and it sounds all the time the same. Singer Matt has a good blackish voice and the other musicians can execute their instruments well. There are some good songs on their debut, but generally, the album is lacking of strong, intoxicating songwriting. Highlights are Threnody, When Nightmares Begins and In The Horrorfields.
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Deviser - Transmission To Chaos

Deviser released in the year 1998 their second album through Mascot Records. Transmission To Chaos is much better than their debut, īcause the band slowed a little bit down and wrote better songs. The new songs are better structured, making them easier to listen. But the band still tries sometimes to put too much different parts into one song. Blastbeat, acoustic guitars, keyboards, everything  is OK, but at the end the listener forgot the most. And when they play a really strong part, it is too short, because the band has to play other 28 parts on the same song. Allright, the musical skills of the band are very good, but they canīt write amazing songs. And so, after listening to the album over and over again, I know how Deviser sound, but I canīt tell you one remarkable song. I donīt know if they are a mediocre band, or their music is maybe really not my cup of tea!

 
Written by Skariotis

Deviser - Running Sore

Deviser returned after four years and released in 2002 their third album through Belgian label The LSP Company. The album starts powerfully with Signals From Another World. Raging Black Metal brutality straight in your face! The album starts with the best song I ever heard from them! And more strong songs follow. I Am In Awe is completely different, slow, melodic and with oriental sounding keyboards. Cool song. Liber Animus is also a slow, but more melancholic track with nice melodies. Mourn The Dead is a fast tune with really great Black Metal vocals. Singer Matt becomes better and better! Under The Lunar Skies and the  last song Descend Among The Dead kicks some asses too! Production is OK, but I think, the last album was better produced. I didnīt expect such a good album from Deviser. From nine songs, six are much higher than the average material they had in the past. The songs are well written and performed. The keyboard is still too loud for my ears, but this time it fits to the catchier songs. This album catapulted the band many levels towards the top.

 
Written by Skariotis

Deviser - Thy Blackest Love (The Early Years)

This is a compilation CD that was released in 2003 from Greek label Sleaszy Rider Records. The first three tracks are from the homonymous demo, which was released in 1996 (check the review in the demo section!). Two songs are previously unreleased and the last three songs are demo versions of already released songs. The unreleased songs are Self Ignition and Turned To Stone. Both tracks were calmer than the material weīre used to know from Deviser. Sixth track is a demo version of Descent Among The Dead, which is on their best album, Running Sore. The sound here is very thin, not really strong. The demo version of Forbidden Knowledge has a better sound, this song is on the Treansmission To Chaos album with the name Daemonolatreia. The vocals are too high and weak, did Matt experiment with other styles? Last song is Into His Unknown. This song first appeared on a promo tape in 1992. Itīs the oldest and the best song on that compilation, Deviser sounded 1992 like Varathron meets Rotting Christ! Sounds like if there was Necroabyssious on vocals! There are also female vocals on that track! What a great song of typical early 90īs Hellenic Black Metal!
 
 
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Drunkard - Hellish Metal Dominate

After having released some demos, the Greek thrashers delivered their debut album in 2004. But this album could be released also in 1988, because Drunkard is a band which has that 100 % Thrash Metal attitude which was so typical in the 1980īs and disappeared in the 1990īs. The music of the band is purely influenced by the leaders of that time: Kreator, Sodom and Tankard, so Drunkardīs sound is a dedication to the German kind of Thrash Metal, not to the American Bay Area sound and there is no better proof for that than the debut album Hellish Metal Dominate. Of course it is impossible for Drunkard to develop an own music style in the narrow field of the Thrash Metal genre, it was already exhausted in the 1980īs! But thatīs probably not the intention! The whole album is one big tribute to their beloved but dead genre, īcause today nobody sounds like this anymore, not even the above-mentioned masters. Hellish Metal Dominate is like a concentration of the quintessence of German Thrash Metal! You maybe heard every riff or read every line of the album, but it makes so much fun to have this all concentrated in one CD! Thrashing drumming, razor-sharp riffing and the biggest cliché-lyrics and song titles like Drunk With Satan, Spiked Fist, Alcoholic Death or Disco Blood. Greece always loved German Thrash Metal, the band Flames played this kind of metal already in the 80īs and Drunkard is now the legitimate heir to Flames!       

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The Elysian Fields - Adelain

Adelain is the bandīs first album. It was released in 1995 from Greek Unisound Records. The band has two members, Bill (/vocals, guitars) and Michael (guitars, bass, piano). Their music can be described as fast Black Metal/melodic Death Metal with doomy, deppressive piano parts. The speed varies from hyperblast to slow melancholic parts. This musical mix is really amazing, making Adelain a great album. My personal highlights are I Of Forever, As One, Un Sentiment/I Was Dying Once Again, Of Purity And Black, and Father Forgive Them (For They Do Not Know). Great initiation!
   
 
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The Elysian Fields - We... The Enlightened

The second full-length was released in 1998 from the British Wicked World/Earache label. The Elysian Fields continue the path they had chosen on Adelain. The only new thing is the better production, the guitars are not sounding so harsh anymore, so the music sounds less Black Metal, more Death Metal. Still their music is full of fast, melodic, but also slow, melancholic, depressive, atmospheric, majestic, orchestral and brutal parts. Nice description, I know... Not really Greek sounding, but who cares. This mixture could only be done by one band: The Elysian Fields! Highlights: I Am The Unknown Sky, Until The Night Cries Our Name, Shall They Come Forth Unto Us, Arcana Caelestia, and Wither, Oh Divine Wither. This song sounds like a perfect Nightfall song (if you cut the violin parts)! Due to bad promotion, this album is the hardest to find of the band in the market. So grab it, if you see it!
     
 
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The Elysian Fields - 12 Ablaze

The band made some changes since the last album. Now there is a third member together with the core-members Bill and Michael. His name is Marinos and he plays guitar. The band also changed again the label, 12 Ablaze was released from Black Lotus Records in 2001. Musical changes are little, showing a slight evolution. The guitars are sounding more melodic than ever and the keyboard plays more orchestral parts, thatīs all. The production is really strong. The album is my personal highlight of the band, containing such great songs like Enshield My Hate Eternal, Of Dawns Perished Tranquility, Rapture And The Mourning Virtue, Ablazing 12 and As The Light Disappears. Sad, that The Elysian Fields never play their killer-songs live!
                 
 
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The Elysian Fields - Suffering G.O.D. Almighty

After four long years without a new The Elysian Fields album, the band released in 2005 their fourth attack through Black Lotus Records. After listening to the intro Aeonīs Unlight and the beginning of I Am Your Willing Darkness I thought I put a wrong CD in my player. The music sounded like modern electronic music. Then the band began with their typical melodic Death Metal inferno and immediately my mind said: Yeah, The Elysian Fields! The band now use, instead of their orchestral keyboard, a modern form of electronic background, with samples and other effects. Some wrote this is dance music, I do not think so, you canīt dance to this music. It is still melodic Death Metal, but modern, not orchestral. Imagine Tägtgrenīs Pain making good music and not cheap cliché dance metal. Also, the "Swedish" riffs and melodies are not so present anymore like on 12 Ablaze. This is by far the most mature and progressive work the band has released. But it is also not so easy to listen as their last album. Highlights are I Am Your Willing Darkness, the title track, I See The Lie Behind and An Overture Of Sorrows Unfolding. After listening to the album more times, you will see that the differences to the other albums are not really big. Only a real killer such Enshield My Hate Eternal is missing on the album.
   
 
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End - End

The homonymous album is Endīs debut. It was released in 2002 through ISO666 Releases. The album begins with the sick intro called Sick (at least a title which fits properly). The rest of the album is an infernal black attack against humanity, full of misanthropic tunes. There are some good songs on End, which should be mentioned, just like Pitiless Paranormal Reek, the calm-starting but grinding Nails And Forests, the albumīs highlight Humanitarianism and Come Blackness Feeds Me. Especially Humanitarianism is a song, Carpathian Forest always tried to make, but never did. Great job! End manages to combine harsh and grim Black Metal with a dirty dose of Rockīn Roll and a couple of calm, atmospheric parts. Despite the restricted limitation of the misanthropic Black Metal genre, Endīs music sounds fresh and not boring at all!
  
 
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End - End II

Endīs second album was released in 2003 by ISO 666 Releases. There is also a tape version of Night Birds Records, limited to 333 copies. A look to the grey album cover and  the black/white photos tells it all: End are playing traditional, raw, misanthropic Black Metal. Luckily their music is varying between many different speeds, so you got a full Black Metal blow, from slow grim parts to fast raging songs. The opener Dying Demon reminds old Satyricon, whereas Funeral Pyre tends to old Darkthrone, which seems to be a great influence for End. Despite these influences, End manages to sound fresh on their songs, thanks to the good songwriting. The vocals are typical for this music and really well done. The production is very raw, but the single instruments are still listenable. Nebula is the bandīs last song, a calm outro with whispered voices and dark atmosphere. Last song on the album is a cover of Carpathian Forest, called Pierced Genitalia. There is not really a single highlight, the whole album delivers typical, but quite good Black Metal with misanthropic lyrics. They are not inventing something new, but luckily they know how to write good music. This maybe wonīt be enough for the future, they must find their own style, like Nocternity did with Onyx, but for the moment, End II is a satisfying album!
 
 
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Enshadowed - Messengers Of The Darkest Dawn

After some demos, Enshadowed released in the year 2002 their debut album, which is distributed by Black Lotus Records. Their metal style is purely Scandinavian Black Metal, fast and harsh, with inverted crosses, corpsepaint and blasphemous lyrics. As the album was released, the mainman Necrotormentor had already kicked out the whole line-up. The songs are OK, they really know how to sound true and evil. Songs like War And Damnation, the mid-tempo Northbound and Jesus Christ Cage prove that. But Enshadowed always remind me the great Marduk, the songwriting is very similar, too similar in my opinion. But the quality of the songs canīt reach the Swedish Black Metal masters, so if Iīm standing in the store and have the choice to buy Marduk or Enshadowed, Enshadowed has to give me good reasons to buy Messengers Of The Darkest Dawn and not the archetype from Sweden. Enshadowed has to go a step further, to get out of the big Marduk shadow, which surround the band. Fanatic Marduk fans can invest blindly, they will not be disappointed.
 
 
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Enshadowed - Intensity

One year after the debut, Enshadowed released in the year 2003 through Black Lotus Records their second album, called Intensity. The album title works, the music is really intense and very brutal. Instead of remaining a Marduk-clone, Enshadowed (which is mainly the guitar player Necro) decided to change direction by adding lots of Death Metal influences into their sound. Gone is the typical Marduk-songwriting and the corpsepaint. Now you get almost typical brutal Death Metal riffs, the Black Metal elements are only listenable in some blastbeat-parts. Very abrupt change for a band, which claimed in the interviews that they play true Black Metal. At least they do not sound like Marduk anymore, but like an evil bastard of Black and Death Metal. Intensity is much better than the debut album, but Enshadowed are still failing to impress me. The Death Metal riffs are all copied from the big bands of the genre, you just listened to them years before and in a better way than on Intensity. The band still didnīt manage to sound independent. Of course they play their stuff with good skills and professionalism but this is not enough, īcause the songwriting is lacking of an autonomous sound. I hope that on their third album, which will hopefully be released soon, they will manage to sound like Enshadowed and not like someone else. The basement for a good album is already present!
 
 
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Ereshkigal - The Raping Of The Divine

Ereshkigal came to life in 1994 but the members of the band participated in a previous band called Flegethon, which released an EP through Molon Lave Records. The members are Rotten Flesh and Pinhead Skullcrusher. Their debut album The Raping Of The Divine was recorded in 1996 with the help of guitar legend Nigel Foxxe (ex-member of Flames), but unfortunately, big parts of the master tapes of the recording session were destroyed. The band gathered in 2002 again and began to re-record the destroyed material. 2005 the work was completed and the album was finally released from the Spanish label Temple Of Darkness Records, exclusively as purple coloured vinyl LP. So even if the album was released in 2005, the music reflects a band from the year 1996, influenced and inspired from the Death and Black Metal of the early and mid 1990īs. And exactly this way Ereshkigal sounds. The riffing is rooted deep in the Death Metal tradition but the vocals sounds purely Black Metal, reminding the early Necromantia releases. There are many instrumental parts which tend strongly into a more progressive, almost jazzy direction, with complex bass lines and fiddly guitar solos. It took me a while to get used to that rather unusual mix of fast old-school Death Metal, progressive parts and Black Metal vocals and lyrics, Ereshkigalīs music is definitely not something you will listen from myriads of todayīs extreme metal bands. But after some more listenings I think that the band succeeded with this unorthodox approach, which results in some great tracks as The Crushing Of Creation, Ereshkigal (the highlight of the album!) and Invocation Of The Dreaming Dead. The album ends with The Final Victory (which has also additional female vocals) and a statement of a greek priest. After Iīve listened to that statement, I didnīt know if I wanted to laugh or to cry, this bullshit drives me seriously crazy! The only handicap of the album is the absence of some slow songs, īcause the speed is almost always very fast. Slower speed would also emphasize their Greek metal origin, which now is only slightly hearable. Nevertheless, traditional Black/Death Metal fans should get as soon as possible a copy of The Raping Of The Divine, īcause itīs limited to just 1000 copies.
   
 
 
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Exhumation - Seas Of Eternal Silence

After some demos, Exhumation released 1997 their debut album Seas Of Eternal Silence through Danish label Die Hard Music. It was produced by famous Swedish producer Dan Swanö. The band took a right decision, the sound is very good. And the music style of the band is very similar to Swedish Death Metal bands, but Exhumation are a bit more brutal. After the majestic intro, the band explodes with Seas Of Eternal Silence and its melodic Death Metal riffs, played on full speed. In contrary to Swedish bands, Exhumation have a keyboard player and they manage to integrate the keyboard sound very well to the music. The band plays also slow parts, which sometimes remind me Iron Maiden. The guitar player Marios Iliopoulos (now leading Nightrage) is a really talented guy! But the other members are good as well, especially the drummer. The singer John has a very raw sounding voice, which differs a lot from the Swedish Death Metal vocal style. All songs are good examples, how to mix melodic guitars with brutal blastbeats. They are diverse, and of almost the same quality. Dreamy Recollection, Beyond The Eyes Of Universe, Forgotten Days and Passing Suns are all great hymns of melodic, but still brutal Death Metal. Fans of old In Flames, Dark Tranquility and Nightrage will love this album.
 
 
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Exhumation - Dance Across The Past

Only one year after their debut, Exhumation released 1998 their second album called Dance Across The Past. The band signed to a new company, to French label Holy Records, which was the home of several Greek bands at that time, like Nightfall, Septic Flesh and On Thorns I Lay. They went to Sweden again, to get the best possible sound for their melodic Death Metal. This time Fredrik Nordström produced it and he gave them a really powerful sound. The main difference to their debut is, that they have less blastbeat parts, but more mid-tempo parts, generally, their songwriting matured and they really sound very Swedish now. Thatīs no criticism, īcause what they are doing, they do it 100% and they do not sound like somebodyīs clone. Check out Withered Sky, The Slender Light, Sin, or THE highlight of melodic Death Metal, the title track Dance Across The Past. There is also a good cover-version of Sepulturaīs Territory as last song. This album is recommended for every fan of this genre.
 
                 
 
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Exhumation - Traumaticon

Traumaticon is Exhumationīs third and sadly the last album. It was released in 1999 from Holy Records (1997, 1998, 1999 - every year a release, not bad!). With their last album they managed to become Holyīs best selling band in Japan. Traumaticon continues on the same path. The band let Fredrik Nordström produce it again, for me the best metal producer in the whole world. Exhumation puts more emphasis into the mainly mid-tempo riffs. Blastbeat parts are really rare. The mood of the album is more depressive and darker than on the previous two albums. But somethingīs missing on the album, a real killer song or some new elements. There is nothing new on Traumaticon, every note sounds too similar to songs of their previous albums. The bandīs music stagnated. Was this the cause for the split? Anyway, their heritage is not lost, īcause guitar player Marios Iliopoulos moved to Gothenburg, Sweden and there he formed a band, which continues the path of Exhumation and which is named after a song on Traumaticon: Nightrage!
 
 
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Ezgaroth - D.C.L.X.V.I.: The Order

This is the first full-length of the blacksters Ezgaroth (who changed their name from Esgaroth). It was released by Sempiternal Productions in 2004. The album starts very powerfully with Will To Power. The two-men-band spits its hate upon humanity in a very pleasant way with aggressive staccato riffing, full-speed drumming and hateful vocals. This continues on the second track, In Domine Magni Dei Nostri Sathanas. Especially the guitar sound and vocals are brutally distorted and well emphasized. Great beginning! On The Order the band slows down the speed and adds some keyboards and electronic samples into the sound. Serpent Idol combines the speed of the first two songs with the atmosphere of the title track, becoming both, aggressive on the one hand and melodic/atmospheric on the other. The Obscene Kiss is already the last official song on the album, itīs a calmer song, ideal for closing a good album. But there are two bonus songs at the end, Ad Victoria and The Sovereign, both are in the vein of the first five, however they cannot reach them in quality, so the album gets a bit weaker at the end. Anyhow, D.C.L.X.V.I.: The Order remains a good album, which has the potential to convince every Black Metal fan. And if Ezgaroth will stop playing with controversial signs in their booklet (do a Black Metal band need this?), they surely can make even bigger steps in the future!
 
 
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Funeral Revolt - The Perfect Sin

Funeral Revolt formed in 1989 and released some demos and one EP in the early 90īs, but then the band split up in 1994. Eleven years later they returned with their first album The Perfect Sin, released from Sleaszy Rider Records. Surprisingly, the band has still the same five members, but this is the only thing that the new Funeral Revolt has in common with the old. They were a straight Death Metal band then, and now they enriched their music with many new elements. First of all, with a strong vibe of electronic music. All songs are enriched with electronic samples, beats and strong keyboard sounds. These electronic parts are not operatic or majestic-sounding, but they help to keep the music dark, futuristic and very atmospheric. The music from the band can hardly be described as Death Metal. All songs are mid-tempo or even slower, remaining always depressing, but very often, when you donīt expect it, they play some razor-sharp riffs. The vocals of singer Dimitris are very deep, but not exactly growls, he has a powerful deep voice. Influences are not easy to name, sometimes the band reminds me the later Septic Flesh stuff, sometimes a slower version of Fear Factory, sometimes the Swedish bands Hypocrisy and Pain. The sound of The Perfect Sin is very good, although it cannot reach the level of the Fredman-productions of Septic Flesh (Iīm thinking a lot about this legendary band as Iīm listening to Funeral Revolt...). But itīs not really fair from my side to compare them with todayīs best metal producer, Funeral Revolt recorded their album on their own,  so just keep in your mind that this album has a very good sound. There are not few highlights on The Perfect Sin, the best songs are the dooming Six Was Nine, Fear Formula (Septic Flesh-fans listen to this!), Battle Art (which reminds me the band Nightfall), Pistol Silhouette (great riff!) and We Maximize. Fans from all the bands I mentioned above, especially fans of Septic Flesh can invest blindly in this album, they gonna add one more good album into their CD collection! 

 
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Godblood - Those Funeral Times

Godblood is a Black Metal band from Cyprus. Their debut album Those Funeral Times was released in 1998 by Cypriot label Throne Productions. They play a very interesting mix between Hellenic Black Metal and New Wave Of British Heavy Metal! Expect slow and raw traditional Heavy Metal-riffs, mixed with Black Metal vocals. It sounds old-schoolish and gives a touch of reminiscence to the old glorious days of the metal-scene in late 70īs, early 80īs. Sometimes the music gets fast but never faster than old Venom. All songs are good and make you push the play-button more than one time. Of the nine songs there is not one single bad song, all songs have the same good quality. The only weak point is the powerless production, but at least it fits to the music, making it even more retro-sounding. A nice piece of Cypriot metal madness!
    
 
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Homo Iratus - Human Consumes Human

Three years after their good Absence Of Progress demo, Homo Iratus released in 2001 their debut album called Human Consumes Human, through the US label Arctic Music Group. The two core members Alex (guitars) and Argyris (drums) gathered with a new vocalist called Mitch and a new bass player called Angelos.

The main differences between the debut and the demo are of course the better sound, the roaring voice of Mitch (lets call him Mr vacuum cleaner.)and the slower, groovier music. Homo Iratus are playing a good mix of Death Metal, the Roots-album of Sepultura, Grindcore and some percussion/tribal elements. The slower, grooving songs are the best songs and located at the beginning and at the end of the album. Life-Like Violence, Dead Upon Conception, Project: New World, Tomahawk Cruise Messiah and S.H.I.T. kicks seriously asses! Between them they got some Grindcore parts in their songs, like in Homo Sapiens?, False Criteria, Human Parts Inc., but the songs remain still groovy. Their lyrics are not gore or satanic lyrics, but are dealing with corrupt politics, war for money, etc. A really good debut album, suitable for every Death Metal fan!
                 
 
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Homo Iratus - Knowledge... Their Enemy

Knownledge... is not the second Homo Iratus album, but a mini album with four songs and two videos in mpg format. It was released in 2002 from Arctic Music Group. There was a line-up change, īcause vocalist Mitch is not anymore in the band. The growls on this release are from a good friend of the band called Thomas. He is only a replacement, till the band will find a permanent singer. The first track is Protection Through Surveillance, a variable song with many changes. Song two is a cover of Sepulturaīs song Roots Bloody Roots. Instead of Brazilian tribal elements, the band used Greek folk instruments like the lyra and the daoul, transforming it to the Greek version of the song. The last two tracks are taken from the debut, Human Consumes Human. Track three is Tomahawk Cruise Messiah and track four is Homo Sapiens?. Both are great songs, but new material would be better.The video clips are from the songs Tomahawk Cruise Messiah and Project: New World. Both are very professionally made by the band members themselves, including live footage, where they are joined by a percussionist wearing a gas mask and hacking wood to pieces with an axe. Due to Slipknotīs growing popularity the band do not use his services anymore. But nevertheless it looks cool!
 
 
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Homo Iratus - Apocalypse

After their mini CD Knowledge... Their Enemy, Homo Iratus split with Arctic Music Group and recorded, produced and released Apocalypse in the year 2004 self. They didnīt find the appropriate vocalist, so the bass player Angelos is singing, supported from Alex, the guitar player. His voice is not so deep and roaring, but still powerful. The music changed also, all the mixed elements from the previous releases became one unholy brew, Homo Iratusīown style is becoming clear. The music is not so slow, but more technical, but the songs are still grooving. The percussion elements disappeared, but the drumwork of Argyris is really fantastic. The album is full of strong songs. Another Daybreak Gone, Disintegrating Rotorīs Authority, Soulconscienceworkshop, One Last Breath, Constructing Stature, e-land Phobia, Binary Clone Epoch are all very diverse Death Metal compositions. The production is strong and clear, despite the fact, that the band paid and recorded it without any help of a label and produced it self. The cover artwork displays the lyrics very well, which are dealing with the problems of the modern, mass-consuming, warfaring world. Great album!

 
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Horrified - In The Garden Of The Unearthly Delights

Horrifiedīs debut album came out in 1993 by Greek Black Power Records. There are ten tracks on the vinyl and twelve on the CD, īcause there is the 7" EP The Ancient Whisper Of Wisdom included. But the label forgot to print the songs on the song list, so hereīs the info: track six and seven on the CD are the tracks Seperial Dominion and Astral Submersion from the EP. So the regular songs of the album continue with track eight. What a mess...

Horrified plays slow, atmospheric Death Metal like early Septic Flesh, but more depressive, a bit like old Anathema. They even got the operatic, female vocals much earlier than Septic Flesh and they use the keyboard more! The growls of vocalist Gore are deep and powerful, nice contrast to the orchestral, operatic parts. The music really sounds like the old Greek scene. There are some great tracks on the album, Elisaph, Early Dawn Enraged, Down At The Valley Of The Great Encounter, which is one of the best Hellenic metal songs, Dying Forest and the beautiful outro Dancing Next To Dying Souls. Unfortunately, after this album Horrified split up, but reunited in 1998. The Greek label Black Lotus Records signed a deal with them and will re-release In The Garden Of The Unearthly Delights still in 2005! So the rare debut will be available again.
  
 
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Horrified - Animal

After four years of being departed, Horrified reunited in 1998 and released immediately a second album through Black Lotus Records. Animal has only little in common with their debut, In The Garden Of The Unearthly Delights. They are still a slow Death Metal band, but the female vocals and the orchestral parts are gone, the diversity of the music is made by other factors. The guitar riffs are not common Death Metal riffs, but very versatile. Just listen to Evol Morena, where the band plays Spanish music with metal guitars! The only constant is the dark voice of singer Gore, he put enough own voice into the growls, so they sound not too familiar. Generally, I think that the band members did what they wanted to do, without any expectation. Listen to the fucked up intro Hypnos or the last song Funny Man and you will understand. Horrified sounds very unique, but that is sometimes a problem, because the material is not easy-listening. Also, some songs on Animal are too mediocre. So their reunion album is not as good as their debut, despite some good songs like Ghost, Evol Morena and Funny Man.
         
 
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Horrified - Deus Diabolus Inversus

Four years after their last album Animal, Horrified returned in the year 2002 with Deus Diabolus Inversus (Latin: god is the inverted devil, or, the devil is the inverted god). The band recorded it in Athens, but produced and mixed it with Fredrik Nordström in Sweden. This means, the sound is almost perfect. Drums are played by Akis (Order Of The Ebon Hand, Ex-Septic Flesh, Ex-Thou Art Lord, Ex-Naer Mataron). The music is a perfect example of atmospheric and slow Death Metal. But it also features keyboard and some great choirs as well. There is no single fast part on that album. It starts with the title track, which begins with sounds of a horn. It almost sounds like an ancient war signal. Then after one minute the band starts to play the melody of the horn. Singer Gore is screaming or whispering only one phrase all the time: Deus Diabolus Inversus. This is really one of the best Horrified songs! A new element are the backing vocals of guitar player and main songwriter Stavros. They sound very blackish, but are a good alternation to the deep screams of Gore. All songs sound more well thought-out than the songs on Animal. Good songs are also Ascending Path: A Star Child Is Born, Monolith: Test Teach Transform, the weird Once Upon A Time, The Seven Gifts Of Sin, Doberman and Insects. Avatar Of The Age Of Horus has guest vocals from Mikael Akerfeld from Opeth. As always, Horrifiedīs music is very unique, I donīt know any band which sounds like them! Deus Diabolus Inversus features good songs and has a great sound, so check it out!
 
 
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Horrified - In The Garden Of The Unearthly Delights (Re-release)

This Hellenic cult album needed for many reasons a re-release. First, the weak sound of the original album do not fit to the great songs, and second, the songs of the original CD are messed up with some bonus songs. At least the CD version is a bit chaotic, concerning the song order. And last but not least, it is indeed very difficult to find the album on the market. So Black Lotus Records, Horrifiedīs present record label, remastered the original recordings and re-released the album with a different cover and with many bonus songs from Horrifiedīs now legendary EPīs, The Ancient Whisper Of Wisdom and Eternal God. Itīs fantastic to listen to the great songs like Elisaph, Early Dawn Enraged and Down At The Valley Of The Great Encounter in a proper sound. The slow, but deadly Death Metal, enriched with atmospheric keyboards and female vocals was unique for the year 1993 and Horrified began with this kind of Death Metal, which later would be made perfect from Septic Flesh. After the ten regular album songs are the two tracks of the The Ancient Whisper Of Wisdom EP and then the three songs from the Eternal God EP. These two EPs are very hard to find and collectorīs items. So with this release, the fan will get the complete musical output from Horrifiedīs early musical stage, before they split up in the mid 90īs. And  thatīs not enough, īcause Black Lotus put as last song an unreleased song from Horrifiedīs last album Deus Diabolus Inversus, called Etah Morena! So at the end, we get a taste of todayīs Horrified. This CD is surely value for money!
 
 
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Inactive Messiah - Inactive Messiah

Inactive Messiah was known before as Womb Of Maggots. Under this name they released a demo and an album. In 2004 they changed their name and released their new homonymous debut album through Black Lotus Records. They play some kind of Deathīn Roll, rocking metal riffs mixed with extreme vocals. Best example for their style is the opener T.C.D.D. Sometimes theyīre also adding modern elements into their sound. The speed of the songs is always on the mid-tempo region, they never get fast and there are no blastbeat parts on the album. Inactive Messiah has some really nice and catchy songs as T.C.D.D., Blossom Of Paranoia, Shut The Fuck Up and Back To Life/Memories, which tends to the sound of the Revolution DNA album of Greek icons Septic Flesh. At the end they even play a Septic Flesh song, Marble Smiling Face! But generally, the album lacks of diverse songwriting, many songs sound too similar. So from ten songs, five are just on an average level. Even the guest appearances of Fotis and Chris (ex-Septic Flesh) canīt hide the weak points of the album. Another weak point are the vocals of Mineiro, which are not as deep and brutal as they should be. Sometimes they sound like if somebodyīs coughing. The production is good, the album was mixed and mastered at Finnvox Studios in Finland. Cover artwork is made by Set<H>, but I must admit, he has done better covers in the past. Inactive Messiah comes with an extra CD as bonus, with some nice, but not really necessary features, like tour footage, some useless comments and the video clip of the song T.C.D.D. Since Black Lotus doesnīt exist anymore, I would recommend you to grab the album if you see it somewhere under ten Eurodollars!
                 
 
Written by Skariotis

Inactive Messiah - Be My Drug

Two years after their debut album, Inactive Messiah unleashed in 2006 their second album Be My Drug. Many things changed since then. First of all, they found as new label Holy Records, which released in the past albums of some great Greek metal bands like On Thorns I Lay, Septic Flesh, Exhumation or Nightfall. Secondly, the line-up changed, guitar player Dimitris and vocalist Mineiro left the band. New second guitar player is now Sotiris, while the old keyboard player Xristos is now the new singer. After the release of Be My Drug, Katerina, the female drummer, left the band too. New drummer is now Akiss. Despite the changes, Be My Drug is a much stronger album than the debut! The band asked Chris from Chaostar (Septic Flesh) to help them with some orchestral parts and he assembled the Symphonic Orchestra of Slovakia and the Choir of the Greek National TV (ERT) to record the symphonic parts of the album! Beside these new orchestral elements, the music of the band itself became much better. The mediocre metal riffs are gone, now the riffing is razor-sharp and  produced with a really powerful sound (recorded, mixed and mastered in Finland at the Finnvox Studios and in Greece at The Devilworx Studios). The vocals of new singer Xristos are fitting much better to the music and guitar player Thanos adds on calmer parts some clean vocals, making the whole sound more diverse. The music itself remains on the same speed level, so there are still no really fast parts on Inactive Messiahīs music. If I had to do a short description of their sound, I would say that it is a mixture of Septic Fleshīs Revolution DNA and Sumerian Daemons albums. But that would be quite unfair, Inactive Messiah is not a clone band. But fans who know can now imagine at least the direction of their music on Be My Drug. Highlights of the album are many, Sing, Be My Drug, Pain, the calmer but nonetheless great Hear Me Tonight and the speedy Before The End. Guest appearances are from Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), JP Leppäluoto (Charon) and from their sound engineer Arto Tuunela. There is also a cover of Michael Jacksonīs Beat It, which is a double sided issue. Many will surely like it, but for many it will still remain a pop song. Decide for yourself, after purchasing it!
         
 
Written by Skariotis

Insidius Infernus - Pale Grieving Moon

The debut album of Insidius Infernus was released in 2002 by Greek Sleaszy Rider Records. The band has just two members, Ungod plays all instruments and Luciferia adds female vocals to the grim Black Metal sound. Nevertheless, Ungod is actually the main singer too. Black Metal with female vocals, sounds like some melodic stuff like Cradle Of Filth and the likes of them. But in this case, the description does not fit at all. Insidius Infernus songs are not melodic, are not supercharged with excessive keyboard sounds or fashionable melodies. The base of the sound is the grim riffing of Ungod, and the minimalistic attitude of the band. If you leave out all the gimmicks of modern Black Metal (which is nowadays a standardisation of the omnipresent Norwegian sound), and recollect its original core (grim riffing, hateful shrieks, anti-religious lyrics) then you are not far away of Insidius Infernus sound. The female vocals are a nice addition. The frail voice of Luciferia is high-contrast to the music and vocals of Ungod. The production is very clear, especially the guitar-sound is razor-sharp. Without the wonderful in- and outro there are seven great songs of mid-tempo Black Metal on Pale Grieving Moon. There are almost no blastbeat parts on the album, what a nice contrast to the majority of todayīs Black Metal bands! If youīll find somewhere this unknown gem, grab it!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Insidius Infernus - Eyes In Astral Abyss

This is the second album of the Greek Blacksters Insidius Infernus. It was released in the year 2004 by Sleaszy Rider Records. The band consists of two members, Ungod, who plays all instruments and do the Black Metal vocals and Luciferia, who contributes the female vocals. The songs on Eyes In Astral Abyss are influenced by mid-tempo Black Metal like Darkthroneīs Ravishing Grimness. Even if there are some faster parts (like in The Legend Of The Christian Massacre), the music remains mainly mid-tempo and it is based almost solely on the riffing, not on melodies, blastbeats or keyboard sounds. A keyboard is not used at all, so the album always remains a grim and raw, guitar-driven album. The only melodic element is the female vocal part of singer Luciferia. But she donīt play a very big role on the songwriting, her vocals are used rather rarely. Nevertheless, she adds some interesting elements to the album. Luckily she do not sound too operatic, like these modern, trendy, female-fronted bands. The album begins strongly with songs like Bloodcurdling Aura, Dawn Of Bloodbath, Children Of The Night and Enter The Perennial Solitude. This is great headbanging stuff! But as time goes by, the listener gets lost in the monotone riffing of the songs that canīt reach the first five songs. So itīs difficult to realize another good song at the end, called Mourn Of The Fallen Heroes. Except this, all stronger songs are on the first half of the album. Maybe itīs too much for that kind of music to put eleven songs in one album, as the diversion is missing. They should make shorter albums (a duration of almost 50 minutes is quite long for a grim Black Metal album) or they have to make the music more diverse, but this would mean the loss of their current sound. Time will tell...
    
 
Written by Skariotis

Inveracity - Circle Of Perversion

Inveracity was formed in 1998 and released after a demo and a split EP the debut album in 2003 through Unmatched Brutality Records. The band plays brutal Death Metal in the vein of the US Death Metal scene. Especially bands like Dying Fetus, Suffocation and Misery Index can be named as reference for the sound of Inveracity. Angry guitar riffs are mixed with frequent blastbeat attacks and a deep voice coming directly from the depths of hell. Slower, grooving parts are contributed often, to make the songs more variable. Itīs not the aim of the band to experiment, so expect a record which is 100% orthodox to the Death Metal scene. Luckily, Inveracity has a tightened songwriting and keeps all songs on a short duration (seldom longer than three minutes), and avoids that way a potential upcoming of boredom. All eleven songs are on the same level and surely a pleasure for fans of that genre. For me, this music is perfect for live gigs and I can imagine that the live shows of Inveracity are not for softies!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Into The Gore - Pain Must Be Amplified

Into The Gore is (together with Homo Iratus) at the forefront of Greeceīs new Death Metal generation. Pain Must Be Amplified is their debut album and it was released in 2001 through Slovakian label Metal Age Productions. They play brutal Death Metal like new Cannibal Corpse, Skinless, Vader, etc. They have two great vocalists, one is growling and one is screaming higher with a distorted voice. The album is full of energetic and brutal attacks. The music is not very original, but played with passion and with professionalism. The songs are full of grooving, blastbeat and grindcore parts. The high diversity prevents the music to get boring. The lyrics are about violence, gore and killing. All songs are on the same, high level, so I canīt tell you a special highlight. The production is sadly not the strongest, but the music is suitable for every Death Metal fan!
       
 
Written by Skariotis

Invocation - Lonesome Was The Last Journey

This is the only release of Invocation which we can call a full-length release. The CD was released in 2002 through Greek NMC Records, but the songs are all from the year 1993 - 1996. This is something like a farewell compilation. This is also a farewell to the bandīs guitar player George, who died in 1997. After his death the band probably split up, that explains that the songs are all written before 1997. After 1997 their singer/drummer Aithir would become the vocalist on the first two Naer Mataron albums. Invocation plays a mix of Hellenic Black Metal and Death Metal. There are many calm parts based on piano and the obligatory keyboard as well. The album starts with Garden Of Dreams, a slow, melancholic song, which at the end becomes really fast and aggressive. Second track is an acoustic piano song, very calm with Greek lyrics from the Greek poet Kostas Kariotakis (1896-1928). Beyond The Seven Spheres is more Black Metal with higher shrieks, with slow and fast parts. Shadow Over Innsmouth was 1993 their first released song on the split EP with Medieval Demon. It is maybe their best song, but I liked the old EP version a bit more. 19 Scenes... Of Falling is again a calm interlude, but this time itīs played by keyboard. Venus... Moon, Icon Red and Lust...Vision become aggressive again, the songs are typical Greek Black Metal, something like old Rotting Christ meet first Naer Mataron. Flowers On My Grave is a slower, very melancholic song. The last track is the title track, Lonesome Was The Last Journey. It is more like an outro, calm, depressive, based on piano and keyboard, a silent way to say goodbye. Invocationīs music canīt reach the music of the bigger bands, but it is purely Hellenic Black Metal and has more atmospheric and calm parts than other bands. There is also more melancholy and depression in their songs. All things considered, it is a nice album, which sadly will not have a successor.
               
 
Written by Skariotis

Kawir - To Cavirs

This is a re-release of the classic To Cavirs mini LP. It was released in 1997 by Nyx Records on CD-book format. The band added four new songs to the five original songs. These songs are the grim Hermes, the fast Persefone, the hymn Artemis and the short, outro-like Nyx. All four new songs fit well into the original mini LP material. But sadly there is no second song which can reach the brilliance of To Cavirs. This version is very limited and much wanted!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Kawir - Epoptia

Epoptia is the second album of Kawir. It was released in the year 1999 from Storm Records. The line-up was Therthonax (guitars, bass), Erichthonios (keyboards, drums) and Diavelgenus (vocals).

The album starts furiously with Infinite Chaos, played at full speed. We werenīt familiar to hear such speed from Kawir! Fortunately there are some mid-tempo parts on it, so the song does not get boring. Next song, Erebus, begins with cool riffing, but then the blastbeat begins and the song becomes a mediocre Black Metal song. Sad, the riff at the beginning sounded very promising, why they didnīt make more out of that? Third track, Cosmic Verve, comes to defend Kawirīs original attitude with its slow start and the bombastic keyboards and then getting faster and faster, till all hell breaks loose! Highlight! Korivantes has the longest duration on Epoptia, it is over nine minutes long and covers the full spectrum that Black Metal hast to offer, like blastbeat, keyboards, slower parts, mad screams. Gaia is an usual Black Metal song which contains a flute solo at the end. The sixth track is also the last track and it is called simply Zeus. It is a slow, epic composition, with a great keyboard melody and a fantastic guitar riff. It creates a really majestic atmosphere! This song is Hellenic Black Metal!

Epoptia was re-released in 2004 through Solistitium Records with new artwork and two bonus tracks. The first is Keres, from the split EP with Nocternity, and the second is a remix of Empousa, from the split EP with Zemial. Both songs differ a little bit from the Epoptia material and with Empousa the band adds another good song to the album.

This album has not much in common with the old material, where Necroabysious was the vocalist. It is much faster, but also very polished. The vocalist sounds a bit like "Donald Duck gets really wild". Really crazy voice, but somehow weak... The album has two great songs and some good moments, but this is not sufficient, īcause some songs are mediocre melodic Black Metal. Not a bad record, but sadly just in few parts really strong.
      
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Kawir - Arai

Let me say that I am more than satisfied with this release. The last Kawir CD, Epoptia, was nothing special, a little bit too normal melodic Black Metal. But Arai (which means "curses" in ancient Greek) sounds like I always thought a Hellenic pagan Black Metal album should sound! The lyrics are all in ancient Greek (but the songtitles are still in English) which is uniqe in the whole Black Metal scene! The new vocalist (long-time keybordplayer and ex-drummer Erichthonios) sounds very well, more powerful then the last singer Diavelgenus (keyboard, drums, vocals... is he a genius or what...?). Sometimes he reminds me Attila Csizar on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas! The songs are well arranged, some are fast, some are midtempo with additional keyboards and some classic instruments like the flute. Highlights are the songs Oneiropompos, The Curse Of The Old Witch and Ode To Time. Generally said it is the best songwriting Kawir ever made! The cover photo is also fantastic and a reminiscence to the classic Eumenides EP! BUY!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Kawir - Dei Kabeiroi

This is another re-release of the classic To Cavirs mini LP. It was released by Greek label Kyrck Productions in 2006. Dei Kabeiroi (the Kabeirian Gods) features the complete To Cavirs mini LP from 1995, the four bonus songs from the re-release from the year 1997 and as bonus the two songs of the Eumenides EP from 1994. The album of 1997 was very limited in numbers, so this re-release makes really sense. Same for the classic Eumenides EP, it is sold-out since the mid 90īs! Now you have all the early material of Kawir on one CD, except the song SINN (The Blazing Queen) from the split EP with Sigh. I donīt know why itīs not included, maybe itīs a matter of the song rights, maybe they didnīt want to include it. Sadly they used the cover artwork from the Eumenides EP, a new one would be better. I also donīt know how limited this release is, so you better hurry with your purchase!
  
 
Written by Skariotis

Macabre Omen/Krieg/Eternal Majesty/Judas Iscariot - None Shall Escape The Wrath Split CD

The split CD was released in the year 2000 from Spikekult Records. There are four songs (inclusive in- and outros) of Krieg, four songs of Eternal Majesty, five songs of Judas Iscariot and only two songs of Macabre Omen.

The two Macabre Omen songs are Voor Donker Zullen We Heersen and We Won With War. Both songs have a strange guitar sound, kind of a sick distortion. They remind me the split EP with Walhalla. We Won With War is the best song of them, the refrain is really great. It also appeared one year later on the split EP with Ad Inferos. All bands together form a huge Black Metal blow straight from the most uncommercial abyss of hell!
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Macabre Omen - The Ancient Returns

First of all, to avoid any confusion, let me just say that final two tracks are combined as one on my CD copy. It is written as well on the booklet as "Hellas - Ode A'/Hellas - Ode B.' This gives a total of five tracks.

I was going to write a review for this the other day, but I am glad I didn't,  for my opinion has shifted so much. At first listen it was total awesomeness but at other times it falls slightly in the boring category.

I was expecting some fast, raw Black Metal that I heard on the None Shall Escape The Wrath split CD, for this is what led to my interest in the first place. However, what we get here is a much softer and slower release. Now soft and slow treads on dangerous territory for me as I tend to just get bored and don't go much further than using it for background music, but at times Macabre Omen actually manages to succeed with me.

I seem to see that the catchiest melodies appear at the beginning of each song, which leads me to believe that the band is attempting to catch your interest and slowly lull you in for the rest of the track. Unfortunately this fails slightly and is a major criticism of the album. For that is where the album becomes slightly boring for me. Along with this problem, the general song structures are the same. Now let me take you through the general structure of this album.
Step One - Start off with upbeat Mediterranean guitar riffs and often combine with fast drumming and fast bass to give a dramatic effect. Don't forget to make it very repetitive.
Step Two - Turn the catchiness down a few notches and begin to play very repetitively while often including some breaks to focus more on the folk aspect.
Step Three - Have a larger break in the middle.
Step Four - Build up the intensity in the last couple minutes to the point of climax at the end of each song.
Step Five - Repeat similar structure for the other songs.

Now that is pretty much the backbone for this entire album and can be applied to virtually all five tracks. Thankfully, Macabre Omen produces some high quality song writing within these boundaries which saves the album. Many of these folk melodies simply kick ass and there is a definite sense of epic ness about them. For instance, the intro to the final track just simply owns.

The vocals on this album tend to be very scarce and have short appearances throughout the songs. It would have been nice if they were used more frequently as it would have helped reduce the boredom. The vocals are done in a duet style where one vocalist emits high pitched banshee shrieks which don't appear to have any lyrics behind them, while the other vocalist emits whispers or short spoken passages.
 
 
 
Written by Vision (originally posted on http://www.metal-archives.com )

Midnight Scream - The Evil Her

Midnight Scream released after some demos their debut album in 2003 through Greek Sleaszy Rider Records. The young band seems to be very influenced by Nightfall, īcause many things remind the greek legend. A woman on the cover, extra subtitles under the song titles (remember Nightfall - Athenian Echoes), an ex-Nightfall-member as producer (Mike G., now Snowblind) and last but not least, the only thing that matters really: the music. The distinctive mixture of melodic Death Metal, parts of Gothic Metal and a strong dose of the unique ingredient of the old Hellenic metal scene, regarding the guitar work and the vocals. The description fits to Midnight Scream, but Nightfall was first. The Evil Her is not a bad album, after some times of listenings it makes fun. Nice to see that there are still bands that transfered some influence of the old scene into the new millenium. Of course Midnight Scream is not a clone band of Nightfall, that would be boring. There is still space for an own sound, but the reminiscence is always there. Highlights are the opener Lost In The Dark, the doomy-rocking Cydonia, the up-tempo Veil Of Darkness and furthermore Twisted Soul. These four songs are also the first four on the album, the last four are in the same style, but of lesser quality (Fallen Faith is also OK). The sound is clear and more than satisfying. After The Evil Her, the founder and guitar player Lukas Bergis put Midnight Scream on hold and moved to Sweden. There he formed the band System Shock and recorded with some Midnight Scream members and some new members an album. Itīs unknown, if there will be a continuation of Midnight Scream. The last thing I heard was, that their keyboard player Stathis Cassios joined Nightfall (this band seems to be an obsession for Midnight Scream!).
 
 
Written by Skariotis

Medieval Demon - Demonolatria

After a split EP with Invocation and a demo, Medieval Demon released in 1995 via Unisound Records their debut called Demonolatria (demon worship). They disappeared from the scene after their debut album (there must be a big black hole somewhere in Athens). They play Black Metal in a grim and harsh way, but they have also lots of keyboards, organs and violins. They have more in common with the Norwegian scene, than with the Greek (and they also use corpsepaint). Very unusual mix: on the cover there is a half naked woman as on later Cradle Of Filth records (now we know where Dani Filth got his inspiration), but the music is very pure, grim Black Metal with many calm and atmospheric interludes between those puristic songs. Some are fast, some mid-tempo. The vocalist Crimson Embrace knows well, how to make that good noise we call Black Metal vocals. The songs are well arranged, but there is only one great song, called The Rise Of The Moon. The remaining material is well-played Black Metal, but only The Rise Of The Moon kicks really ass. So I donīt know how to categorize the album. It has its good moments and not one bad song, but it remains too mediocre to be a sweeping album. If you are into the old Norwegian scene or fan of grim but diverse Black Metal, then check it out!   

 
Written by Skariotis

Merciless Crucifixion - Aipesis

Merciless Crucifixion is one of the many side-projects of Necrotormentor (together with his drummer Impaler heīs also in Enshadowed, Vomit Church, Burial Hordes etc.). Aipesis (shouldnīt it be called correctly "Airesis"?) is a mini CD which was released in 2006 by Spanish BlackSeed Productions. Merciless Crucifixion plays a mixture of Black and brutal Death Metal, for instance, the guitars are much heavier than on other Necro-projects. Vocalist A/H Virus is also not screaming, but contributes deep, growling vocals, not far away from the old Varathron style. The band does not invent something new on Aipesis, but plays its unholy music with passion and that is what matters. Highlights of the CD are the great intro Aeshma Deva, A Black Legacy Of Hate and the Sarcofago cover I.N.R.I. Just like the Vomit Church CD, the duration is short (not even 20 minutes), but the whole release is more than satisfying (as long as the price is "short" too!).
  
 
Written by Skariotis

Mournblade - Mournblade

The members of Mournblade are the same guys of the Greek Black Metal band Order Of The Ebon Hand. Singer Merkaal was also the vocalist of the Greeks Nocternity. The drummer Lethe (alias Akis K.) was in Naer Mataron, in Septic Flesh, in Thou Art Lord and many bands more, but only as session musician. His main band is Order Of The Ebon Hand, which made an album before Mournblade and has released nowadays the second album. I donīt have a clue, why they released this album under the name Mournblade!

I didnīt know what to expect from this album, so my surprise was very big, when it became clear, that this is an extraordinary CD! If this was released from a Norwegian band back in 1993, today it would be an alltime classic of Black Metal! There can be found the best elements from bands like old Satyricon (the keyboard parts and guitars), old Emperor (the vocals) and Carpathian Forest (Song 5, Aries). This mixture of the traditional songwriting and the pure sound made this album a very enjoyable Black Metal album. The only "Greek" thing are the band photos, īcause like other Hellenic Black Metal bands they donīt use corpsepaint. Check it out!

Written by Skariotis

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