The Scythe and the Harvest

Discovering old obscure releases with little or no recognition is a great past time of mine. As much as I like to boast about how much of this genre I've listened to, records always skip through the cracks, not to mention all the demos and EPs that I'm still, after all these years, clueless of. 

Furthermore, older releases also usually have that sound, you know what I'm talking about. As of today, we're looking at the first and only record by Athenian black metal band Mournblade, self-titled and originally released through Kyrck Productions & Armour in 2001. Actually, I'd like to write about that label separately one day (Wild Rags is another case of a brooding article) because of its approach and quality. 

This short-lived project featured a person named Arioch on vocals, not the Swedish frontman of Marduk but still someone that I found no information on, then Merkaal (Order of the Ebon Hand, and at the time, active on Nocternity too) on bass / guitars and vocals too. 

The drumming, plus keyboards, was done by Lethe, a.k.a. Akis Kapranos, a known name in Greece for his involvement as a writer at Metal Hammer, his general film criticism and also at the time of Mournblade, member of Order of the Ebon Hand and Septicflesh, among others. 

Lastly, additional guitars were handled by Pavlos Houliaras, later active with death metal / grindcore band Slavebreed. A charming line-up for sure, mainly driven by Order of the Ebon Hand / Nocternity members, essentially people heavily involved in the Greek black metal scene at the time. 

"All the enslaved nations of the East
are coming down upon, against few men"

A Tolkien influence is evident from Mournblade's album cover, depicting a figure that I would guess is Melkor, and when looking at the track named "Of Melkor and Ungolianthe", it could be that the rest of the blackened figure might be the giant spider. 

A magnificent artwork if you ask me, perfect for the time of its release and the nostalgic warmth it conveys, which by the way, has just been re-pressed on vinyl through His Wounds. Get one while you can. 

One would think that Mournblade is a purely Lord of the Rings-inspired record, but there are several different topics the band touched upon with the record, other than our favorite fantasy writer. A few epic, warlike tunes are included, like the glorious opener "The scythe and the Harvest", the clear reference to the battle of Thermopylae on "300", and"Aries", in what I believe is a reference to the battering ram, not the God of War Ares or the constellation (?).

There are some Greek lyrics to be found in these tracks, but there's also a track title, in Greek, "Ο αιώνιος πρόμαχος" = the eternal outpost, of the same content. Another clear reference is "On the Stone of Erech", which you already know, right? I am not sure if the second track, "White Wolf", combined with its lyrics, is linked to Elric of Melniboné (by Michael Moorcock) before you freak out about the choice of color. 

In total, there is a bunch of interesting themes in the album, despite looking like a stricter conceptual bundle at first, and it could have perfectly worked as one. But hey, all this text and I almost forgot to talk about the music!

"The ground tremors
And hands stripped from their flesh"

Mournblade's an excellent mixture indie pop and alternative electronica rooted in the late '90s... Aha, no! You'll get a superb production of old-school black metal that builds melody and atmosphere through  potent guitar riffs, generous fast-paced blast beat drumming in the vein of the Scandinavian winter whistling winds, echoed distant vocals and a great flow and variety of well-thought ideas put on paper / recorder.

Hard-hitting and inspired by the faster, more intense Norse contemporaries of the genre, indulging in the frosty riff work of bands from the other side of the continent, with a raw but powerful sound and all the expected aggression to back up its thematics.

In that way, Mournblade is not the typical Greek black metal album and most likely, it was not intended to be one, as it's more possible that it was composed as a homage to the northern sound, executed by people fascinated by it under a side project, rather than the main musical activities they had then. 

Other bands have also engaged in this practice throughout the years, but the reason this record managed to stay with me when I first discovered it was the sense of wonder I felt around the project itself. 

Also, there's not a bad moment here: amazing middle-paced melodies on "Aries!", Norsecore hack-and-slash on the opener, "White Wolf" and "Ο αιώνιος πρόμαχος" (including a neat clean vocal part), well-rounded and compositional visions on both "On the Stone of Erech" and the grandiose "300", dungeon synth on the last track... Textbook perfection.

It does not transcend the parent records that it praises, but that's beside the point. Who managed to do that anyway? The vocal performance deserves a mention, at times reaching the higher, more painful levels of screaming as you could almost hear the voice break.

This is the back cover of the LP re-press, wonderful:

 

Bonus mention: Order of the Ebon Hand & Macabre Omen - Two Years Standing Proud in Valhalla... 

In 2006, Order of the Ebon Hand connected with Macabre Omen, one of the best black metal bands from Greece in history, for a short split release as a tribute to the passing of Quorthon. 

 

The split had two tracks, one from each band, both Bathory cover songs: " Through Blood by Thunder", and "A Fine Day to Die". As much as I would have preferred just another pick than the latter, just because of how popular it is (and deserving, an absolute peak of a metal track), these recordings sound amazing.

 

The mini-release was put on 7" vinyl through the Cypriot label Necroterror Records, active around that time yet I haven't heard from them in a long time. 

 

Macabre Omen would continue with another split release of the same kind next year, "Three Years...", that time with a Canadian band named Thesyre. Unfortunately, I know nothing about it. 

 

But, what I know is that Macabre Omen's obsession with Bathory, has made it the project that it became. Gods of War - At War!

 

Catapult the Sun - Martyrdom (2026) Review

In Western art and Christian tradition, there’s a recurring theme centered on a 3rd - 4th century Egyptian hermit named Anthony the Great, considered one of the founders of monasticism. According to early hagiographies, and especially the source of Athanasius of Alexandria, Anthony retreated to the desert to pursue an ascetic life, where he was subjected to intense psychological trials. These “trials” were not merely restricted to the realm of morality (e.g resisting pleasure), but often described as demonic assaults, illusions of wealth, and hallucinations. In a broader interpretation, the Temptation of Saint Anthony represents the battle between spiritual discipline and the natural chaos of the human mind.

Such a depiction is on the front cover of the Catapult the Sun debut record, Martyrdom (as it was engraved in the 15th century by Martin Schongauer), giving feels of raw black metal / dungeon synth or a Brodequin album art, but this record sounds nothing like either. After a series of EPs between 2020 - 2024, Athens-based project finally puts together a full-length album of a particularly grounded strain of instrumental sludge / doom metal, defiantly unadorned and courteous in execution. By eschewing vocals entirely, the guitars carry all the responsibility for sensation and narrative, and the band refuses to decorate the compositions with anything more than the essentials.

Standing firmly against exhibitionism, Martyrdom breathes and complies to simple but substantial principles: produce a natural sound, serve the song, trust the riffs and their effect. The guitar work carries a concrete density and never stagnates, offering a smooth flow that subtly shifts emphasis as the tracks progress to carry on forward momentum even within the slowest passages. I’d say doom stands at the core of the album, but the band speaks the tongues of drone and sludge with its own abstraction. Fans of flashy hooks may be disappointed, as time passes slower and less chaotic than normal within these particular walls.

"A Pale Stine" moves at its own pace to set the atmosphere properly, and is one of the record's more permissive tracks. Moments of clean guitar lines is where Martyrdom approaches post-metal directly, with a highlight the thrilling main melody of "Powerful Dark Objects (Mind Bender)", as well as the more dismal, sludgy "Insanity Has Thin Walls". Evenly ugly is the shortest track "Noon Creeper" (sounds like something from the self-titled debut by Union of Sleep, but with no vocals). A beautiful post-metal mattress allows for a significantly faster section on "The Word Made Flesh", which reminded me of the few occasions across their discography when Bongripper played black metal - also the highest tempo Catapult the Sun pick up on Martyrdom by far.

Final track "Black Sails On Wine-Dark Seas" features beefy guitars strongly reminiscent of current Electric Wizard, but still the album deservingly fits in any playlist that would also include names like Omega Masiff, Eyehategod or Year of No Light, with Bongripper remaining the strongest parallel I could think of when listening to these Athenian raiders. Martyrdom borrows from a handful of subgenres which are anyway bordering each other, yet it still has its own sound and manages well in terms of delivery, a feat that is sometimes more difficult for instrumental bands. A fine propulsion of potential evident from their EPs, and a decent first record all around.

Release: March 12th, 2026 | Independent
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Sun of Nothing - Maze

Ο όρος "Λαβύρινθος" χρησιμοποιείται πολλές φορές για να δηλώσει ένα οικοδόμημα με πολύπλοκους διαδρόμους που καθιστούν δύσκολη ή αδύνατη την έξοδο από αυτό, καθώς και κάθε παρόμοια διάταξη δρόμων ή στοών.

1. Liars in Wait

2. After the Fall
3. Ghost
4. Voidhanger
5. Buried Endeavors

Spectral Lore - 11 Days (EP, 2023) Review

Spectral Lore’s mailman Ayloss has been quite vocal about societal topics and issues on various platforms online in the past, but it had never really entered the thematics of this specific project, apart from maybe the cover of “No Excuses for Fascist Sympathy” by Book of Sand in a single release back in 2019. With his latest work, which is 43 minutes long but can still be considered an EP for Spectral Lore release duration standards, he takes a stand on a receptive and critical problem, that of established regulations regarding refugees in Europe. 

This time, the subject also contributes to the formation of the music, hence a concept release, with allegories drawn from references to various religions and mythological points and a suggestive artwork to go along with it. Musically, the play style of Ayloss is vibrant throughout the whole duration, laying somewhere between the more intense Spectral Lore patterns and the ferocity of a project like Mystras. In 11 Days, the composer manages to convey his anger through the tracks, as the material actually sounds more enraged and more irritated than in recent, more dreamlike albums (e.g. the phenomenal Ετερόφωτος from 2021). 

It balances between two black metal pieces and two dark ambient pieces with one of each type placed consecutively, providing an engaging experience of excellent story telling that can convey the spectrum of struggles it refers to. Opening with animosity and “Moloch”, the synth lines and samples of “Fortitude/Sunrise” can really drag the listener through the angst of being lost at sea with the way forward uncertain and the way back in ruins. “Adro Onzi” features middle-paced ominous guitar melodies that differ from the usual, perplexed fast riff handling of Spectral Lore, and the closer “Tremor/Kalunga Line” features narrating vocals, interlude sections that slightly remind of the prog, non-singing side of current Enslaved, and an almost warmhearted, more epic ending that can leave an aftertaste of hope instead of despair. 

11 Days is a remarkable release by an already remarkable musician, it contains the feel of Spectral Lore at a great form and picks a side. Perfect flow allows for these 40 minutes to feel like a much shorter time, and its more concise dimensions do not allow of any waste of content. Ayloss, as always, is more than capable of creating a work that speaks for itself, and on substantial ground.

Out on March 21st, 2023 | Stellar Auditorium Productions

DAMAGE: 4/5 [Excellent]

Thy Darkened Shade - Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya (2023) Review

We have waited too long and too patiently in the shadows for the next daring step Thy Darkened Shade would take in their full length catalog, since for the last nine years we were being occupied with sparse split contributions which were not enough to quench our thirst.

I grossly praised this band in 2014 and their album Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet, which was a follow-up to an absolutely brilliant debut and showed how these guys are among the best, if not the best black metal band of their time. And I was not wrong. Stellar musicianship and compositional dexterity are still the driving factors behind this massive, hymnic, operatic, multi-layered and complex black metal masterpiece that will not simply drop your jaw but it will smash it. Thy Darkened Shade nail it on multiple fronts with varied tempos, rich ideas all over the place, and an excellent range of vocals from harsh growls, to chanting cleans, to King Diamond tribute screams. 

You will be bombarded with eclectic guitar lines, very characteristic of the band, wonderful drumming and amazing overall aesthetics. You have not heard black metal like this from any other band on the planet. Without going into the lyrical concepts of the record too much, which you can decide to explore by yourself, it is worth noting how poignant the band sounds when taking things to even more epic heights than before in an album that has the glorious stench of the effort that was put to make it, and wears it like a badge. The sound is naturally perfect, all the instruments are healthily audible and pleasant, but above all, it’s the astounding maze of compositions that leaves the biggest mark here.

Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya is packed to the brim with amazing melodies, its terrifying and intimidating presence glorifies not only the band, which was foolproof from day one, but also the genre itself. The tracks are long and demand attention, but once you cross to the other side you will be recorded with one of the finest releases of this scene for the year and possibly the years to come.

DAMAGE: 4.5/5

Links:
Bandcamp || Spotify || Facebook || Instagram

Mournful Moon - Rose Velvet Dynasty (2022) Review

Mournful Moon is a project by the mastermind behind Greek established dungeon synth name Arthuros, with which a first album was released in 2020, named ...As Shadows Fall Within Zenitheaen and had as positive feedback as Arthuros itself gets, yet less recognition. That record also treads on the same dreamy soundscapes, yet a turn towards more black metal groundwork has been performed this year with the project's second release, Rose Velvet Dynasty. While not losing its identity, and with a fair amount of keys and ambient parts, the album now shows clear inclination towards the same kind of dreamy black metal, with loads of middle-paced melodic structures that fit well to the second wave of Greek black metal sound, yet they're not identical. What elevates this record slightly higher than the average bar is the synth work itself, where it's clear that Constantine is most competent, and the combination between piano and guitar lines is in terms of compositional quality, fairly accomplished. Rose Velvet Dynasty is not violent at almost any point (except maybe at "The Sigil of Elites"), and demonstrates how dungeon synth and black metal can be combined for a non-trivial or predictable outcome. The tracks are engaging and well worked, with a handful of rather compelling moments that stem from some really good synth & guitar combinations, and you will get a proper fix of Arthuros / Mournful Moon's own dungeon synth palette, in various parts scattered all across. When coming across works like these, I understand the artist's honest intentions and substantial inspiration for creating new art, instead of simply a collection of tracks honorary to a certain sound, by a die hard fan. The aesthetics were already bordering with black metal from before, and now Mournful Moon dare to cross the line and put a piece together, that is worth a little more discussion among the circles of Greek black metal. [3.5/5 - Great]

Origin: Greece

Label: Self-released

Release date: 15.09.2022

Listen: Bandcamp

Necrohell - Ravishing Funerals (2022) Review

For some bands, time is frozen at a specific moment in the past. While Ungod is a pretty active individual in the Greek underground scene, with projects and an independent label, he is always punctual with a new Necrohell record every four to five years, maintaining an audience through a network with a chosen direction, instead of complete promotion everywhere with a hope of as much listens as possible. That's why I almost tend to miss their new albums, yet it's always one that I will go through when I get the chance. With Ravishing Funerals, you should immediately know what you're getting with half a glance, but there are a number of points that I enjoyed more this time than the average Necrohell albums. Yes, it's pure second wave black metal with strong Norwegian influences and early Darkthrone written all over it, both in the aesthetics, in the titles and the compositions. The production is a major plus this time, as it provides great sound for all instruments and especially the bass, the tracks levitate between melodic and more melancholic parts, with a lot of tremolo picking and of course, as characteristic vocals as you can imagine (including a handful of moments with cleans). There's nothing new introduced in Ravishing Funerals, as it serves its only purpose decently: being a solid black metal record made more from fans of the genre than musical visionaries. All the tunes are enjoyable (with some nice highlights in the flow of "A Grave in the Vast Forest") and it is clearly aimed for people who enjoy black metal rather than experimentation or new twists in the existing, well-known formulas. There is overall better material in Ravishing Funerals than older Necrohell albums, some of which were more prone to dullness, yet this time Ungod hit a good one. Again, you are not going to be surprised and you shouldn't be. The album doesn't fall flat despite its predictability, while still being extremely defined within certain borders. [3/5 - Good]

Origin: Greece

Label: Christhunt Productions

Release date: February 27th, 2022

Listen: Youtube

Μνήμα - Disciples of Excremental Liturgies (2022) Review

 Band: Μνήμα

Country: Greece

Album: Disciples of Excremental Liturgies

Label: Phantom Lure

Website: Instagram

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It's high time we had a conversation about this prolific project from Athens, Greece, which I have not really talked about since their inception in 2017, despite all the mini-releases they have put out so far. Μνήμα (Greek for "tomb") fall into the category of black metal with considerable leanings towards noise and sound distortion, in the broad family of bands like Candelabrum, Black Cilice or Obskuritatem, aiming for recordings as uncomfortable and harsh as possible, and they have been doing so since their first, self-titled demo. One could think that Μνήμα didn't have the intention to release a full length, judging from the persistence on putting out demos and splits, yet it's almost after 20 mini-releases that we arrive to Disciples of Excremental Liturgies.

This record blooms on reverb, acerbity and disgust. For the untrained ear, an album like that will not survive much when it kicks in after a short instrumental introduction (this and the outro, performed by Spider God) with the enormous piece "Cosmic Lunacy", which climbs up to 12 minutes of duration. Μνήμα were never an easy listening project and the same tradition is continues with Disciples of Excremental Liturgies, yet one can identify distinct changes in the musical approach if one manages to filter out part of the noise and focuses on the compositional groundwork. From that perspective, Μνήμα's chaotic element is maintained but we are now presented with moments significantly more melodic than what they have been used to do so far, and don't let that word fool you into thinking the project has gone any softer.

Listening to Disciples of Excremental Liturgies, apart from the distinct raw black metal routines, there's a serious Finnish / Greek black metal influence on the guitar riffs of the tracks. "Cosmic Lunacy" basically fully consists of such riffs, which are usually heard with much clearer production from other bands, but the essence is reminiscent, and that's even more obvious with the opening melodies of the self-titled track. I particularly liked the dismal lines at the ending part of "Cosmic Lunacy", where Μνήμα almost hinges towards more experimental playing for a second. There are already plenty of painful fast & middle paced moments in these two tracks, establishing the band's scourging sound.

Another highlight and noticeable aspect of this work is the unmistakable vocals. While going with screeched out, tense shrieked vocals all the time, at times an echo is employed and the voice goes at even higher volumes in the mix, making it truly deafening and ugly. It gives the feel of the vocalist trying to forcefully vomit somewhere (even though if you're a fan of the band, you know where), and there's also times of semi-gargling sounds that are aimed to convey the message of hatefulness Μνήμα is full of. Of course everything is unfathomable and I have no idea of the lyrics, I think I could tell the opening of "Νεκροσάβανο" (fabric used to cover a deceased person's body in the grave), where he goes "Γιατί δε...." and then mayhem.

Regardless of the blistering cruelty in Disciples of Excremental Liturgies, I would say it's the least noisy release Μνήμα has put out so far. Melodies are distinct, some tracks are not as hard hitting as in the past (listen to Spectres of Oblivion and you'll see) but I wouldn't say it's an easy listening album by any means. Hints of melodic aptitude were present before as well, if you listen to their wonderful demo Possessed Templars, released 2 years ago, yet with the debut full length I feel like Μνήμα aim to establish an anchor to their discography as one full work to suggest to someone. Obsessed with death and the human ceremonies around them, in a vile and blasphemous manner, but really raw, Μνήμα is definitely one of the upcoming raw black metal bands to look out for. A second full length is in the works apparently, so let's see how things evolve from here.

---

Release date: January 15th, 2022

Tracklist:

1. The Key of 1000 Spirits 

2. Cosmic Lunacy

3. Disciples of Excremental Liturgies

4. Νεκροσάβανο 

5. Suicidal Necromancy  

6. Abyssal Curses

Listen:

Youtube | Bandcamp

Top 10 Greek metal albums of 2021

Usually, there are a handful of releases from Greek bands that I fully endorse every year, however for 2021 I didn't find such an equivalent. In fact, I was not fully into some albums I expected to be, and newer stuff was not revolutionary. I'm still missing listening the new Diablery and Agnes Vein records because they come out next week, but it's anyway a legit wrap-up of the year from my side. Having decided to put all these lists a bit earlier than usual this year, it is what I get.

Arson Cafe's
top 10 Greek metal albums of 2021

10. Human Serpent - Heirlooms Eternal

9. Shattered Hope - Vespers

8. Eldingar - Maenads

7. Rapture - Malevolent Demise Incarnation

6. Spectral Lore - Ετερόφωτος

5. Caedes Cruenta - Of Ritual Necrophagia and Mysterious Ghoul Cults

4. Mystras - Empires Vanquished and Dismantled

3. Drakon Ho Megas - Drakon Ho Megas

2. Nihilism - Cataclysme vers l'ascendance

1. Yoth Iria - As the Flame Withers

Necromantia - To the Depths We Descend... (2021) Review

Genre: Black Metal

Location: Greece

Label: The Circle Music

Listen: Bandcamp

Website: Instagram

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I am not old enough to have lived the second wave of black metal as it happened. I didn't even get into the genre through a ladder of traditional bands during my first interactions with it, and at first I can say I really didn't get it. I listened to a lot of classic albums way too late and for a long time, interest was limited to frostbitten, maniac caterwauling from the North. It is one of the reasons I have never had a huge attachment with Greece's scene, apart from its importance of course.

What did happen at a quite sensitive age back then though was my encounter of Necromantia's Ancient Pride EP (one of their most popular releases), through a physical magazine that distributed it, and it was a kickstart not only to check the band but to look around what was happening in my neighborhood too. Ancient Pride is still one of my favorites exactly because of this reason, yet I don't stand a chance in a discussion with fans that have been following the project from the beginning and have researched into their material. Necromantia righteously claim rights for one of the most unique groups in black metal as a whole, they have the respect of the underground and more mainstream alike, and they have been highly influential for the scene, worldwide. 

After Baron Blood's passing, news started brewing about a farewell EP and the closure of Necromantia. A while later, the EP became a full album, and it took a while longer to release. As it has been stated by Magus himself, but is fairly obvious from the title and lyrics, To the Depths We Descend... is a record strongly personal to the band and serves plainly as a swan song, rather than a new release. Featuring new material, and re-recordings of old classic songs, a farewell to Baron Blood and the final chapter of one of the most important extreme metal bands of the country, is here. All this is understandable, but what I would have never expected is a significant change in the instrument arrangement, one that gave them their most characteristic quality: there is no more 8 string bass. And on top of that, you get to hear guitars. Balance has been disturbed so much, that the next step might be a Barathrum folk metal album.

Furthermore, what is this artwork? It didn't hit me well, especially coming from a cult band like that, to have such a digitally bright, video game artwork. In Game of Thrones terms, this artwork is the equivalent of the CGI-flooded Mountain - Hound fight in the last episode, while their earlier material go closer to the realistic, sincerely brutal and uncomfortable Brienne - Hound fight from the fourth season. I'm deliberately making a millennial analogy to this issue to establish my background, and while it's not an ugly artwork per se, it's not engaging at all to the album's concept despite the clarity of its depiction. Things like these make not buy a record, because it is too far from the aesthetics I am looking for in this music. 

The line up for To the Depths We Descend... features, apart from Magus of course, drum war machine Maelstrom, who is probably playing on every Greek black metal band right now, and George Emmanouel on the guitars (oh, the guitars...). Influence by the two must have been huge in the musical outcome, and they are both quite efficient. Most of the guitar lines in the album are quite potent, the drumming is on point as always, and the synths / electronics add a lot of epicness in the compositions. There's plenty of melodic riffing, a few harsher moments, and the listener will have the chance to enjoy ancient tracks like "The Warlock" and "Lord of the Abyss", re-played under this new light that found Necromantia in 2021. 

While the whole record is a tribute to Baron Blood, one of the more emotional moments appears towards the end of "And the Shadows Wept" where a narration directly to him is spoken. Album opener "Daemonocentric" is a banger, there is a beloved spookiness in the keys and melodies of "Inferno" and "Eldritch" and bass is given some justice with its own piece "Give the Devil his Due". A warm instrumental with more experimental nuances, "To the Depths We Descend" hits before the old tracks kick in. To the Depths We Descend... is a seemingly rewarding record, which makes it an odd case to formulate an opinion on.

While the Greek black metal sphere worships the album like there's no tomorrow, I sincerely hope in a parallel universe, the final Necromantia record would have been something different. A rawer, complex record that glorifies their uniqueness and originality. One album that pays homage to their past not simply by re-recording old tracks with the cleanest production possible. One that doesn't diverge from its past so much that it smashes one of the vital instruments for its sound, the bass, completely out of existence. And instead, throws in two and a half minutes of a bass interlude to trick the audience and relieve its conscience. I can guarantee you will like this album when you listen to it, but for me it's lacking, yet in really discrete ways. 

Rest in chaos, mighty Necromantia!

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Tracklist:

1. Daemonocentric

2. And the Shadows Wept...

3. Give the Devil His Due

4. Inferno

5. Eldritch

6. To the Depths We Descend...

7. Lord of the Abyss MMXXI

8. The Warlock MMXXI

Damage: 2.5/5 [Average]

Cult of Eibon - Black Flame Dominion (2021) Review

Release date: 29.10.2021
Genre: Black Metal
Location: Greece
Label: Iron Bonehead Productions
Listen: Youtube

Website: Facebook

While having started about six years ago, Cult of Eibon's line up consists of seasoned members who have had experience for a long time and with numerous projects in the Greek black metal scene. The band left a good mark with a couple of EPs back in 2016 and 2017, and the split release with Caedes Cruenta (who are closely related) in 2018 was also short but enjoyable, yet we were missing a more complete work until now. Black Flame Dominion features sharply colored artwork (as they did in their previous two releases) and eight tracks of clear textbook examples of this country's genre style.

As an album, and as many times as this has been said, Black Flame Dominion musically loiters in the 90's second wave as it was being realized in Greece, so much that apart from a relatively cleaner production, it wouldn't have been a surprise to see it materialize back then. The roots of earlier underground heavy metal are its basic characteristic, there's no frenetic blast beating, the compositions are more distinct and warmer than purely aggressive black metal, but it has its more furious moments nonetheless. Cult of Eibon's how to checklist has all the ticks filled, on how the guitars and drums are played, on the slight use of eerie keyboards here and there, on its introduction, the Lovecraftian references and the shrieked vocals, you know it if you have been following Greece's classic releases from three decades ago.

The record, in its forty minutes of length, does not get dull or more difficult to listen to at any moment. While Cult of Eibon don't throw any crazy tricks in, in fact they don't diverge from the common recipe at all, Black Flame Dominion is still quite enjoyable and with nice little transitions between its different parts. Guest musicians from the scene also take part in the album, especially in the more notable track "Phaesphoros", while I especially liked the synths in "Crossing the Stargate of Xitalu" and the fast-paced, self-titled song. For the fans of Greek black metal, Cult of Eibon is already a band within the radar and now their full length offer will seriously circulate around its target, it's a decent release with specific focus and no cockiness. 

Tracklist:

1. The Fiery Pillars of Ninazu 

2. Into the Realm of Na-Girt-A-Lu

3. The Dreamer and the Morning Star 

4. Phaesphoros

5. Black Flame Dominion

6. Recollections from the Chthonian Empire

7. Crossing the Stargate of Xitalu

8. The Mournful Chime of Charon's Bell

Damage: 3/5 [Good]

Spectral Lore - Sentinel (2012) Review

Release date: 2012
Genre: Ambient Black Metal
Origin: Greece
Label: Stellar Auditorium Productions
Listen: Bandcamp

And here is where Spectral Lore followed through. As if Ayloss was fully aware of the weaknesses of his previous works, a five year window is taken to fully fix and re-engineer the band’s sound into a new form that exposed the music for what it can truly be: perplexing, potent black metal with interesting lyrics and more distinct, spacey ambient oriented synths. One can tell how much inspiration must have been employed for Sentinel, which at the time was completely discernible from Spectral Lore’s previous albums, yet more of what we know them to be about today. Similarities to Mare Cognitum start to arise at this time as well, let alone the collaborations that followed, in the music as well as the stellar cover art.

The first two songs are everything you need. Well, and the last one. As some have described it as the milder side of the album, “Atlus (A World Within a World” in its thirty minutes of length, has impressively deep layered synths, a truly monster space ambient track that defined the project at the time and still is well ingrained in its name. While the staggering riffs in “All Devouring Earth”, and especially “The Dejection of Arjuna”, are always at the spotlight of Sentinel, it’s not just that which has been perfected in the album. The touching compositions bloom as the well-thought and structured guitar lines unravel, demonstrating how unique Spectral Lore is. One can find hints of French black metal, US atmospheric black metal, even – and very very slightly – traditional greek melodies, beautiful soloing, fine keyboard work and the production that a record as Sentinel would deserve.

In its own world, the conceptual follower would only come nine years later with Ετερόφωτος, as Sentinel has a very interesting story to tell with its lyrics. Comfortably between intensity and ambiance, it has a lot of characteristic and memorable sequences where Spectral Lore properly channel inspiration into the creative process. It’s almost impossible not to be amazed with the blistering tempos and riffs of “The Coming of Age”, or the melodies of “My Ascension into the Celestial Spheres” and how it gives way to the great outro. Most of Spectral Lore’s audience was obtained through this release, and how the band would soon get into the collective of atmospheric, space-related black metal bands with a clean, melodic sound (Mare Cognitum, Midnight Odyssey etc…). 

“Quest for the Supramental” is the only track I can’t seem to enjoy that much from Sentinel. While it has a few interesting guitar lines, it feels like its pending for too long and never arrives to a conclusion, at least not in the bombastic manner that it happens in other tracks. I would really appreciate the guitar work here in a different kind of release but just for me, this song doesn’t click that much with the flow of the rest of the album. A small price to pay for so many other great moments, Spectral Lore’s discography from then on reached the ears of the mainstream metal scene, and well deserved.

I wrote a little piece for the band's next album, and their most popular, III, back when it was released. This leaves us a with a few split releases, some singles and of course the latest full length, to have an overview of Spectral Lore. When the time comes.

Tracklist:

1. All Devouring Earth

2. The Dejection of Arjuna

3. The Coming of Age

4. Quest for the Supramental

5. My Ascension into the Celestial Spheres

6. Atlus (A World Within a World)

Damage: 3.5/5 [Great]

Spectral Lore - II (2007) Review

Release date: 2007
Genre: Black Metal / Dark Ambient
Origin: Greece
Label: Self-released
Listen: Bandcamp

A couple of points right off the bat, is that both the original and reissue covers look more beautiful than their respective predecessors of Spectral Lore’s debut album, I. A year later, II came out and it introduced itself (at all times, intrinsically rather close to the previous work) with a ducky acoustic guitar introduction and then a humongous, 24 minute long piece “The Thorns That Guide My Warpath”. At a first rapid listen, I didn’t know what kind of noisy sounds were jamming in its beginning aggressive part, which then turned out to be the drums, and that says a lot about the production of II, a record that sees Spectral Lore significantly putting their stuff together compared to the debut, yet aches from its burying sound. A lot of little gems to discover exist around in II, from emotional clean guitar melodies to more spacey ambient (a foreseeing of the chaos), but above all, more concentrated and adequate black metal.

There’s numerous intriguing lines in that first track alone, which could go for a separate little review on its own as it has the length of an average EP today, and even more than that. Vivid and playful acoustic in between more attacking grimness for the first nine minutes, post / atmospheric black metal drenched in soft pads for a while before the distortion returns, where Ayloss goes towards more epic guitar patterns of Spectral Lore’s own melodic repertoire. Harsh and serene intersect and swap with beautiful choreography, which makes this a piece that fully demonstrates Spectral Lore’s hunger for fully musical compositions with much more complexity and payload than the average metal track. Again, a proper production could do this much more justice than what it actually got, but by now the star had already started taking form and shining. A pattern starts to emerge: heavy melodies, taped with rich dark / space ambiance. Repetitive lines that go almost towards depressive black metal. Keyboard parts that a new listener would label today as “dungeon synth” inspired.

That’s what I am thinking while listening to “Towards the Great Crossroad”, “Recoiling Beneath the Waves” and “To Wither in Silence and Dismay”. Ayloss throws all his arrows at once with these pieces, in an album that sounds more confident and ambitious than its older sibling, but out of the same elements. Spectral Lore were never a typical black metal band, and II contains many more different branches than its raw sound suggests. There is less noise experimentation in II, and more layering, clearer ambient, clear even from the dreamy outro “Where Nature Won’t Ever Yield to Man”. The shortest track “Leaving the Stars Behind”, only three minutes long, could very easily be absorbed in a longer composition as part of it, but probably it has a separate meaning. The production baffles me the more I listen to it though, as guitars / guitar-like sounds, and different instruments, sound different at different points in the album, or at different volumes. 

Honestly, II is also another record I don’t go back to easily. It still seemed to me that with its abundance of ideas, it is not as concise as the circumstances demand, and the wall of sound is just another barrier. Nevertheless, noticeable steps forward were taken in just one year, the album – apart from my personal liking – has a bunch of neat moments for you to enjoy, if you like Spectral Lore and not under the umbrella of their later clearer sound. For me, from Sentinel and on is where the real magic happens, and where new levels are unlocked and achieved dominantly from Ayloss. Before 2012, what’s left for me is the history and its turns to acknowledge.

Tracklist:

1. Introitus 

2. The Thorns That Guide My Warpath

3. Towards the Great Crossroad 

4. Leaving the Stars Far Behind 

5. The Drone's Journey, Recoiling Beneath the Waves

6. Through an Infinite Dreamscape

7. To Wither in Silence and Dismay

8. Where Nature Will Not Ever Yield to Man

Damage: 3/5 [Good]

Spectral Lore - I (2006) Review

 Release date: 2006
Genre: Black Metal / Dark Ambient
Origin: Greece
Label: Saturnine Society (MC)
Listen: Bandcamp

Spectral Lore’s debut full length is very much not like material that followed later, and as this act has made itself famous with its massive and unique black metal sound today, back in 2006 things had not settled in terms of music or direction. I, was originally released in cassette, going along with poor production and primitive sound which, while already showing its compositional adventurous character, did not step that far away from the norm. Ayloss used hefty amounts of dark ambient, which also experimented more than just creating endless dusty pads, for example in the tracks “The Drowning” and “The Descent”. Unconventional noise-like compositions were also practiced not only in the introductory piece “Layers of Conception” (what a way to open an album”, but also in “Sigma Receptor”, having a sound equal to all the as-noisy-as-possible raw black metal bands of the underground today.

Unfortunately, the tracks in I are simply underwhelming in terms of ideas. While Spectral Lore presents lengthy tunes, for which it would later become famous, they are the weakest in this album, as it can be heard from the relatively boring guitar parts and transitions of the 13 minute long “Echoes of a Long Dead and Forgotten Place”. A lot of different ideas come into the game, indicating a clearly restless composer (no need to praise Ayloss even more), but the pieces have not be placed smoothly together in this puzzle. I feels more about him playing around until things click, and things clicked a bit later in Spectral Lore’s discography. The outro “Exodus” sounds completely out of place compared to the rest of the record, and “The Cleansing Rain/Morningrise in the Eternal Fields” overuses its natural samples, before an average middle to end part. Sounds come and go too quickly and nothing remains.

As a band that has achieved stellar levels of greatness since then, Spectral Lore’s early material are definitely worth a listen and should be part of the fans’ collections. This debut however comes off quite disoriented, with a noisy sound that is not helpful and very sparse good moments, if any. I appreciate the creativity that underwent this release, yet at this stage it wasn’t fruitful. I have returned several times to I, but the album has never managed to keep my attention except for only a handful of moments where it’s just interesting to hear the noise. Other than that, some more attention was brought to the record when it was re-released in 2015 on vinyl, with a beautiful cover art (the one shown above).

Tracklist:

1. Layers of Conception
2. The Drowning
3. Echoes of a Long Dead and Forgotten Place
4. The Descent
5. Sigma Receptor
6. The Cleansing Rain / Morningrise in the Eternal Fields
7. Exodus

Damage: 2/5 [Below Average]

Greek black metal of the 10's: 2010

The more sharp-eyed followers of this blog should have noticed that, even if I punctually post top lists with only Greek releases every year, I am not the biggest fan of Greek black metal. As I went more into bands from the North, I tend to enjoy heavy experimentation and more tremolo than warmer, heavy metal-inspired patterns found in our scene, its history and importance is absolutely undeniable and has me observing new bands and albums constantly. There has been an evident rise in material the last few years, but the Greek bands have been around from the very beginning (and possibly even marked the beginning, even though mainstream attention was geographically elsewhere when the explosion happened) and the country’s endless, rich heritage serves as fuel for many inspired musicians around. 

I will be going through the last decade’s black metal full lengths only (excluding demos, extended plays, splits and the rest), at least as many as I have found or listened throughout the years, possibly discovering things I have missed, in the process. According to the archives, I’ve seen about 25 – 50 albums per year and I have already heard a lot of them when they were released. I’m consciously going to skip albums from bands that are too inclined to pseudo-intellectual bullshit, but apart from that there’s a lot of exciting gems and frustrating failures to talk about out there and I’ll go through as many as possible. Needless to say for one more time, all this is just one guy’s opinion, you know?

Top 10 Greek Metal Albums of 2020

Since the very first years, to be on the lookout for new coming and underground bands from your whereabouts has been of vital importance, to encourage locally relevant quality. Two events to point out were the return of the ancient band Piranha, and the release of Revenge's Massacre In Heaven along with its story, an album that didn't get any coverage as far as I am aware of. To subjects closer to me, sadly I listened to Eriphion's second album (with its intriguing cover that refers more into some DIY post-punk than black metal) too late, and it would be a possible runner up for this list. 

Top 10 Greek Metal of 2020:

10. Nox Formulae - Drakon Darshan Satan

9. This Is Past - Labyrinth

8. Obsecration - Onwards the Mystic Paths of the Dead

7. Katavasia - Magnus Venator

6. Death Courier - Necrotic Verses

5. Revenge - Massacre in Heaven

4. Dephosphorus - Sublimation

3. Utkena - Nex Fornix

2. Kawir - Adrasteia

1. Mystras - Castles Conquered and Reclaimed

Adept of an Ancient Art - Nocternity

I can’t be certain if this is the case, but I have a feeling Nocternity have always stood a bit further away from the rest of the Greek black metal scene, despite having a history of more than twenty years now and material since the late 90’s. Maybe it’s because of the fact that as a band, they don’t follow the standard recipe the country’s driven black metal style (not in music and also, not in the lyrics) that has been established since the second wave, but they drew their influences from other areas in more central and northern Europe, especially the Norwegian scene. The project is comprised mainly by Khal Drogo (who chose this nickname way before Game of Thrones came out on TV), and Merkaal, who has also been involved in Order of the Ebon Hand.

Death Courier - Necrotic Verses (2020) Review

The mere fact that Death Courier is active in 2020, makes an analogy case to a dinosaur coming back to life in the middle of a history museum. What may be the oldest extreme metal band from Greece, and arguably claiming the first death metal record from the country, is definitely part of the genre's history and the activity we're seeing since the last decades is by no means an irrelevant comeback. The name and logo have been kept intact, the music has been rejuvenated through the lens of modern production but the material itself serves as a reminder of how death metal sounded, when it had the simplest and most crushing form. The essence is in the thunderous riffs, the pummeling drums go along, songs in short structures and sparse solos around the place, with hardly any underwhelming moment except maybe the interlude in the middle of the record. Necrotic Verses is better than Perimortem. It's not Death Courier's extravagant playing that will win you, but the pure death metal bliss and character, coming directly from a veteran. And after all this time, a well designed artwork comes along too.

Listen to Necrotic Verses:

Venus Volcanism - Rizitiko

1. Our Beautiful Peacock

2. Red Little Rose

3. The Prudent One

4. The Eagle

5. The Dream

Venus Volcanism is the musician and electronic artist Rena Rasouli. She presents her first solo mini-album “Rizitiko’ on Optimo’s sub-label, Weaponise Your Sound, using traditional folk songs of her native island Crete as a basis for this work.

‘Rizitiko’ evolved from Rasouli’s thesis titled “the music performances based in traditional dialect focuses on the healing ability of sound”. The songs were created and sung by folk troubadours. Expanding on these oeuvres, Rasouli seized on the idea that the melodic use of voice is the oldest form of therapy in human culture. This primary and ritualistic material was intertwined with electronic and natural ambient soundscapes. The resulting compositions express the omnipresent sensations and emotions that play a key role in the healing process whilst communicating an intense connection to the collective unconscious. Traditionally sung by men there are numerous reasons to believe that many of the songs were initially created by women. To sing them in a female voice projects a different approach to the traditional rendition – one closer to that of a lullaby.

Yoth Iria - Under His Sway (EP, 2020) Review

Origin: Greece
Label: Repulsive Echo Records
Release: January 13th, 2020
Type: EP

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On a roll with posts of new Greek releases and here's one of the most anticipated EPs that would come out this year, with everyone holding their breaths until it came out. Whoever has been following the Greek underground would have definitely noticed the return of Jim Mutilator (co-founder of Rotting Christ and original Varathron bassist) into action, teaming up with no other than Magus of Necromantia fame to form a new project named Yoth Iria. 

If you haven't been moved from your seat a little bit just by reading this, then you really don't have a clue on how much these two musicians influenced and helped the promotion and evolution of the black metal scene in Greece, from its first steps, during a time when even in Scandinavia the wave hadn't reached the shore yet. For Under His Sway, the contributing members are George Emannuel from Lucifer's Child on the guitars, and the best underground drummer from Greece, Maelstrom, who has played in all the best projects of our country.

Under His Sway features three tracks, from which one is a Rotting Christ cover and two brand new compositions from the duo. Even the choice of the track they covered, Christ's "Visions of the Dead Lover", made me cheer for this EP without having heard anything. As the most famous band from Greece, Rotting Christ usually have a handful of hit tracks covered by other bands again and again, while plenty of spectacular but lesser known tunes of theirs are left unheard. "Visions of the Dead Lover" honors the Thy Mighty Contract era of the band, and it's executed p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y by Yoth Iria. With a fresh air and production, working as if two points in the timeline of the band have absurdly met.

As for the first two tracks, it's like the EP is split into the side closer to Necromantia with the self-titled track, and the side closer to Rotting Christ with "Sid-Ed-Djinn", while that is not a completely definite statement. The melodies in the first are pure and beautiful, with the main guitar riff being quite memorable and the background keyboards (done by Jim's brother, John) are equally great. The second track has patterns very close to the middle paced ideas, as well as the faster parts that Rotting Christ have been using since their inception, with the stellar guitar work completely delivering the expected heavy epicness.

With just three songs, this EP serves as a masterclass of Greek black metal done by its inventors and old legends. While I'm not as much of a fanatic of the scene as others, I can see how people will get completely frantic about Under His Sway, and the only thing missing for me is more music by the project. A Yoth Iria full length album will be a serious issue to assimilate, as they might be the best crossover project the country has seen, and there has been many. In the meantime, as much as you want to replay Under His Sway, it doesn't get boring. Excellent.

Track listing:

1. Under His Sway

2. Sid-Ed-Djinn

3. Visions of the Dead Lover (Rotting Christ cover)