This is the 9th album by this 25 year old Greek band. Granted this may be the first album of theirs that I’m actually listening to, but I was aware of their existence owing to their contemporaries which I follow avidly. There are 7 tracks on the album, with each being completely unique while still having enough similarities to tie the album together. The sextet work extremely well together incorporating plenty of emotional layers to the music which come across in the haunting melodies.
The opening track “The Song of Sirens” is heavy and full of intense guitar riffs over the precise drumming with Jim Ramses’s rumbling bass filling out the bottom end, before it all fades out to a melancholic piano with accompanying lead guitars that is heart wrenchingly beautiful, all the while the slow death vocal roars feel more like a sixth instrument in the mix than something forced to fit.
“Ouranio Deos” maintains the doom death aspect of the band with its slow and heavy guitars played by Christos Dragamestianos and Akis Pastras, but it’s Antonis Venturis keyboards that give the song that little bit of special magic as an ultra-melodic undercurrent that the guitars pick up and drop as they go along.
Stefanos Kintzoglou strong vocal chords are used expertly as he sustains his long drawn our roars on “Cosmic Silence”, while the song itself has a lighter air to the guitars with an allegro feel to Stelios Darakis drum patterns.
Taking things into a much darker direction is “Erynies”, as it seems to remove all the levity from the music as it progresses along its morose path.
Going from uplifting to gloomy, “Misos” is also the shortest song on the album and definitely has some of the fastest footwork too.
The title track “Threnos” starts of slow and broody, and while retaining its lethargic pace with a steady timing signature, the growled vocals are roared over the melodic keyboards and the much faster kick drums with empathic guitar riffs as accompaniment.
Wrapping up the album is the epic “Odysseia”, as it works its way through various movements from heavily distorted guitars with death vocals to piano and violins with whispered female vocals.
All in all an excellently gloomy but melodically accomplished album, and the first of many to come on their new label, I’m certain.
(8/10 Marco Gaminara)
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