King Garcia - Hamelin (ViciSolum Productions)
Riffs, instrumental riffs, big fat instrumental riffs from Greece, that's what I expected from King Garcia, a band I assumed named for the leader of The Grateful Dead.
However King Garcia do have the explorative nature of The Dead but on Hamelin, the band play wide-screen, progressive, blissed out rhythms, with heavy distorted moments. Music that ponders the wonders of the universe and draws heavily from the Greek traditional music throughout.
King Garcia are a band made up of veteran musicians from other progressive bands. Guitarist Kostas Konstantinidis (ex-Mother of Millions), drummer Kamil Kamieniecki (POEM), Kornilios Kiriakidis (Tardive Dyskinesia), and sax/clarinetist Alex Orfanosx (Bandallusia), the four piece playing music that is cinematic, explorative and intensely creative.
Like a film soundtrack on tracks such as Magnolia (no sugar) where the pacing is key, a slow burn where the trumpet is important but on the title track they shift towards those blissful moments I mentioned earlier flashes of heaviness and the ever present clarinet adding so much to their huge soundscapes.
I'll admit I'm a sucker for the use of wind instruments in music, especially with Greek bands such as VIC and King Garcia use plenty to augment their heavy prog, Konstantinos Lazos bringing gaida & kaval (traditional Shepherd's instruments) as Iakovos Molybakis supplements the band with additional percussion.
Hamelin is a fantastic debut record from King Garcia, an instrumental masterpiece that you need to hear! 9/10
Hypnotic Nausea - The Age Of Nothing (One Little Victory)
Athenian band Hypnotic Nausea play an experimental brand of rock music that is always hinged on a concept. They have released two previous albums, Hypnosis in 2015 and The Death Of All Religions in 2019, much like cult English band KLF, Hypnotic Nausea see their music as an extension of their conceptual art, though different in approach.
Third album The Age Of Nothing is another concept detailing a world on the brink of collapse as the mostly instrumental soundscapes are narrated by Amy Rebecca Clarke Lens and Steven William Clarke Lens, the storyline concerning the destruction of human society by technology and how humans try to reconnect and find freedom.
Very 70’s sci-fi then and Hypnotic Nausea use analogue instruments to create a nostalgic, real, feel, shying away from computers and modern practices. Recorded by the band and Hector D in Athens, Hypnotic Nausea from what I can see are a trio of two Georges and new drummer John K, though on the record it’s Nick B who’s behind the kit for this psychedelic, post-rock style of expansive music.
The vocals don’t really appear until The Mechanism but they are in the same sort of style to Mastodon, though they’re not that important as Hypnotic Nausea are about the instrumentation, relying much more on playing instrumental, cinematic soundscapes than anything else.
From the hypnotic The Age Of Nothing, to the Tool-like groove of Underground Resistance and Reality Error or the heavy riffs of Fragments Of Freedom, The Age Of Nothing is concept record that draws inspiration from numerous styles but collates them into a record that draws you in. 8/10
Black Sword Thunder Attack - Black Sword Thunder Attack (No Remorse Records)
Black Sword Thunder Attack are a bit of cult band in the Greek scene, compared and connected to Williams J Tsamis of Warlord and Lordian Guard, they play the same raw epic metal as those bands, classic heavy metal brimming with machismo and might.
Oddly singer Mareike sounds a lot like Geddy Lee of Rush, she's got the high nasal quality to her tone initially but it gets broader as the album goes on, conjuring might on tracks such as Anvils Of War. Vocally it works as they never musically really move on from lo-fi heavy metal driven by Marios (drums), Stelios (bass) and Chris (guitars/keys).
This is their first full length album, having quite a long period of silence since their initial formation and it's worth the wait for 'true' fans as they, yes the production of this record is lo-fi as I said however it's better this way, reminding me of the 80's tape trading days with the analogue synths heighten the likes of On The Way Of Acheron and Evil Sorcery.
If you like the style of Tower or any music heavily inspired by William J Tsamis, just listen to Last Flight Of The Eagle for that comparison to ring true, then this Kalabaka based band will have you donning your best denim and leather. 7/10
Oria - The Future Wants Us Dead (Theogonia Records)
The Future Wants Us Dead is the second album from progressive groove metal band Oria who hail from Thessaloniki. If I were to describe progressive groove metal then I'd have to mention two bands, Gojira and Fear Factory the latter on Metamorphocene: The New From The Shell Of The Old especially on the vocals, but there's also the heaviness of Machine Head (Guided By The Hands Of G.O.D.S) and the proggy moments of Mastodon.
There's some big moments on this record, aggression seethes through complexity, the political, ideological and critical lyrics are barked out while the thunderous, sludgy, grooving riffs are supplied with sense of cinematic scope. Just a four piece, Oria are the creators of a huge sound, filled with thick stop-start riffage of Hevy Devy on Pirates, Parrots and Parasites, some angular bass driven power on Chthonic Uprising or the biting noise of From Wastelands To Vile Hands.
Oria bludgeon with mechanical ferocity on The Future Wants Us Dead, if bulldozing, proggy grooves are your thing then check these Greeks out! 8/10
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