Acid Death are veterans of the Greek scene formed just as the 80's closed their progressively minded blend of death and thrash metal saw them release a tonne of underground demos and two record before calling it a day in 2001. After ten years though they returned and since 2011 they have released three records, with Evolution being their eighth overall.
Their last was in 2019 and with a longer gestation period than usual and a pandemic in the middle has made them look inward at what makes humans who they are. Writing a concept record that explored "arc of human development across the ages" thus the title of Evolution. The concept is fully realised by the ferocious aggression and progressive atmospheres of the band. the likes of Death, Atheist and Coroner are all contemporaries of Acid Death and can be used as comparisons but these Greeks carve their own path of destruction with virtuoso excellence.
The duelling melodies and ever shifting gnarly riffs of Dennis Kostopoulos and John Anagnostou, at times are in harmony but then at others in opposition to each other, creating an expansive death/thrash delivery which reminds me of a band such as Sabbat too where they move between various styles all within one song. Those guitar riffs are underpinned by the unrelenting double kicks of drummer Kostas Alexakis who guides the pace changes with precision, locking in with the technical grooves of Savvas Betinis, his bass keeping the riffs moving but brining some flourishes of his own between the guitar sprints, checkout the ambient textures on (Walking) The Path To Certainty.
Savvas' vocals sit on the right side of the growled, where everything is understandable, delivering tracks such as The Rise Of Salvation with a mixture of vocal styles but snarling and clean singing on the blistering Shadows Of Our Despair. They really play up to the prog tag on The Gateway To Knowledge and unleash some bludgeoning death on Fallen Empires.
Acid Death, rewire their DNA on Evolution, progressive death/thrash played with purpose and extreme skill. 9/10
Darklon - Mind Reaper (No Remorse Records)
The third album from brawny power metal act Darklon comes with a new vocalist and harder edge.
The Athenians have always been closer to the US style of power metal than the European one but with former vocalist Nikos Migus A, busy with Omen (themselves US Power metal legends). Darklon have gained Bill Chrepas of Wildfire behind the mic but the rest of the band Kras K.D. (guitar), Savvas G (bass) and Geor Kana (drums) remains the same from their last album in 2023.
Their last was in 2019 and with a longer gestation period than usual and a pandemic in the middle has made them look inward at what makes humans who they are. Writing a concept record that explored "arc of human development across the ages" thus the title of Evolution. The concept is fully realised by the ferocious aggression and progressive atmospheres of the band. the likes of Death, Atheist and Coroner are all contemporaries of Acid Death and can be used as comparisons but these Greeks carve their own path of destruction with virtuoso excellence.
The duelling melodies and ever shifting gnarly riffs of Dennis Kostopoulos and John Anagnostou, at times are in harmony but then at others in opposition to each other, creating an expansive death/thrash delivery which reminds me of a band such as Sabbat too where they move between various styles all within one song. Those guitar riffs are underpinned by the unrelenting double kicks of drummer Kostas Alexakis who guides the pace changes with precision, locking in with the technical grooves of Savvas Betinis, his bass keeping the riffs moving but brining some flourishes of his own between the guitar sprints, checkout the ambient textures on (Walking) The Path To Certainty.
Savvas' vocals sit on the right side of the growled, where everything is understandable, delivering tracks such as The Rise Of Salvation with a mixture of vocal styles but snarling and clean singing on the blistering Shadows Of Our Despair. They really play up to the prog tag on The Gateway To Knowledge and unleash some bludgeoning death on Fallen Empires.
Acid Death, rewire their DNA on Evolution, progressive death/thrash played with purpose and extreme skill. 9/10
Darklon - Mind Reaper (No Remorse Records)
The third album from brawny power metal act Darklon comes with a new vocalist and harder edge.
The Athenians have always been closer to the US style of power metal than the European one but with former vocalist Nikos Migus A, busy with Omen (themselves US Power metal legends). Darklon have gained Bill Chrepas of Wildfire behind the mic but the rest of the band Kras K.D. (guitar), Savvas G (bass) and Geor Kana (drums) remains the same from their last album in 2023.
Previous records have gained comparisons to Savatage, Jag Panzer and of course Omen but with their third record, they want to get a bit nastier with Vicious Rumours and Metal Church touted as influences and when In The Abyss kicks off with some savage speed metal riffs and those thrashier aspects are plain to hear.
As well as those bands I talked about earlier there's a strong vein of Mercyful Fate on the opening salvo but with Mind Reaper they get rougher. They blast away with thrash on Powercast, while The Mad Messiah and Shockwave bring the British Steel of Judas Priest.
Mind Reaper features a new voice for Darklon but keeps their commitment to the tough power metal. 8/10
Steel Arctus - Dreamruler (No Remorse Records)
Power metal of the epic side now with the conceptual fantasy metal of Steel Arctus.
They play songs about a warrior protagonist influenced by Greek mythology, J.R.R. Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith. Formed in 2020 they are already on their third album of epic heavy metal that brings to mind Manowar and Dio.
The vocals of Tasos Lazaris screams and snarls with the power of Dickinson and Tate, on Fate Of The Beast and Will To Power. The drumming from Minas Chatziminas hurtles on Defender Of Steel as Strutter brings the groove and the galloping with his bass, on the mid-pace Dreamruler and the powerful Riding Through The Night.
Steel Arctus is the playground of founding member Thanasis "Nash" Gousis, he plays all of the guitars, both electric and acoustic (Wicked Lies), showcasing his virtuosity with all of them. He also brings the cinematic keys along with Strutter, (Glory Of The Hero). Both Nash and Strutter produce the record, giving it the massive sound it has and dynamics to something like Legend Of The Warrior.
Dreamruler is a great epic heavy metal album from Steel Arctus. Don your armour, raise your sword to the sky and join these warriors on their latest quest. 8/10
ΦΩΣ - I Am The Light (Hellenic Metal World)
Athanasios Papangelis aka Thespieus, is the founder and only member of SVET an atmospheric black metal band from Greece. He returns with a new project called ΦΩΣ which translates to FOS and means light in English.
As well as those bands I talked about earlier there's a strong vein of Mercyful Fate on the opening salvo but with Mind Reaper they get rougher. They blast away with thrash on Powercast, while The Mad Messiah and Shockwave bring the British Steel of Judas Priest.
Mind Reaper features a new voice for Darklon but keeps their commitment to the tough power metal. 8/10
Steel Arctus - Dreamruler (No Remorse Records)
Power metal of the epic side now with the conceptual fantasy metal of Steel Arctus.
They play songs about a warrior protagonist influenced by Greek mythology, J.R.R. Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith. Formed in 2020 they are already on their third album of epic heavy metal that brings to mind Manowar and Dio.
The vocals of Tasos Lazaris screams and snarls with the power of Dickinson and Tate, on Fate Of The Beast and Will To Power. The drumming from Minas Chatziminas hurtles on Defender Of Steel as Strutter brings the groove and the galloping with his bass, on the mid-pace Dreamruler and the powerful Riding Through The Night.
Steel Arctus is the playground of founding member Thanasis "Nash" Gousis, he plays all of the guitars, both electric and acoustic (Wicked Lies), showcasing his virtuosity with all of them. He also brings the cinematic keys along with Strutter, (Glory Of The Hero). Both Nash and Strutter produce the record, giving it the massive sound it has and dynamics to something like Legend Of The Warrior.
Dreamruler is a great epic heavy metal album from Steel Arctus. Don your armour, raise your sword to the sky and join these warriors on their latest quest. 8/10
ΦΩΣ - I Am The Light (Hellenic Metal World)
Athanasios Papangelis aka Thespieus, is the founder and only member of SVET an atmospheric black metal band from Greece. He returns with a new project called ΦΩΣ which translates to FOS and means light in English.
For a project that dwells in the darkened realms of black metal ΦΩΣ has a lot of light within it but it's also introspective and takes the listener on an atmospheric journey through his creative mind. I guess you could call I Am The Light atmospheric black metal but you can trace these songs back to various styles within the black metal sphere.
Blasting tremolos, kick drums and tormented vocals on Trapped Within The Flesh hark back to the early black metal originators, while A Prayer To The Sun adds the melodic side from the second wave. There's torrents of viciousness on The Awakening, brooding dissonance on Dark Seduction and I Drink The Sun takes things further towards the melodic/atmospheric realms.
Blasting tremolos, kick drums and tormented vocals on Trapped Within The Flesh hark back to the early black metal originators, while A Prayer To The Sun adds the melodic side from the second wave. There's torrents of viciousness on The Awakening, brooding dissonance on Dark Seduction and I Drink The Sun takes things further towards the melodic/atmospheric realms.
It's the final, eleven minute title track that really flaunts the skills of Thespieus, a leviathan of a slow-burning, structured extreme metal odyssey which closes this debut brilliantly. ΦΩΣ balances light and dark with deftness and dexterity. 8/10
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