Sakis Tolis is someone who needs no introduction here, the co-founder and leader of legendary Greek band Rotting Christ, he has forged the path of Hellenic Extreme Metal for 36 years however you may not know that he also has a solo career outside of Rotting Christ.
His debut was Among The Fires Of Hell in 2022, then came χ ξ ς' a concept around the Seven Seals named in the book of Revelations (which seminal prog act Aphrodite’s Child also sang about) and now we get his third solo record Everything Comes To An End, a title that has a sense of unease about it. Is it prophetic? Does this mean this will be the final solo record? Or does the title just refer to the passing of time and the changes within society viewed by a man in his fifties.
It certainly doesn’t sound like the music of someone giving up, in fact many will view this record as perhaps being the most diverse yet as Sakis edges closer to a more metallic middle ground, yes those rough vocal shouts and clean bellows are still here but musically there’s a shift to gothic and modern metal, the production of Fotis Benardo (Nightrage/Nightfall/ex-Septicflesh) and Aggelos Karatzas giving the album a bite of modernity. Tolis plays everything except for drums, which come from Bernardo and there’s guest lead guitars from George Kalavrezos of SixForNine, the latter both showing off on In Youth We Learn, In Age We Understand and the anthemic groove of One Voice, One Flame.
Of course there’s links to the ‘day job’ though Everything Comes To An End draws more from the recent RT albums than the early black metal origins, that D.I.Y ethos is still there, fiercely independent, and it means that Sakis can explore styles that otherwise may be off limits. With Hail Thy Mighty Rock N Roll, rock there’s classic metal augmented with huge choir vocals of course as both Welcome My Nightmare and Welcome To My Party are hard rock with the gothic-tinge. Sakis Tolis’ solo project aren’t in opposition to Rotting Christ, they have always been more in addition to.
A place where other ideas can come to fruition and a set of albums that show that even though you are the originator of a scene it’s never too late to create something different. Hopefully this is not the end of ‘Sakis Tolis’ (the project) but just another great entry to his musical legacy. 8/10
Forbidden Seed - In Shadows Deep – Shadow Of The Crow Pt. II (Steel Gallery Records)
A band who can never be accused of not being creative enough, Forbidden Seed are now on their fourth album with this one and their previous effort clocking it at a mammoth 16 tracks apiece. In Shadows Deep is the continuing concept based around the film The Crow, and picks up from where the previous album On Blackest Wings, Shadow Of The Crow Pt. I, left off.
Their third album on Steel Gallery Records, Forbidden Seed in the studio are creative mastermind Constantin Maris, who plays the role of both Matt Barlow and Jon Schaffer on these records with theatrical vocals and the chugging riffs, while Stefanos Zafeiropoulos brings the extra guitars and vocals to the album.
As you can probably guess with the comparisons I made Forbidden Seed play the sort of prog/power metal I love inspired by Iced Earth, Savatage (From Above) and even Evergrey (Trivial) with a heavier, cinematic style that can easily dwell in darker heavier realms of thrashy riffs while also adding some glistening melodies and emotive vocals phrasing.
As it's following the storyline of such a seminal piece of goth culture as The Crow the album, weighs quite heavily on the atmosphere, adding some of notes of early Kamelot (Ghost Beneath The Flames) too, but it's the legacy of Iced Earth that is the strongest with the muscular Back From The Brink especially.
Mixed and mastered by Kosta Vreto, the production of this record has a broader scope, it's something that perhaps held them back with their previous record but now this has the full spectrum of sound to it, highlighting the songwriting, but also the playing and the additions the guest music as make too. Vreto gets a guest solo, as does Dimitris Goutziamanis.
The 'band' on the record are George Tsioutsias on keys, K.C on drums and Constantin himself on bass, but the scale and grandeur of this record isn't limited to it being a two person affair. Maris' songwriting suits a concept, it's a skill not many possess, but with Forbidden Seed, when there is a storyline involved they deliver their best music.
Shadow Of The Crow Part I was awesome, Part II doesn't deviate from this, refining all the elements for their best record yet. 9/10
Sands Of Eternity - The Six Thousand (Symmetric Records)
2025 sees the continuing legacy of Sands Of Eternity, guitarist/songwriter Ioannis Ioakeimides, is still the creative force behind the band having reactivated the band formerly known as Hourglass SOE in 2022, together with singer Michalis Papadakis and producer/label owner Bob Katsionis.
Sands Of Eternity released their debut album Beyond The Realms in 2022, 26 years after first setting foot in the Greek metal scene. I thought that record was a blast of prog power that European bands and by extent Greek bands do really well. With Bob adding his signature touch to the orchestrations and production, it was powerful debut record.
So in 2025 can Sands Of Eternity follow it up? I'd say it's an emphatic yes again this is a prog/power record built on cinematics, once again Katsionis is behind the desk again, making it sound epic, The Six Thousand continues the legacy of the debut but expands on the songwriting front with more emotional weight and some more introspective themes.
Ioannis says "This album is about the unseen cost of progress and the resilience of those who stand, speak, and endure" and for me they've brought in more of the influences from Kamelot or Serenity on this record. 6000 is full of strings and gothic tones, so too is Far Beyond Our Sight.
On I Will Always Speak Papadakis shows off his husky but melodic tones, the classic power metal balance is redressed on Eternal Flame and Mirror, where Ioakeimides and Kostas Nanos share guitar harmonies, shifting into the galloping Lonewolf where Thanassis Skoutelis (bass) and Michael Skoutelis (drums) show off. In conjunction with all the metal that's flying about here Vangelis Kalentzis' keyboards fill the melodies (Prometheus).
The Six Thousand sees Sands Of Eternity get a bit bleaker and more emotional but they keep the power/prog metal at a high standard. 8/10
Hope Behind The Hills - The Realm Of Ideas And Shadows (Hellenic Metal World)
Following quickly on the heels of their previous atmospheric black metal release from ΦΩΣ, Hellenic Metal World, collaborate with another underground artist in the underground of the Greek metal scene. The Realm Of Ideas And Shadows is the second full length album from Hope Behind The Hills, following the debut No Fate For A Moribund in 2024.
Like ΦΩΣ this is one person project, K.A playing and recording everything, with Athansios of ΦΩΣ and Maicon Ristow of Litosth joining on vocals. According to its creator the album "explores the duality between the tangible and the abstract", setting these existential and philosophical themes against a musical backing of cinematic music that draws from black metal and post metal realms.
On the black metal side Bless None Before The End has that rhythmic chug of Rotting Christ, while the post metal strains of Harakiri From The Sky are present on The Hermit. It's musically very dense, layered of instrumentation as the vocals move between English and Greek to keep things rooted in the history of philosophical wondering.
More great music coming from the Greek underground as Hope Behind The Hills asks big questions through swathes of excellent musicianship. 8/10
A band who can never be accused of not being creative enough, Forbidden Seed are now on their fourth album with this one and their previous effort clocking it at a mammoth 16 tracks apiece. In Shadows Deep is the continuing concept based around the film The Crow, and picks up from where the previous album On Blackest Wings, Shadow Of The Crow Pt. I, left off.
Their third album on Steel Gallery Records, Forbidden Seed in the studio are creative mastermind Constantin Maris, who plays the role of both Matt Barlow and Jon Schaffer on these records with theatrical vocals and the chugging riffs, while Stefanos Zafeiropoulos brings the extra guitars and vocals to the album.
As you can probably guess with the comparisons I made Forbidden Seed play the sort of prog/power metal I love inspired by Iced Earth, Savatage (From Above) and even Evergrey (Trivial) with a heavier, cinematic style that can easily dwell in darker heavier realms of thrashy riffs while also adding some glistening melodies and emotive vocals phrasing.
As it's following the storyline of such a seminal piece of goth culture as The Crow the album, weighs quite heavily on the atmosphere, adding some of notes of early Kamelot (Ghost Beneath The Flames) too, but it's the legacy of Iced Earth that is the strongest with the muscular Back From The Brink especially.
Mixed and mastered by Kosta Vreto, the production of this record has a broader scope, it's something that perhaps held them back with their previous record but now this has the full spectrum of sound to it, highlighting the songwriting, but also the playing and the additions the guest music as make too. Vreto gets a guest solo, as does Dimitris Goutziamanis.
The 'band' on the record are George Tsioutsias on keys, K.C on drums and Constantin himself on bass, but the scale and grandeur of this record isn't limited to it being a two person affair. Maris' songwriting suits a concept, it's a skill not many possess, but with Forbidden Seed, when there is a storyline involved they deliver their best music.
Shadow Of The Crow Part I was awesome, Part II doesn't deviate from this, refining all the elements for their best record yet. 9/10
Sands Of Eternity - The Six Thousand (Symmetric Records)
2025 sees the continuing legacy of Sands Of Eternity, guitarist/songwriter Ioannis Ioakeimides, is still the creative force behind the band having reactivated the band formerly known as Hourglass SOE in 2022, together with singer Michalis Papadakis and producer/label owner Bob Katsionis.
Sands Of Eternity released their debut album Beyond The Realms in 2022, 26 years after first setting foot in the Greek metal scene. I thought that record was a blast of prog power that European bands and by extent Greek bands do really well. With Bob adding his signature touch to the orchestrations and production, it was powerful debut record.
So in 2025 can Sands Of Eternity follow it up? I'd say it's an emphatic yes again this is a prog/power record built on cinematics, once again Katsionis is behind the desk again, making it sound epic, The Six Thousand continues the legacy of the debut but expands on the songwriting front with more emotional weight and some more introspective themes.
Ioannis says "This album is about the unseen cost of progress and the resilience of those who stand, speak, and endure" and for me they've brought in more of the influences from Kamelot or Serenity on this record. 6000 is full of strings and gothic tones, so too is Far Beyond Our Sight.
On I Will Always Speak Papadakis shows off his husky but melodic tones, the classic power metal balance is redressed on Eternal Flame and Mirror, where Ioakeimides and Kostas Nanos share guitar harmonies, shifting into the galloping Lonewolf where Thanassis Skoutelis (bass) and Michael Skoutelis (drums) show off. In conjunction with all the metal that's flying about here Vangelis Kalentzis' keyboards fill the melodies (Prometheus).
The Six Thousand sees Sands Of Eternity get a bit bleaker and more emotional but they keep the power/prog metal at a high standard. 8/10
Hope Behind The Hills - The Realm Of Ideas And Shadows (Hellenic Metal World)
Following quickly on the heels of their previous atmospheric black metal release from ΦΩΣ, Hellenic Metal World, collaborate with another underground artist in the underground of the Greek metal scene. The Realm Of Ideas And Shadows is the second full length album from Hope Behind The Hills, following the debut No Fate For A Moribund in 2024.
Like ΦΩΣ this is one person project, K.A playing and recording everything, with Athansios of ΦΩΣ and Maicon Ristow of Litosth joining on vocals. According to its creator the album "explores the duality between the tangible and the abstract", setting these existential and philosophical themes against a musical backing of cinematic music that draws from black metal and post metal realms.
On the black metal side Bless None Before The End has that rhythmic chug of Rotting Christ, while the post metal strains of Harakiri From The Sky are present on The Hermit. It's musically very dense, layered of instrumentation as the vocals move between English and Greek to keep things rooted in the history of philosophical wondering.
More great music coming from the Greek underground as Hope Behind The Hills asks big questions through swathes of excellent musicianship. 8/10
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