Salos are 🜄 on guitar and 🜃 on drums, an instrumental duo from Kalamata who showcase that music can definitely speak louder than words. From their early rumblings in a decade ago, they have grown Salos into a project that brings together soaring post rock and complex prog metal with an explorative focus that is built on massive riffs and blissful atmospheres.
Arriving fully fledged on their debut, there’s maturity and experience pulsating in every guitar riff and drumbeat, the A Slaughter For The Empire is cinematic musical masterclass akin to bands that play with dynamics such as God Is An Astronaut and Russian Circles along with the ones that could easily hold their own in the prog realms like Earthside or Intervals.
On Arches they take a leap into some of the high profile juxtaposition of Mono or Pelagic with those guitar lines, heavy moments and the addition of sax from Greek jazz musician Yiannis Kassetas. With Slaughter they bring out the death/thrash metal battery, as We Deteriorate detonates when necessary. Hvitserkur, Leviathan and Sagittarius all have the impressive duality that Salos have crafted for this debut.
Salos shout about their talent louder than many other bands do, proving that’s vocalist isn’t always necessary, when you have a duo that sound like a collective. 8/10
Vanity’s Disciple – Blind Belief… Ill Intention (Self Released)
An amazing power/prog metal debut from Athens now as Vanity’s Disciple release their first album Blind Belief… Ill Intention. They kick off their recording career as a band with a with a concept album in nine chapters which is a bold thing to do but with a story that revolves around sin, belief and manipulation, they have crafted nine songs that drive the layered narrative which these virtuoso musicians are backing with some muscular heavy metal that brings both the US and European scenes together, where thrash, power, neoclassical and good old fashioned heavy metal combine with a sprinkling of prog when they launch into longer tracks.
Blind Belief… Ill Intention was written by guitarists Dimitris Kouroutis (rhythm) and George Rosenberg (lead), they are responsible for the music, lyrics and concept, as well as all the tasty riffs and solos on the record, showing that their playing is just a expressive as their writing. The duo have some excellent musicians with them as a part of Vanity’s Disciple as that darker, meaner steak comes from the history of bassist/drummer/producer Dimitris Sakkas, who has paid his dues in the extreme metal scene, so can blast with the best of them, bring nuance when needed, lay down the gallops and groove all while giving the album it’s polished heft.
Up front Vanity’s Disciple have brought in vocalist Jon Soti, he is the singer in the brilliant Floating Worlds, so I knew instantly what to expect and he brings his skyscraping, Geoff Tate meets Michael Kiske-like vocals to this record, adding drama and power brilliantly over yet more conceptual heavy metal. They’ve grabbed a few guests too with Mark Minoa brings a guest bass slot on Forged Faith while Soti is joined by powerhouse Stu Block of Into Eternity on the closing chapter Descend Decay, which you can imagine sounds like Into Eternity or IE.
Blind Belief… Ill Intention was written by guitarists Dimitris Kouroutis (rhythm) and George Rosenberg (lead), they are responsible for the music, lyrics and concept, as well as all the tasty riffs and solos on the record, showing that their playing is just a expressive as their writing. The duo have some excellent musicians with them as a part of Vanity’s Disciple as that darker, meaner steak comes from the history of bassist/drummer/producer Dimitris Sakkas, who has paid his dues in the extreme metal scene, so can blast with the best of them, bring nuance when needed, lay down the gallops and groove all while giving the album it’s polished heft.
Up front Vanity’s Disciple have brought in vocalist Jon Soti, he is the singer in the brilliant Floating Worlds, so I knew instantly what to expect and he brings his skyscraping, Geoff Tate meets Michael Kiske-like vocals to this record, adding drama and power brilliantly over yet more conceptual heavy metal. They’ve grabbed a few guests too with Mark Minoa brings a guest bass slot on Forged Faith while Soti is joined by powerhouse Stu Block of Into Eternity on the closing chapter Descend Decay, which you can imagine sounds like Into Eternity or IE.
Guest slots are all well and good but Vanity’s Disciple don’t need them, when it’s just the four of them they remind me of the brilliance of bands such as Queensyche, Savatage and Shadow Gallery, with Blind Belief… Ill Intention they have created a conceptual masterclass of a debut album. 9/10
Winter Eternal – Unveiled Nightsky (Hells Headbangers Records)
Originally formed in Athens but having relocated to Glasgow, Winter Eternal is a one man black metal project that is five albums deep into existence. Their latest, Unveiled Nightsky is another set of melodic black metal tracks that are inspired more by the Scandinavian style than the Hellenic one.
Soulreaper peels off trem picking, clean leads and thrashy riffs from the opening moments of Born Of Winters Breath. The theatrical touches coming from that anthemic middle section of Omen Of The Cosmic Order where V.Nuctemeron’s drumming is relentless, as it is on the biting Nurtured By The Night which races by.
Unveiled Nightsky is a record that bring a lot of speed and often locks into headbanging rhythms. The balance between the black metal extremity and melodic moments is struck very well, with frenzied assaults such as Descent Into Hades Embrace, evolving into the likes of the mid-pace The Deceivers Tale or the dramatic Echoes Of A Fallen Crown.
Despite being a one man project the additional drummer and strings players all add depth to this great melodic black metal record. 7/10
Sinistrous Mist – A Voice Through Constellations (Self Released)
Over to the more vicious side of black metal now as Athens band Sinistrous Mist bring anti-Christian black metal that dwells in the shadow and darkness of the Hellenic Scene, but also fully utilises keys to great effect. Divine Black driven with the gothic twinge of Type O Negative. While Mother Mary is not a UFO cover but a track that builds on orchestrations, through throat shredding vocals and a symphonic closing moments where the drums hit full power.
Despite being a one man project the additional drummer and strings players all add depth to this great melodic black metal record. 7/10
Sinistrous Mist – A Voice Through Constellations (Self Released)
Over to the more vicious side of black metal now as Athens band Sinistrous Mist bring anti-Christian black metal that dwells in the shadow and darkness of the Hellenic Scene, but also fully utilises keys to great effect. Divine Black driven with the gothic twinge of Type O Negative. While Mother Mary is not a UFO cover but a track that builds on orchestrations, through throat shredding vocals and a symphonic closing moments where the drums hit full power.
It’s breathless stuff and shows that even though it’s a debut A Voice Through Constellations, it’s been composed by veterans who can manipulate multiple styles into incendiary black metal that’s got heavy cinematic leanings from the keys, the title track begins with some creepy carnival organs before unleashing hell again.
It seems they’re so focussed on the keys, drums and vocals, that their guitarist no longer seem to be in the band, still that only really matters on the live stage, as the core line up on this record deliver some really excellent atmospheric black metal for what is a debut. 8/10
