Sidë Effects: Expedition (Underground Symphony)
A vivid retelling of Homer's The Odyssey, Expedition is the debut album from this Athenian metal band. There is one definite influence here...Iron Maiden, from the 'Arry-like bass playing of band leader/lyricist/songwriter George Nidriotis, to the Air-Raid Siren vocals of Tasos Lazaris and even the production just screams (for me) the UK's premier metal act. The subject matter even lends itself to the historical fantasy style that Maiden have always been so keen on. A short intro leads into the galloping Into The Sea and from there Sidë Effects rarely leave the Maiden comfort zone, (they even have late album instrumental in Fields Of Stone). The drumming of Chris Bouvis has that metronomic style of Nicko McBrain as Kostas Grammenos and Andreas Zografidis duel with a twin axe attack made famous by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. The title track has those classic melodic flourishes on top of driving progressive backing that makes it the first song echoing those Maiden epics such as Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner.
Though it's not as long or epic as For The Love And Land which clocks in at 10 minutes with numerous time and style changes. Both songs are bookended by the synthy ballad Light On My Steel where they move slightly onto the Manowar battleground. There's pretty much no other way to review this record, it's really hard to be objective on this one as no matter how much I want to be cynical about how much they sound like Maiden, I bloody love Maiden so I enjoyed this album immensely, if you like Maiden you'll enjoy it as it is so bloody similar, if you don't like them then you've probably stopped reading. Jump aboard the Expedition with Sidë Effects and hear of the tales of Odysseus, Homeric in every sense. 7/10
Echoes Of Decay: Dive Into Darkness (Self Released)
Formed in 2017 in Thessaloniki Echoes Of Decay are a band who you wouldn't want round for Christmas dinner, their atmospheric doom/death metal is misanthropic, gloomy and thoroughly miserable. The songs dredge along with elongated runtimes and gargled runtimes as maudlin piano that splits many of the songs with a downcast melodic sound. The band cite their influences as the obvious bands such as Paradise Lost, Opeth and Katatonia, while they also take from the post-metal side of Cult Of Luna and Neurosis. Dive Into Darkness is a dark and brooding with the first two tracks long slow doom numbers as Echoes Of Decay makes things a little faster but not by much. It's atmospheric yes but the grunting vocals are a little one-dimensional, this record is crying out for some soulful cleans and just s little bit of variation, like Obsession provides. There's nothing particularly weak here hit;s just been done before better, though if you want some introspection at the end of this turbulent year then I'd suggest Dive Into Darkness. 6/10
Warcode: Post Modern Delusions (Self Released)
Hailing from Trikala where there are as probably as many sheep as there are in Wales, Warcode do their best to frighten every single one of the wooly bastards with death/thrash metal assault. Taking their cues from the Germanic sounds of Kreator and Sodom with some of the second wave US thrash style from Exodus and Obituary. Warcode have an album full of distorted riffs that are brought thick and fast as the drumming bludgeons you to death with percussive blasts, even on the more grinding mid-paced Architects Of Immoral Dogma the drumming from Vasilis is devastating. Elsewhere though razor-sharp riffs of Bill and Milt slash at each other on numbers as Instigate The Suffering and the vicious Ruination while Vaios grunts and Sotiris brings the thunder with his bass. Will Post Modern Delusions change the metal landscape? No. Does it reinvent the wheel? No. Will it scare away your family on boxing day? Hell yes! 6/10
Hidden In The Basement: Cursed By The Sun (Self Released)
Probably not the best name for a band to be honest as Hidden In The Basement does tend to conjure images of serial killers, but the only thing these Larisa natives kill is anyone allergic to riffs. With three guitarists, one bassist and a drummer Hidden In The Basement are a heavy riffing stoner metal band. I've talked ad nauseum about the Greek affinity with stoner music so when a band like this bring to mind NOLA heavyweights Down and COC then it reinforces these remarks. As I said they have three guitar players giving the songs such as False Dawn a bit more depth. It's all pretty good stuff here, getting the head nodding with psych-drenched heavy rock riffs and grizzled vocals, things get woozy on The Witch, Hangover is driving while Wasted Nights brings more mind expansion. Cursed By the Sun yet again shows that Greeks are in their own league when it comes to riffage. 7/10
A vivid retelling of Homer's The Odyssey, Expedition is the debut album from this Athenian metal band. There is one definite influence here...Iron Maiden, from the 'Arry-like bass playing of band leader/lyricist/songwriter George Nidriotis, to the Air-Raid Siren vocals of Tasos Lazaris and even the production just screams (for me) the UK's premier metal act. The subject matter even lends itself to the historical fantasy style that Maiden have always been so keen on. A short intro leads into the galloping Into The Sea and from there Sidë Effects rarely leave the Maiden comfort zone, (they even have late album instrumental in Fields Of Stone). The drumming of Chris Bouvis has that metronomic style of Nicko McBrain as Kostas Grammenos and Andreas Zografidis duel with a twin axe attack made famous by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. The title track has those classic melodic flourishes on top of driving progressive backing that makes it the first song echoing those Maiden epics such as Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner.
Though it's not as long or epic as For The Love And Land which clocks in at 10 minutes with numerous time and style changes. Both songs are bookended by the synthy ballad Light On My Steel where they move slightly onto the Manowar battleground. There's pretty much no other way to review this record, it's really hard to be objective on this one as no matter how much I want to be cynical about how much they sound like Maiden, I bloody love Maiden so I enjoyed this album immensely, if you like Maiden you'll enjoy it as it is so bloody similar, if you don't like them then you've probably stopped reading. Jump aboard the Expedition with Sidë Effects and hear of the tales of Odysseus, Homeric in every sense. 7/10
Echoes Of Decay: Dive Into Darkness (Self Released)
Formed in 2017 in Thessaloniki Echoes Of Decay are a band who you wouldn't want round for Christmas dinner, their atmospheric doom/death metal is misanthropic, gloomy and thoroughly miserable. The songs dredge along with elongated runtimes and gargled runtimes as maudlin piano that splits many of the songs with a downcast melodic sound. The band cite their influences as the obvious bands such as Paradise Lost, Opeth and Katatonia, while they also take from the post-metal side of Cult Of Luna and Neurosis. Dive Into Darkness is a dark and brooding with the first two tracks long slow doom numbers as Echoes Of Decay makes things a little faster but not by much. It's atmospheric yes but the grunting vocals are a little one-dimensional, this record is crying out for some soulful cleans and just s little bit of variation, like Obsession provides. There's nothing particularly weak here hit;s just been done before better, though if you want some introspection at the end of this turbulent year then I'd suggest Dive Into Darkness. 6/10
Warcode: Post Modern Delusions (Self Released)
Hailing from Trikala where there are as probably as many sheep as there are in Wales, Warcode do their best to frighten every single one of the wooly bastards with death/thrash metal assault. Taking their cues from the Germanic sounds of Kreator and Sodom with some of the second wave US thrash style from Exodus and Obituary. Warcode have an album full of distorted riffs that are brought thick and fast as the drumming bludgeons you to death with percussive blasts, even on the more grinding mid-paced Architects Of Immoral Dogma the drumming from Vasilis is devastating. Elsewhere though razor-sharp riffs of Bill and Milt slash at each other on numbers as Instigate The Suffering and the vicious Ruination while Vaios grunts and Sotiris brings the thunder with his bass. Will Post Modern Delusions change the metal landscape? No. Does it reinvent the wheel? No. Will it scare away your family on boxing day? Hell yes! 6/10
Hidden In The Basement: Cursed By The Sun (Self Released)
Probably not the best name for a band to be honest as Hidden In The Basement does tend to conjure images of serial killers, but the only thing these Larisa natives kill is anyone allergic to riffs. With three guitarists, one bassist and a drummer Hidden In The Basement are a heavy riffing stoner metal band. I've talked ad nauseum about the Greek affinity with stoner music so when a band like this bring to mind NOLA heavyweights Down and COC then it reinforces these remarks. As I said they have three guitar players giving the songs such as False Dawn a bit more depth. It's all pretty good stuff here, getting the head nodding with psych-drenched heavy rock riffs and grizzled vocals, things get woozy on The Witch, Hangover is driving while Wasted Nights brings more mind expansion. Cursed By the Sun yet again shows that Greeks are in their own league when it comes to riffage. 7/10