Necromantia - To The Depths We Descend... (The Circle Music)
Part of the unholy triumvirate that founded the Hellenic Black Metal scene along with Rotting Christ and Varathon, Necromantia are less productive than their two compatriots having released their previous album in 2007. That being said part of this is probably due to things in the background that led to co-founding member Baron Blood, whose 8-String bass was integral to the Necromantia sound, passing away in 2019. The other co-founding member The Magnus, stated then that any material will be released will be in tribute to his fallen brother.
This was initially scheduled to be an EP but has now expanded into a full length album and will be the final album Necromantia will ever release, effectively bringing an end to a 32 year career. As with all previous albums, the rest of the band is filled out by session men so to pay tribute to his comrade, The Baron has brought in George Emmanuel (Lucifer's Child) on guitars and Yannis Votsis (Dephosphorus) on drums to record this final testament in the legacy of Necromantia. The album itself is 6 tracks of new music along with two 2021 re-recordings of classic Necromantia offerings in Lord Of The Abyss and The Warlock, both of which have been given new lease of life by this record.
We kick off in ideal style with Daemonocentric a rampaging Hellenic black metal opener that is hooked on The Magnus' bass thump and his croaked vocals while George Emmanuel shows why he is one of the best black/occult metal guitar players around adding a touch of classic metal mastery to his solos while Yannis is a machine behind the kit. A thrashy opener to the record, where the keys are a little distracting, however the brooding, And The Shadows Wept starts out as a stomper, changing tact a few times across it's 8 minute length, this song is the most obvious tribute to Baron Blood with The Magnus saying goodbye to his friend.
It's the albums best track, a brief instrumental shifting into more Hellenic black metal from Inferno and Eldritch with the Occult/Gothic keys high in the mix, for both of these tracks. To The Depths We Descend is as close to the classic Necromantia sound as you can get, The Magnus paying tribute doing exactly what they have done for their career. The closing instrumental title track brings some clarinet and acoustics which is disconcerting but I guess it's signaling closure and the descent into the underworld. The added spark of Baron Blood's 8-String is missing for sure but with the new versions of some of the duo's earliest tracks ringing in your ears as this album ends, the final chapter of this bands legacy is as strong as the first. Rest In Power Baron Blood and Necromantia. 7/10
Stheno - Wardance (7 Degrees Records/Chaos & Hell Productions)
Featuring Christian Chaco of Keitzer on vocals, the second album from Greek blackened/grindcore band is a steamroller of force. Wardance lives up to it's name (though maybe not the dance bit) as it's an all out war from the opening moments to the closing roars. It takes an unrelenting pace, that will for sure completely destroy any live arena they come across, but on record does leave you a little breathless despite the brevity of the song. The furious riffs shift between black, death and grindcore on tracks like Bestial Battalion which are those short destroyers mentioned earlier, that remind me of bands like Napalm Death, while Deadly Camouflage and Snake Eater bring more industrial death metal, sounding a bit more like Anaal Nathrakh. A few of the tracks having a fully formed audio destruction, but there is perhaps even a little nuance as things take a slower turn now and again before exploding again. The majority of the album follows this blueprint. However the final number Bellum Internecinum is much more industrial and experimental. A vicious record and a true Wardance that rallies against everything. A soundtrack to a riot from this Greek grindcore act. 6/10
Fliptop Box - Final Scene (Self Released)
Comprised of John Pomonis (vocals/guitar), Jim Samios (drums), Teo Plystakas (bass) and Stavros Gulielmos (guitars), Fliptop Box are a alt-grunge rock band from Athens. Final Scene is their fourth album of heavy riffing grunge, drawing from bands like Alice In Chains and Danzig (who they repeatedly compare their sound to). Final Scene was written during the lockdown, the band working in unison to record the album ready for this release. Their sound is characterised by chuggers such as Divine and the title track both of which give decent example of what Fliptop Box do, the latter also bringing in some of their progressive elements too. Fliptop Box have been together since 2003 and have previously released 3 albums, so they are experienced. This experience is translated into the record, the compositions are all quite complex, but also hook you quite easily. Final Scene has some good alt rocking on it, if you're a child of grunge or 80's heavy you'll enjoy it. 6/10
Ambition is a great thing, it's what drives creativity. Thanasis Labrakis has a lot of ambition, the founder of the band Lightfold, ahs created yet another project but this time it's a collaborative effort along with Thanos Bertsatos also of Lightfold and PowerCrue and various voices from the Greek metal scene. What we have here is an attempt at a metal opera, now I say an attempt and that will become clear in a bit, but first I'll say that the guest musicians cover a huge spectrum of genres and they all add to these individual stories of life and death. However, some of the guests are more suited than others, while a few have awful vocals which detract from the songs massively. Now I said this was an attempt and by saying that I mean that the record is a little quiet production wise meaning that it pales in comparison to projects such as Avantasia and Ayreon. Cinematic metal needs a huge production and importantly here some guests that people outside of Greece will know. Still ambition is a great thing and you can't fault that too much. 5/10