Tag Archives: Greek Metal

ALBUM REVIEW Yoth Iria – As The Flame Withers

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While Yoth Iria has been recognized for featuring members of groups like Rotting Christ and Necromantia, their first full-length isn’t necessarily cut from the same cloth as their forebears. As The Flame Withers (Pagan Records) features the riff-driven structures and melodic flourishes common in most Hellenic Black Metal but pushes them to even further extents thanks to the equally prominent Traditional Metal and Doom influences. The results are comparable to Agatus’s The Eternalist, which featured a similar Blackened Heavy Metal mindset.

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Karma Violens – Skin of Existence EP

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KV-cover

It is rather satisfying to discover that Greek extreme metal folk Karma Violens belong to ‘Growl Records’, as not only is it an apt pun but it encapsulates the aggressive ruminations that the band so artfully proffer to their ravenous audience. Their latest release Skin of Existence develops satisfyingly from their EP Katara, which merely hinted at the potential of the band to become something prodigious.

Skin of Existence has obviously leanings towards the bands prestigious peers, Arch Enemy being the most prominent. However, unlike the aforementioned, Karma Violens sound has most definitely been upgraded with the venturing forth with the sole intention of ruining everyone’s stereo equipment…and ears for that matter! Oddly, but not unwelcome, the album has catchier edge to it with songs like ‘Bloodbath’ and ‘Soulless Child’ ensuring vigorous toe-tapping as well some rather ferocious head banging. Very few bands can achieve this balance, and it is key to the success of this album. The nature and sonic delivery of songs like ‘About My Creator’ (a perfect song to soothe road rage) mean that this album was clearly meant to be heard in a live setting. Imagine if you will, a small, dingy basement venue. One where the beer tastes like it’s been through a digestive system already and there is very little room for maneuver or escape. Perfect for the onslaught of brutality, a chance to let one’s demons out in a safe and (somewhat) controlled environment.

The only criticism of the album, and one which even the most prolific bands of the genre can’t escape, is the repetitive nature of the songs. Karma Violens may not be the worst offenders by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a sense of “if you’ve heard one song, you’ve heard them all”. Let us hope they do not descend into the pedestrian trappings many of their peers have suffered. Still, the overall sound and feel of the album distracts from this, leaving you the perfect album to lose your shit to. Whether in a venue with fellow metalheads or in a car at red lights earning you worriedly curious looks from passersby.

 

7.0/10

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SARAH WORSLEY


Dodsferd – The Parasitic Survival Of The Human Race

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Having different bows to your musical string can both hinder and help a band, with fresh directions often urging new people to turn on, while sometimes causing older followers to turn off. Dodsferd are a quartet from Greece whose motto appears to be the bleaker the better, their extreme black metal shrouded in both musical and lyrical darkness. Their latest output, The Parasitic Survival of the Human Race (Moribund), however shows a more punk aspect to the DBSM lovers and it’s a side that is both hit and miss.

 

Made up of only five songs, the album feels more like an EP than a full-length release and while the execution of The Parasitic… is great throughout, most songs feel a few too many minutes long. Each starting with a sample from the Greek riots in 2012, many of the tracks grab your attention early on, only to lose it halfway through. Opener ‘Breeding Chaos’ is a prime example of this as its blistering start immediately pricks up your ears, only for them to start to wain towards the repetitive end.

 

The most creative part of the album comes in the form of second track ‘Creator of Disease,’ which couples initial fast-paced punk-esque tones with a slower, melodic metal ending. ‘Stupid Worthless Sheep’ once again though seems to outstay its welcome by one or two minutes, while ‘Doubting Your Worth’ brings a little more black metal to proceedings, creating a mid-tempo track of early enjoyable angst but later bouts of tedium. A cover of Misfits ‘We Are 138’ rounds the album off, bringing with it some impressive vocal screams that suit their version of the song well.

 

The Parasitic Survival of the Human Race doesn’t quite feature the bleak tones of Dodsferd releases gone by and for anyone looking for that side of the band this album isn’t where to find it. Instead what you will find is a relatively decent punk/black metal affair that has a little too much quantity and not enough quality.

 

5/10

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EMMA QUINLAN