Septicflesh - Esoptron [1995]

If Mystic Places of Dawn was an indication (as it proved to be), Septicflesh was a band destined to do great things, and it wasn't long before a similarly sanguine followup was delivered. Esoptron relies less on an all-consuming atmosphere, instead providing a panorama of doomy death metal prowess. There's this sort of medieval gothic vibe beginning to emerge here (most prevalent on brief interludes like "Celebration"), a factor that would dominate Septicflesh's following release, Ophidian Wheel. The sound is still archaic and ageless, but the overall effect of Esoptron evokes less wonder and mystique than its predecessor. Nonetheless, Esoptron shines with striking power; every album by this impeccable band is worth hearing, and it should come as no surprise that this one is no exception.

The production values have been vastly improved, though the tone does emit dryness when that siren of a lead guitar isn't shedding some sunlight on this haunting trek through Hades. This remains the most astounding facet of Septicflesh: the arresting beauty that manages to permeate its way through the depths of the band's deep, guttural darkness. This is achieved once again by excellent synths and keyboards, especially notable on "Narcissism," which is quite a daunting experience in itself. A nine minute journey across an abstract realm, the song brings just about everything Septicflesh had and combines it into one slow, progressive churn through the gothic landscape, adding in some eerily effective clean vocals just for good measure. That's one hell of a way to end an album.

Elsewhere, the album operates on a more concise level than that epic or even the debut, presenting songs around the 4-5 minute range with no lesser impact. "Ice Castle" in particular chills to the core with its building, sorrowful tension, containing emotionally dynamic melodies swarming all around in a suffocatingly moving blizzard. And it does all that while scarcely progressing beyond midpace. In fact, if you haven't noticed already, Esoptron always moves along with a patient, leisurely stride, never busting into unnecessary sections of speed. The title track follows this method, beggining with a rather pedestrian riff, but it all pays off when each of the individual layers come together to form a truly euphoric feast of musical delight.

Esoptron lies in a somewhat uncomfortable place in the Septicflesh discography, smashed in between the two near-flawless masterworks of Mystic Places of Dawn and Ophidian Wheel, but it easily holds its own (and your attention) for the modest 43 minute runtime. It's an album I quickly dismissed upon first listens, a mistake that could be made with several of their releases, but when given time to grow, Esoptron crawls within the recesses of the mind and takes sieze. Who knows, my marks for this one might just keep going up; I certainly haven't grown tired of it yet. Various production and distribution issues plagued this band until the release of Revolution DNA, and these early albums still haven't received the remaster or even rerelease treatment they've always deserved. Hopefully their newfound popularity will thrust these releases back into the spotlight.

   Overall: 8.5/10 (Great - the light with the dark)

Septicflesh - Mystic Places of Dawn [1994]

After experiencing the marvelous grandiose of The Great Mass, an album which converted me to an avid Septicflesh fan, you can imagine my surprise when I voyaged into the enormous back catalogue of this fantastic Greek death metal band only to find the group drastically different yet equally wondrous. Mystic Places of Dawn sports a fitting name, representing both the dawning of a new, suffocating vision along with the mind-bending mystery surrounding it. It's an album cloaked in melancholic beauty, churning deep with macabre doom riffs and a crestfallen atmosphere so penetrating that it breathes life into its own murky corridors. Almost nowhere to be found are the potent symphonic elements so prevalent on later albums like Communion; this is a pure ritual founded on the flesh and blood of ancient gods.

That doesn't mean, however, that the album offers nothing more than a droning atmosphere. The amount of effective melodic hooks is surprising considering the overall vibe of sadness here, providing a perfect balance of memorable songwriting and overwhelming grief. This effect is mostly provided by the sharp lead guitars, which are so acute I'd swear they could slice right through steel. When I think about Septicflesh, all I can feel are those lucid leads piercing my inner being. Elsewhere, some practical synths lie beneath the rest, serving to enhance an already expertly layered sound with even more intricacy; and although Sotiris's excellent clean vocals hadn't quite been realized yet, Spiros Antoniou's urgent growl still adequately presents the band's eloquent prose. Lyrically the band was soon to reach its height with the wonderful Ophidian Wheel, but the themes and and elegant lines of poetry here still surpass most of those who speak English alone.

In terms of death metal songcraft, Septicflesh stand alone on their own creative plateau. Even on the debut, the ideas were fully formed and ready to go. Highlights? Almost everything. "Return to Carthage" buzzes in the bottom end and goes at blazing speed until the magical chorus arrives, mesmerizing with its romantic leads and synths. "Chasing the Chimera" is an all out doom fest, twisting and turning its way to the shores of victory, almost introspective in its up-and-down delivery. "The Underwater Garden" feels as if it was recorded in its titular location. The best riff of the entire album appears on "Morpheus (The Dreamlord)," a crushing wonder of a song that features impeccable violin accompaniment during a whimsical midsection. "Mythos" contains nine minutes of simple, symphonic ambiance, and it never gets boring for a second. This arrangement is absolutely genius and must be heard to be believed.

Mystic Places of Dawn is one of the better debuts ever recorded and remains a highlight of the genre itself. I don't believe it's quite this band's crowning jewel, as The Great Mass and Ophidian Wheel aim even higher and achieve greatness in arguably superior ways, but that's the great thing about Septicflesh: each of their albums is so different it can be enjoyed on its own independent level. A varying style is played on every other record of theirs, so chances are, there's at least one among them for everybody. I just happen to enjoy them all. This album does possess a couple of weak points, like the brief, seemingly out of place "Behind the Iron Mask." The production is technically terrible, sounding muddled and noisy beyond its years, but don't let that keep you from discovering the beauty within. Get this now if you can.

   Overall: 9.25/10 (Outstanding - the song of the muse will be heard)

Septicflesh - The Great Mass [2011]

Septicflesh was one of the first Greek death metal bands to rise in the early nineties, and they've been steadily cranking out well-received albums ever since. From what I understand, they've slowly been adding more symphonic elements with each subsequent full-length, only fully exploding into orchestral accompaniment after their reunion with the release of Communion in 2008. The Great Mass is my first experience with Septicflesh, and it strongly makes me regret not listening to them earlier; because let me tell you, this is one of the best albums I've heard in quite a while and the greatest entry of the year so far. Some parts are startlingly beautiful, some are undeniably catchy, and some are intensely heavy, but when all's said and done, The Great Mass bleeds quality through and through.

This certainly isn't your typical death metal release. The emphasis here is less on riff power and more on orchestral composition. Nonetheless, I never get the feeling that The Great Mass lacks metallic direction. This is helped by the deep bellows of Vayenas and a crushing modern guitar tone. There isn't a second that comes off as too light, and although the orchestration plays as loud and as often as the riffs, neither ever overshadows the other. In fact, these elements are most successful when used in harmony. The result of their strong fusion can most notably be seen in album highlight "Oceans of Grey;" when the chorus comes in with those haunting female vocals and the orchestra begins to play, the chills come creeping down my spine as well. The most surprising aspect of The Great Mass, however, is the way it opens up as it goes on.

The album seems to have a set routine vocally at first, but as it gets into the second half, more and more clean vocals are utilized. These unique low-range parts make tracks like "The Undead Keep Dreaming" and the fascinatingly strange closer "Therianthropry" that much more interesting, and even go as far as to make the simplistic "Rising" sound like a minimalistic power metal song. They're not completely absent on the album's first half, either; the great repeated clean part at the end of "The Vampire of Nazareth" makes an otherwise tame opener sound brilliant. Those opposed to a great amount of these kinds of vocals in their music shouldn't panic, however; I'm only describing specific parts. This is definitely a death dominated release: just see classics like "Pyramid God," "Five-Pointed Star," and the panicked "Mad Architect" to see evidence of that. "Apocalypse" also deserves mention for having an amazing chorus that blows me away every time.

There's no filler or even slightly inadequate track here. Okay, so maybe "The Vampire of Nazareth" is a mere snack compared to the feast that is the rest of the album, but I prefer to look at it as an appetizer for the deliciousness to come. It's a consistent, versatile symphony of cosmic proportions. This is a CD with high replay value, and it's been in my rotation consistently since its release. It can be argued that The Great Mass is somewhat short, but that's how I like 'em. There's less of a chance to be bored or have needless tracks that way, and pulling off ten winners in a row is a good achievement already. If you have not yet succumbed to Septicflesh's awesomeness, you better do so now, because I doubt there's ever been a better time to do so.

   Overall: 9.75/10 (Incredible)