19/04/2013

Septicflesh - Mystic Places of Dawn | Ghost Cult Magazine

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Posted on April 10, 2013

Septicflesh Mystic Places Of Dawn

Posted in: Alb um Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: Christos Antoniou, classic 90s death metal, deathmetal, gothic metal, Greek metal b ands, Mystic Places of Dawn, reviews b y Dan Swinhoe, Season of Mist, Septicflesh, Sotiris Vayenas, Spiros "Seth" Antoniou, symphonic metal, The Temple of the Lost Race EP.

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After being together for over twenty years and releasing eight albums, Greek deathmetallers Septicflesh (previously Septic Flesh) have decided to go back to where it all started, re-releasing their 1994 debut album Mystic Places of Dawn, combined with their first release, 1991s Temple of the Lost Race EP. The line-up has remain largely unchanged since their debut- Spiros Seth Antoniou (vocals, bass), Sotiris Vayenas (guitars) and Christos Antoniou (guitars), with the band only adding a drummer to the mix later on. While actually the second time its been reissued, this time on Seasons Of Mist, the latest version comes with some enjoyably grim new artwork. After its release, Mystic Places was rightly held up as a classic of 90s death metal. Its mix of brutality, doom and gothic keys all woven together with razor-sharp songwriting stood out as something different. From the opening six minutes of the titletrack, its easy to see theres something special about this record. Intricate guitar leads play over raging blast beats before things are taken down a notch and were haunted by doom-laden guitars and synth. The guitar work is sublime, the songs are adventurous, and its very hard to pick a highlight. Though some may balk at the idea, its actually easy to forget about the drum machine. Antonious growling vocals add the eerie atmospherics and the mellow passages & classical samples add a different dimension to the music. While the band can and often do go all on the blast beats and heaviness, its the weaving of subtler ambience into the chaos that makes this record stand out. (Morpheus) The Dreamlord is a perfect example, building from clean guitar work through doomy riffs and epic keys to finish in a frantic maelstrom. Throughout the album, theres lots of light and shade. Return To Carthage charges out with furious shredding before switching to mellow passages with waves of synth. The band arent afraid to slow things down to a doomy pace either, Chasing The Chimera and Crescent Moon never get above a snails pace but the quality work from Vayenas & Antoniou hold the attention perfectly. The Temple of the Lost Race EP that makes up the bonus tracks is a welcome addition. While for the most part it lacks the atmospherics of the album, the band makes up for it in energy, providing furious old-school thrashy death metal. The raw production lends itself to the charm of a record that still stands up well today. Older converts and die-hards will probably already own this, but the fans theyve picked up since reforming in 2007 would do well to pick this up and see where it all began. 8.5 out of 10 By Dan Swinhoe

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