There's nothing quite more satisfying than that certain feeling of serendipity one gets, when discovering a new gem from an otherwise unknown band. Well to be honest here, their quality as a band was beckoned by the accolades their first demo had received so I wasn’t so surprised. Evidently, the Greek underground is strewn with amazingly talented bands which exhibit a captivating amount of creativity through a variety of genres. Ethereal Blue paint a mesmerizing landscape of beautiful, intriguing melodies interweaved with ever-unfolding and capturing symphonic orchestrations which never seem to halt for a respite. This is by far one of the most addictive albums I have had the pleasure of listening to this year. Although tentatively described by the official press release as ‘atmospheric death metal’, the tag doesn’t quite make the band justice here, since their music impinges on a plethora of other musical slants as well. Gothic atmospheric segments to more exhilarating, up-tempo passages with a tinge of melodic black-isms hinting towards their fellow country men, Elysian Fields; they all whirl together in a fine conglomerate of musical bliss. Clean and brutal, raspy vocals alternate with each other in consonance.
What makes this album stand out from the crowd, apart from its distinctive instrumentations, is essentially that sensual and emotional contentment that each song conveys. Of note are also the finely placed symphonic orchestrations, which never seem to lumber on the music but rather enhance it. Nonetheless the production (an everlasting burden that Greek bands seem to carry) is satisfactory but of course there is room for improvement. The band has certainly constructed a strong grounding on which they can build on, leaving hints to their future development as well. Ignore the meagre cover or the hardly distinct fonts on the layout as this is certainly a package which hides so much more underneith its wrapping.
(originally written for Tartarean Desire - October 2005)
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