When Hades Strikes...

 

 

 A brief chronicle of the early Hellenic Black Metal movement

Arguably, the early '90s can be considered the most productive period for black metal, giving rise to a number of distinguished scenes around the globe. While Euronymous' Inner Circle was busy raising havoc up north, a smoldering, darkened impetus was building up near the Mediterranean shores which would eventually prove to be one of the most productive and yet perhaps the most underrated of European scenes. Maybe because it was overshadowed by the incidents in Norway, or more importantly because most of the bands themselves involved in those years have long since silenced, the early Hellenic black metal scene has remained largely ignored even by genre devotees. Nonetheless, ask any self-respecting metalhead about the aforementioned scene and he'll be quick to quote you the infamous three: Rotting Christ, Necromantia and Varathron. Of course, although history has primarily saved these three names, the scene itself has offered a considerably larger number of gems from bands which still dwell in obscurity even nowadays, more than ten years after the great boom of the early '90s. Since it is nigh impossible to decisively pin-point the exact quality that gave Hellenic black metal its uniqueness, first a small presentation of the three most influential bands is in order to provide a more generalized idea of the genre.

The most famous and almost synonymous with the genre, Rotting Christ first took form as a threesome back in 1987, then comprising Sakis on vocals and guitars, Jim on bass and Sakis' brother Themis on drums. Their first forage into the annals of extreme metal by the then sixteen year old Sakis and his fellow band-members would see them mostly fidgeting around grindcore. It wasn't until the Passage to Arcturo EP was released that the band would show its most promising direction -- a release that was good or 'bad' enough to convince the notorious Euronymous to sign them to his Deathlike Silence Productions label, a decision that never actually saw fruition. There are still fans who think that the aforementioned EP is the definitive of the RC sound and arguably the best from all subsequent RC releases. However, a more objective observer might beg to differ; their highly regarded debut, Thy Mighty Contract, was released in 1993 through Osmose Records and it was this album that launched the Christs into global attention. (It seems that 1993 was a landmark year for Hellenic black metal, since along RC's Thy Mighty Contract, both Necromantia's and Varathron's debut albums were also released.) When it first hit the media, music journalists found themselves befuddled by the unique approach the Greeksters were employing in their compositions. Consequently the 'Hellenic black metal' dub was bestowed upon them, which would also grace any release of a similar origin and audial character. A year later, the might I say o-r-g-a-s-m-i-c Non Serviam, and also unfortunately their most poorly promoted album, was released through Unisound Records. Following some legal issues with the label, the album would never enjoy the promotion that it rightfully deserved. Strangely, it seems that the band doesn't really mention it in interviews or otherwise written media, again due to the legal issues that preceded. As a consequence, the original pressing (there is at least one bootleg I'm aware of) is their most sought-after album, since at the time of its release it went by largely unnoticed. Of course, their later discography is more than considerable, but I shall restrain myself from delving into their later albums since the primal focus of this essay should be the main events that occurred in the early to mid '90s.

Necromantia are perhaps the most distinct of the three for their infamous idiosyncrasies: complete absence of guitars from their recordings (its place taken by an 8-string bass guitar), abstaining from live appearances, and the relatively low-profile of their members (Magus Wampyr Doaloth and Baron Blood). Their first official release, in which Baudelaire's "Les Litanies de Satan" probably enjoyed its first black metal adaptation, saw the light of day in 1993. Ritualistic atmospheres, maniacal laughter, evil-boding chants, thick and completely unusual compositions, smothered the two tracks that comprised the demo in an ominous, menacing feeling. Their following two albums, Crossing the Fiery Path and Scarlet Evil, Witching Black are yet another two landmarks added to the Hellenic black metal annals which are considerably harsher in their delivery than their scene counterparts. As of late, the ever-present Lethe, who amongst others has taken part in Naer Mataron, Septic Flesh and Horrified, has taken over drum duties.

Finally, no such article would be complete without including the Greek 'swamp lords'. Just by mentioning the monumental His Majesty at the Swamp is enough for their fans to raise an eyebrow. Varathron seem to have taken the smallest piece from the popularity pie, but that certainly doesn't minimize their merit as an outfit which helped define the Hellenic black metal sound. More 'Mediterranean' in a sense and less of an offshoot from the typical black metal framework of the time, mainly because of their conspicuous heavy metal influences, Varathron built a very solid foundation with their first few releases, which still find themselves untainted by hackneyed plagiarisms. Fronted by one very avid underground aficionado's unique vocal delivery, Stefan "Necroabyssious", the band made a name for itself in the black metal circles. Varathron's compositions were overly guitar driven, distinctively boarding with classic heavy metal at times; primarily characterized by melodic, spine-tingling riffage mostly crawling on mid-tempo rhythms whilst occasionally being bolstered by keyboards and synths which only added to the commanding, epic atmosphere of their albums. Consequently His Majesty at the Swamp and Walpurgisnacht are two of the most defining releases in the Hellenic black / heavy sub-genre. Akin to Necromantia's low-profile status, Varathron are rarely seen on stage, although they have played a number of shows.

All three so disparate in terms of musical delivery, but still under the same aesthetic umbrella, the 'unholy triad' of Hellenic black was nothing less than the musical powerhouse that spawned a number of ambitious outfits thereof. The Greek underground was then teeming with a large number of uprising groups, all carrying, through their own personal touch, that typical sound that made the genre so distinct. Following is a concise listing of some of the most highly regarded bands that sprouted from this extremely fertile scene.

Deviser: One of the older groups, they formed in 1989. Like many a 'true' Hellenic black metal release, there are keyboards aplenty on each of their albums, and they were actually one of the first bands to incorporate them in their sound. Still going strong with Running Sore, Deviser make use of violins and female vocals to enhance their music. Magnum opus? Unspeakable Acts, without a shred of a doubt. Majestic atmospheres, intricately woven with that unmistakable aura of black metal Greekness, it is truly one of the better releases that the scene had to offer.

Agatus: Formed in 1992 by Eskarth (The Dark One) and Archon Vorskaath. Although laconic in terms of productivity, their Dawn of Martyrdom debut album undeniably showcases Hellenic black metal at its finest. More influenced by Varathron's mid-tempo deluges, there are a lot of heavy metal influences in their slower parts, yet Agatus are a few notches more aggressive.

Zemial: Agatus' brother band, Zemial was formed one year prior to Agatus by the same aforementioned members. Their sole full-length effort The Glory of UR, which was released in 1999, is pretty much textbook Hellenic black metal, but nonetheless musically weaker than Agatus.

Fiendish Nymph: Shrouded in obscurity, this outfit borrowed heavily from Ancient Greek tradition both lyrically and even musically, making use of instruments supposedly from Greek antiquity. They switched from folk-tinged black to all out folk ritualistic ambient as Daimonia Nymphe, which is the actual Greek translation of their previous moniker. Their Sibyl of Elikona LP is indeed one interesting piece of black metal, easily identifiable by its entrancing, ritualistic atmosphere.

Kawir: Their initial line-up saw the infamous Necroabyssious as their vocalist before Archemoros jumped on the Kawir wagon. They released a split with Sigh back in 1994 (one of the rarest releases from the Greek underground) before releasing their debut To Cavirs. Like Fiendish Nymph, Kawir made extensive use of their antediluvian heritage in their attire, with their debut's lyrics being entirely in Greek. _To Cavirs_ was a pleasingly attention-grabbing album, heavily influenced by Rotting Christ's dark compositions and especially Varathron's epic feeling of their early albums with some heavy metal overtones and of course the occasional flute and female chanting. Their latest, _Arai_, sees them increasing their tempos and decreasing in melody, while switching to Archemoros' interesting (minus pleasing...) vocal delivery, although not weakening in energy by any means.

Vorphalack: Formed by the then Funeral (now Lord Alatoth and only remaining member), Rotting Soul, Than and Alex in the early '90s. Released the Under the Sight of Dragon EP soon after. Although not pertaining to an exactly lucrative career, their contribution is nonetheless considerable.

Nergal: Yet another band doomed to wallow in anonymity. Mostly mid-tempo, claustrophobic songs threaded with discordant keyboard passages made their singular Wizard of Nerath release perhaps one of the aesthetically darkest to come out from the Greek underground.

Legion of Doom: Affiliated with the infamous NSBM movement, once again ancestor worship is the order of the day. Although incorporating a more aggressive approach akin to more Northern musical forms, their origin is instantly recognizable in the melodic song structures that abound especially in For Those of the Blood and Kingdom of Endless Darkness.

Thou Art Lord: Initially comprised of Rotting Christ's Sakis "Necromayhem", Necromantia's Magus Wampyr Doaloth, Gothmog and one Lord Daemon on drums, Thou Art Lord can be regarded as an all-star assemblage. Unsurprisingly, their first two releases simply reek of Rotting Christ influenced passages, which in unison with more belligerent, pummeling thrash-isms on the rhythm section still managed to give this unusual outfit its own personal character -- although it was Eosforos that would prove to be their strongest effort from that era.

So what is the status quo of today's Hellenic black metal? With both Necromantia and Varathron (their latest album not being exactly on par with their previous releases) currently dawdling in a lengthened state of hiatus and Rotting Christ far from their incipient musical outburst, it seems that the archetypal Hellenic sound of the early '90s has finally succumbed to temporal pressures. Nonetheless, the evolutionary continuation persists; the scene itself has all but silenced, with bands such as Nocternity, Ravencult, Darkthule, Macabre Omen, Enshadowed, Order of the Ebon Hand and Naer Mataron, which although vaguely reminiscent of their predecessors, are still proving that the Greek scene is as active as ever. For the rest of us, the legacy of those early bands remains in their records; staying far from lurid pretentiousness, which the embellished Norwegian scene so fervently indulged in at the time, they managed to give black metal a fresh outlook, which perhaps was not altogether genre-defining (or generally influential for that matter) but certainly interesting and innovative. 

(originally written for Chronicles of Chaos - 31/1/2006)

Eschaton - Causa Fortior (Nykta, 2006)

 

There was always something that emanated from that infamous split with Burial Hordes that promised of a really good offering from this outfit and it seems that that certain quality has found a pleasantly welcome fruition on "Causa Fortior ". Eschaton hail from Greece and after a demo and the aforementioned split have finally come forth with their first full-length on Nykta productions. What you should normally expect with this album is harsh yet rather melodious black metal enveloped by an emotively captivating aura alluding to early Gorgoroth and Darkthrone. Interwoven with the music’s acerbic delivery are melodic nods towards their Greek counterparts Naer Mataron and even Twilight (not to be confused with the American all-star assemblage) since a number of riffs seem to be taken right off their textbook. Unto the music itself now where naturally (as one might’ve expected), effectively simple power-chord driven passages propel the momentum on fast-paced rhythms accompanied by melodic riffs, which are in abundance on the album. The riffs here are actually quite a strong point and are appropriately placed within songs that segue smoothly into each other. Song structures are generally straightforward, effectively setting up the foundation for the not yet forgotten formula of build-up-and-release as put forth by the mighty Gorgoroth-era Pentagram. It is a pity though that that wintry atmosphere they’re otherwise successfully attaining is hindered by a somewhat weak production which if it’d been better it would definitely add to the overall quality of the album. Nonetheless, a fine and high-ranking debut effort by the fledgling Greeksters definitely worth checking out.

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - mid-late August 2006)

Naer Mataron - Discipline Manifesto (Black Lotus Records, 2005)

 

Naer Mataron have always been among the elite of Greek black metal. Since their inception, back in 1994, the band has always been in constant evolvement, straying far from their first _Up From the Ashes_ album, which drew heavily from the typical Hellenic sound, to their monumental _Skotos Aenaon_ and from there on to the more technical and innovative North-isms of their latest opus. _Discipline Manifesto_ is what you might call the fruition of all their hard work, where they manage to coalesce a number of musical influences -- although limited, I have to say -- into a devastating powerhouse of hate-reeking music.

The music as such can be described as having a firm grounding on the Burzum / Darkthrone diptych from which it branches into various other black metal 'schools', from Hellenic mid-tempo riffing to the faster and harsher Swedish approach of Marduk and Thy Primordial fame. The Greeks score highly on the guitar work factor; I have to say that the finishing riffs that Morpheas cranks up on some of the tracks are among the best I have heard coming from a black metal album. "The Day Is Breaking" is such an example, where the song initially paces on mid-tempo rhythms, then gathering up gradually on faster and faster passages before the momentum escalates on the final riff-driven segment, and what a riff that is! I still find myself humming that part over and over again. "Last Man Against Time" also cranks up its own good share of sweeping riffing which could have easily sprouted from Darkthrone's better days when injected with a good amount of black metal-ala-Sweden serum.

The album also boasts some highly acclaimed guest appearances, namely Apollyon of Aura Noir, Vicotnik (who also took part in the record's mastering process) and Carl Michael Eide, the two latter being part of Ved Buens Ende. All technical aspects aside, this album finds itself seethed in emotion, yes indeed emotion! Avoiding the stagnant 'tr00' stances of nowadays' majority of black metal bands, their music rampages relentlessly like an overwhelming barrage of ravenous rage, never stopping for rest. A burning furnace of an album which not only stands tall in the Greek scene but is also quite capable of blowing a breathful of amber hate-filled smog into the ever-needing lungs of European black metal.

Contact: http://www.naermataron.com

(originally written for Chronicles of Chaos 7/11/2005)

Kawir - Ophiolatreia (Those Opposed Records, 2008)

 

In a period where archetypal bands of the Hellenic sound have long since fallen astray or into a state of quietude who else is left than Kawir to hoist the banner? (Note: Yes, Rotting Christ keep on delivering quality albums for almost two decades now but their Thy Mighty Contract/Non Serviam days are long gone....) For most Hellenic black metal aficionados introductions are redundant, for the un-initiated Kawir are a black metal band hailing from the land of Aristotle, Plato and some guy whose 300-strong pack of soldiers apparently caused a lot of stir with the Persians back in the day. Forming back in the early 90's, they have tenaciously adhered to the same aesthetic core pretty much since their Eumenides EP. With minor mishaps sporadically surfacing in previous offerings aside (mainly tepid vocals, weak production) the band retained its identity untarnished and solidly planted in the Hellenic fold faithfully revolving around the Grecian axis of Varathron-esque romanticism. Following on that tradition and given its present-day context, it's a noteworthy fact that Ophiolatreia does not carry the apparent inferiority complex that masticates contemporary offerings with their minimalist/4-channel production obsession. Indeed, the album is completely devoid of any sort of Northern infatuations both in its production and particularly in its riffage and yet it manages to sound uniquely 'black metal.' Considering the onslaught of Fenriz-clones that riddle the scene today this in itself is quite an achievement - and a welcomingly refreshing one at that.

The compositional effectiveness of this album is primarily achieved because the band is both prudent and knowledgeable with different aspects of their music: their keyboard swaths are used only where accentuation is appropriate and their song structures don't draw for more than they have to. And of course engaging melodies and pounding mid-tempo driven themes of unmistakable 'Greekness' couldn't be absent either. Take for example "Poseidon:" it starts off with an evocative flute-lead intro that gives way to a guitar-laden passage following on the incipient melody; it then consequently builds up steadily and convincingly in tempo and mood before escalating unto its arm-wavingly delightful chorus without resorting to blast-beat excesses. This relatively simple compositional formula with a few minor fluctuations is essentially the backbone that constitutes most of the songs on this album and it successfully keeps the interest levels high throughout. To that effect, their sound is bolstered with probably one of their best productions yet. Be forewarned though: all lyrics are both written and sung in Greek since they deal primarily as always with the lasting ethos of Ancient Greece.

So who might've thought then? While onlookers were desperately expecting a resurrection from Varathron or Necromantia to re-invigorate their hopes in their beloved sub-genre of traditional Hellenic black metal it turns out it's none other than these Athenian robe-clad serpent-worshippers who will finally deliver the goods.

Album comes in a tasteful digipack and is available through Those Opposed Records (http://www.those-opposed-recs.fr.nf/).

(originally written for Tartarean Desire - 29/1/2008)