Metal Overview: Septicflesh

Happy Halloween fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I have to admit, the subject of today’s overview is one that I wanted to look at ever since I started doing this series. Septicflesh was a band that I immediately took to once I opened my musical tastes a little more, and the masters of Greek Death Metal are perfect for a Halloween-themed overview. Taking listeners to the ancient past, the cybernetic future, and the dark beyond, Septicflesh are up there as one of my top Death Metal bands of all time. Weaving Hellenistic, Pagan, Wiccian, and Greco-Roman myths & stories into their music, they truly are a unique group.

So what better way to celebrate the band than with an overview on All Hallows Eve, am I right? So turn down the lights, put on a few candles around you, and enjoy my look at the Greek Death Metal titans known as Septicflesh. Let the overview begin!

Mystic Places Of Dawn (1994)

Original

Re-Release

Our story begins in Athens, Greece, on March in the year of our lord 1990. 3 men formed a group. One in which would eventually become the definition of Greek Death Metal. They were Sotiris Vayenas (guitar), Spiros Antoniou (bass and vocals), and Christos Antoniou (guitars). Dimitris Valasopoulos (Credited as “Jim”) would also come along as the drummer, although his time in the band would be short-lived. After releasing the Temple of the Lost Race EP, the band continued their work, and in 1994, their first full-length album was released. Titled Mystic Places Of Dawn, Septicflesh invoked the myths of ancient Greece with their inaugural record, as the album is an ode to the legend of Atlantis. In many ways this makes Mystic Places Of Dawn a bit on the stereotypical side when compared to Death Metal from other countries, but at the same time became a template for what would later be known as Greek Death Metal. An impressive feat if you ask me!

Best Track? It’s almost a crime to pick the best track on this album! Every song is a treat to listen to. The Death Metal instrumentation & vocals, coupled with the almost Folk Metal like method of telling stories, creates something really unique that no band (As far as I know) has been able to do. That being said, I gotta show my love for the title track. Brutal & fast, but with slower/almost introspective moments so the song title can be sung, Mystic Places Of Dawn really shows of the bounty that is the band’s starting record, and is a great song in it’s own right.

Mystic Places Of Dawn

Worst Track? I can think of nothing bad with Mystic Places Of Dawn. Some of the sound effects might be a little goofy sounding now, but this beginning album is an excellent gateway into an excellent band. Coupled with the Temple of the Lost Race EP included on the re-release, the album paints a perfect picture of Septicflesh’s earliest days. Mystic Places Of Dawn: Incredibly recommended for those interested in Septicflesh or Death Metal in general. Next album!

Esoptron (1995)

Original

Re-Release

With an excellent starting album under their belt, expectations on a greater second album seemed to be high. Well, Septicflesh were happy to deliver this second album. Titled Esoptron (Translation from Greek: (inner) mirror), the album was released in May of 1995, and was a success for the Grecian titans. Fans consider this to be the band’s most experimental and progressive release, and while I don’t agree with this, I can certainly understand why. Esoptron is also the only band not to feature the talent of Christos Antoniou, as he took a leave from the group during this time. Ironically, all of the drums recorded for this record were program were programmed, although an individual named "Kostas" is credited as the drummer for the band.

Best Track? Bit of a tie between two fantastic tracks, Ice Castle & The Eyes of Set. The former is a slow-paced, cold track. It never picks up speed, and overall perfectly represents the spirit of winter. The later is the exact opposite of Ice Castle: fast-paced but steady, The Eyes of Set conjures up the deserts of ancient Egypt. You feel the heat of the ancient sun, the grit of the sand between your toes, and the old magic that created a thousand legends.

Ice Castle

The Eyes of Set

Worst Track? Once again there isn’t a single thing wrong with this album. Even the bonus tracks on the re-release edition, which to me are the weakest of the re-release material, don’t drag down how great everything else is. Esoptron, a great second CD, and also marked the beginning of a change for the band. Next album!

The Ophidian Wheel (1997)

Original

Re-Release

Released in 1997, The Ophidian Wheel marked a change for Septicflesh. While their first two albums were straight up Death Metal (With slivers of Doom & Black Metal), the band’s 3rd release still had that agressive Death Metal style they were known for, but was tempered with a Gothic Metal/Rock edge. This gothic tinge is most notable in the slightly mellowed vocal work, along with the instrumentation coming across as more goth than anything before. This transformation into a more gothic form would start off here, and as such The Ophidian Wheel comes across as more subtle with it’s changes. That being said, the subtly is what gives the record it’s strength. The mysterious individual known as “Kostas” returns as the individual credited for the drumwork on The Ophidian Wheel, but yet again the drumming was programmed.

Best Track? On The Topmost Step Of The Earth is what I would consider to be the best track, not to mention my most favorite. Though the changes to a more Gothic stance were all over this album, this track is the most blatant sign of this change. There’s still plenty of Death Metal riffage & vocal work throughout this song, but the pacing is much more along the lines of Gothic Metal. This duality creates a track that really fun to listen to, and adds personality to the record. You can’t go wrong with that!

On The Topmost Step Of The Earth

Worst Track? Death Metal purists are probably going to dislike the gothic elements that slowly make their way through The Ophidian Wheel. A lot of fans of the subgenre like it more pure. That being said, the gothic elements come across as more subtle on this album, and as such makes it the hardest to locate (Outside of the previously mentioned song). In a way, Death Metal purists will probably like this album the most when compared to the upcoming 2, but I’ll get them in a second.

The Ophidian Wheel. Further refinement upon their established form of Death Metal, this 3rd offering shows that Septicflesh is willing to change things up slightly. If you like your extreme metal with a dark & elegent edge, then The Ophidian Wheel is for you. Next album!

A Fallen Temple (1998)

Original

Re-Release

As the 90s were coming to a close, thing seemed to be closing for Septicflesh. Once a master of Death Metal, the band seemed to be changing into something more gothic. Though they weren’t completely there on March the 9th, 1998, the group’s 4th release A Fallen Temple made it very obvious that they were changing into something more than they once were. Does this make the album bad? Hell no! From the moment I first heard Type-O Negative, I knew that I would thoroughly enjoy Gothic Metal, and A Fallen Temple is no different. There’s still a Death Metal aspect lurking on this record, but a short time later it would effective be gone (More on that in the next album).

Best Track? Bit of a time between Marble Smiling Face, and the re-release bonus track The Last Time. The former is a blatant Gothic Metal track. The only thing that kept it from completely sliding into goth territory is Antoniou’s vocal work, which is still firmly routed in their Death Metal origins. The later is a curious song: taken off of a Paradise Lost tribute/compilation album, it is an incredible cover of the track from the previously mentioned band. It doesn’t completely follow the letter, but Septicflesh follow the spirit of the song to a T!

Marble Smiling Face

The Last Time

Another good plus for A Fallen Temple is the complete redo & re-recording of their classic EP, Temple of the Lost Race. Minus the track Another Reality, the EP tracks are crisper, cleaner, and more modern sounding (At that time) than they were in 1990. If I had any complaint, it would be that listening to the EP, then listening to the tracks here, creates a lot of whiplash for anyone not suspecting anything. Apart from that, great tunes!

Worst Track? This marks the first time that any song from the band isn’t good, and by extension anything bad about Septicflesh as a whole. We’re given a series of 2 songs (Technically 3 if you have the re-release), each of which are classified as Underworld Act x (See below). On the one hand, they’re incredibly atmospheric & operatic, and give A Fallen Temple some more personality. On the other hand, they’re really big time fillers. Act I is nearly 8 minutes, and Act II is almost 9 minutes. These two aren’t horrifically long, but Act III is the biggest culprit of filler. Clocking in at almost 11 minutes, it really will test your patience, despite how strangely elegant it is.

Underworld - Act I

Underworld - Act II

Underworld - Act III

A Fallen Temple. Further evolving into something incredibly gothic, it retains just enough of the band’s past that you don’t forget where they first came from. If you prefer more Gothic Metal than Death Metal, A Fallen Temple might just be for you. Next album!

Revolution DNA (1999)

Original

Re-Release

Far in a way the oddest & strangest Septicflesh album, is little old Revolution DNA. Released sometime in 1999, Revolution DNA is the only time that the band ever went full-blown Gothic & Industrial Metal. A sliver of Death Metal remained, but overall, goth & industrial. The album was also special for the change in vocals: a much larger emphasis on clean vocals & death growls being largely replaced by a less intense, spoken-rasped style. These two elements mixed together create what is perhaps Septicflesh’s cleanest sounding album to date, vocally & instrumentally. In a weird way, this change has also allowed Revolution DNA to age incredibly well also.

Best Track? Like I said in my review, I gotta give it to Last Stop To Nowhere as the best track of this album. It’s a highly repetitive track, what with it’s repeating beats, rhythm, and vocal work. However, it’s repetition happens to be the song’s biggest strength, lending plenty of personality & atmosphere. The song tells the tale of a spirit waiting in what seems like an abandoned train station, waiting for the next train to take him somewhere. Given the name of the track, it seems like he doesn’t go to where he wants.

Last Stop To Nowhere

Worst Track? Also like I said in my review for this album, Android is the only bad song on here. While it’s not necessarily an abomination, it comes across as nothing more than a glorified time stretcher. Coupled with the annoying raspy singing, it’s really a track to avoid, but at the same time won’t waste your time.

Android

This next fault comes with the flavor of the album. Revolution DNA comes across as the least Septicflesh sounding album. Though there are still moments where you can hear Death Metal come through, it’s incredibly obvious that is uses those moments as supplements, and instead goes heavily down the Gothic & Industrial Metal route. For many Septicflesh fans (Including me) this is actually lends to it’s identity, and creates a really atmospheric CD. For purists who aren’t fond of the band being experimental, and want their Septicflesh in their Death Metal suit, they’ll want to steer clear.

While not a fault anymore, for the longest time Revolution DNA wasn’t available for purchase. The band managed to re-released their first 4 albums earlier this decade, but it seemed like this album was forgotten. Due to this, prices for this album were pretty high in some cases. I managed to snag an original copy (Used) off of amazon around May of last year for about $66.66 (Excluding tax), which was on the low side as far as pricing was concerned. Not long after I bought it, it was announced that it would finally get re-released, and I immediately facepalmed hard. Sidenote: the re-release of the album is of the 2005 re-release, and that version had 3 bonus tracks. I actually found this a little depressing, though at the same time I thought it was refreshing to see an album as classic as this come back.

Revolution DNA. A simply bizarre record that somehow manages to be incredibly endearing at the same time. If you like your Death Metal more on the Gothic & Industrial side of things, then this record is for you. Next album!

Sumerian Daemons (2003)

By the early 2000s, tensions between the members of Septicflesh were at an all time high. Some members were just tired of the band, while some of the others wanted to pursue solo projects and the like. It was this kind of environment that Sumerian Daemons was crafted & released. Emerging onto the scene on February the 18th of 2003, Sumerian Daemons is something of a puzzling album to me. I enjoyed their Gothic/Industrial phase of the late 90s, and to a certain degree I hoped they would stay that way. Instead, Septicflesh partially returned to their Death Metal roots, while simultaneously holding onto much of their Ophidian Wheel-to-Revolution DNA stylings. This left me conflicted about the record, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Best Track? Hands down it’s Faust! Long before I ever enjoyed Septicflesh, much less understand the fans of Death Metal, this track really struck a cord with me. I’ve always been a fan of the Faustus tale, and the band really did the story justice. Incredibly dramatic & emotional, the band puts on a heavy Death Metal coat of paint, while at the same time never losing sight of the source material

Faust

Worst Track? If Sumerian Daemons had any problem, it would be the incredible identity crisis it suffers from. Some songs sound like their patented brand of Death Metal, while others come across as either purely gothic or industrial, and a few more seem like holdovers from Revolution DNA. As a result, I’m not sure how to look at this album, nor do I know what to identify it as genre wise.

Sumerian Daemons. My least favorite album, and the one I’m least likely to think about, but not a bad album. If you want an experience similar to Revolution DNA, give this release a go. Now like I said earlier, tensions within the band were at the highest they’ve ever been. So, everybody went their separate ways, with some of them doing personal projects, and for a majority of the 2000s we didn’t hear a peep about the band. However, by the late 200s they would reform, and the offering they would give us not long after made for an incredible comeback. So let’s all go to church......and receive a little communion.

Communion (2008)

I know I know, that pun was bad, but I kinda wanted to use it. After their short breakup, they reformed in 2007, with a renewed energy coursing through their veins, and a new style of Death Metal as well. Acquiring the services of the Prague Filmharmonic Orchestra (Arranged by Christos Antoniou), Septicflesh would travel down the path that most modern fans would eventually come to know. The path in question known as Symphonic Death Metal, and their first offering on this path is Communion. Released on March 18, 2008, the band setout to conjure ancient myths once again. According to guitarist Sotiris Vayenas, the album title means something like "communication with non-human entities". He went on to say that:

“This kind of strange fellowship is shrouded by mystery and reported during different eras and on various parts of the world. There are even sacred rites on many different religions to symbolize this "communication"”

Best Track? Lovecraft’s Death! Much like Faust from the previous album, this is a great tribute to a literarily legend. In this case, it’s an ode to the master of cosmic horror. Upon listening to the first few seconds, it feels like you’re being dragged under the ocean waves by some eldritch horror, only to resurface in the midst of a congregation of alien entities from beyond. If Lovecraft were to listen to this, I think he would be proud.

Lovecraft’s Death

Worst Track? While a great return to the Death Metal scene, and with the addition of the symphonic element creates a more unique experience, Communion’s identity isn’t perfect. Despite being Symphonic Death Metal, the record comes across as more Death Metal, and not enough symphonics were used throughout the album. Luckily, this doesn’t ruin the quality of the album, and it doesn’t shake my faith in Septicflesh in any way.

Communion. A wonderful return to the metal scene, but a lop-sided return at the same time. If you want your Death Metal more on the artistic side of things, then give Communion a go. Next album!

The Great Mass (2011)

Communion, while a great album in it’s own right, still had to get a little extra juice behind it. We would receive this juice 3 years later on April the 18th, with the arrival of The Great Mass. Once again acquiring the services of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, The Great Mass was highly praised by both fans of Septicflesh & music critics, and got the right amount of “Oomph” behind it. Something that Communion lacked in the minds of some fans. For me, The Great Mass is a bloodthirsty affair: equal parts brutal & elegant, The Great Mass will fulfill the desire that Communion may not have. To be perfectly honest though, I enjoy both this album and it’s predecessor. Each album has pluses & minuses that complement each other, and listening from back to back, The Great Mass really lives up to it’s name.

Best Track? The Vampire From Nazareth comes to mind when I think of The Great Mass. Much like Destroying the Manger from Nocturnus, this song tickles the blasphemous side of me. As you can kind of tell by the song name, The Vampire From Nazareth tells the tale of a very different kind of Jesus. One that came from Nazareth like the bible, only this one seeks the blood of victims instead of the redemption & conversion of those around him. This sounds like the premise of an interesting horror novel, and it’s a shame that no-one’s ever tried to write it.

The Vampire From Nazareth

Worst Track? Like Communion, The Great Mass suffers the same imbalanced personality problem as the prior record, but this time in reverse. Whereas Communion relied on too much Death Metal & not enough symphonics, this CD relies on too much symphonics & not enough Death Metal. The Great Mass is still a great album regardless, although at the same time is still a lop-sided affair.

The Great Mass. Another lop-sided affair, but still makes for a great listen to. If you liked Communion, you’ll probably like this record as well. Next album!

Titan (2014)

Every band has an album that, from the moment you first listen to it, you know that said band can retire. An album that’s just perfect, and acts as a wonderful capstone to a group’s career. For Septicflesh, that album’s name is Titan. Put out on June the 20th, 2014, Titan was released to universal acclaim by fans, and was the album that finally got me to enjoy Death Metal & understand the fans of the genre for a bit. For Septicflesh themselves, this was a bit of a trial by fire. After the monolith that was The Great Mass, there was a lot of pressure put on the band to make an album that would eclipse it, and somehow they managed to do it. The highest charting position for the record happened to be in the U.S., where it reached number 7 on the US Top Heatseekers chart (An aspect of the Billboard 100). Ironically, the album fared the worst in Belgium, where it managed to get to 191 on the country’s Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) list (Although it’s French counterpart managed to fare far better, as it landed at 99). Regardless of position, Titan is the definitive album to get into Septicflesh, and it still has me wrapped around it's finger.

Best Track? Like I stated by in my review for the album in 2015, Burn is hand’s down the single best track of Titan. Though pretty much every song in wonderful to listen to, it’s the 2nd track of the album that constantly brings me back. The Death Metal is superb, and the symphonics are wonderful, but it’s that hint of Speed Metal that really brings it all together into an incredible package. As a personal joke, I officially made Burn the unofficial track for when I read Monster Musume. Don’t knock it till you try it!

Burn

Worst Track? Absolutely nothing! Titan is an absolute masterpiece, and if you remember my top 5 albums of 2014 post (Read Here), you’ll recall that I placed it at number 1, and I still stand by that. Unlike the previous 2 albums, Septicflesh solved the unbalancing issues from their previous 2 releases, and crafted an album with a solid identity & enduring power. Titan: I loved it back when it first came out, and I still enjoy it over 3 years later. Exceedingly recommended! Next Album!

Codex Omega (2017)

I’m legitimately conflicted on this album. On the one hand, Septicflesh’s most recent release isn’t bad. Far from it! It has the high quality of the previous 3 releases, and is an enjoyable entry into the Septicflesh library. The symphonies are great, and the Death Metal is delicious as all ways. Where I come into conflict with Codex Omega is it’s identity......mainly for the fact that it has none! This album is all over the place: some songs sound like they’re from Communion, other from The Great Mass, and a few from Titan. Does this impact the quality? It doesn’t, but I found this album to be confusing to me when I was trying to pin down what it wanted to be. With all that aside, I still found myself smiling by the time I was done, and you might be smiling too when you’re done.

Best Track? Dark Art comes across as the most Titan-esque track on the album, and thus I found myself enjoying the most when compared to everything else. Though it bends slightly more towards the symphonic side of things, there’s still an incredible balance to everything in the song. The rhythm is nice, and overall is just something fun to listen to.

Dark Art

Worst Track? Once again, Codex Omega’s only flaw is the identity crisis it suffers from. It’s like 3 tigers fighting each other, and none of them can seem to overtake anybody else. As one commenter on Youtube said, “It’s like they’re trying to go for the dark & edgy release”. While I don’t quite agree with that, I can see that in the intensity of some songs for a bit.   

Codex Omega. All over the place personality wise, but the quality is still top notch. What else can I say but give this album a go.

So that was my look at Septicflesh. Producing some of the finest records since the 90s, they show no signs of stopping anytime soon. I hope that even one of the band’s albums enticed you to their flock, or at the very least planted the seeds of fandom in your mind. With Halloween now in the books, the last two months of the year are now upon us, and that’s means the final posts of 2017. I’ll see you later this week for perhaps the strangest festival I’ve done so far. See you soon!



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If you’re curious about my prior reviews from this band, take a look below.

Titan (Review)

Revolution DNA (Review)