Titan

Titan - when I hear this word, I think of something monumental, something impressive, something overwhelming and Titan is exactly this! A monumental, bombastic, orchestral epos. Septicflesh proves once again, that they really deserve the title "Masters of symphonic death metal". The cooperation of the orchestra and the band is wonderful to hear and makes this album a true masterpiece. It should be emphasized that the orchestral pieces were written by Christos Antoniou, one of the guitarists of Septicflesh.

The whole album has a special mystical atmosphere: on one side the incredibly well done aggressive vocals by Spiros "Seth" Antoniou, on the other side the clean vocals by Sotiris Vayenas and the orchestra. This ambivalence gives the whole album a unique atmosphere right from the beginning. Another thing that should be highlighted is the composition of the album. Already with the opener "War in Heaven", the album makes a very good start and continues on a similar level, creating a climax that culminates with "Dogma", "Prometheus" and "Titan". "The First Immortal" finally delivers a successful end to the album, with the sudden end of any instruments and the line "I am the Last", I literally got goosebumps the first time listening.

Now, let's move a bit away from the overall sound: Fotis Benardo did an incredibly good job on this album, the drums and percussion sound perfect. In my opinion, he is one of the best drummers of all time. In addition, the guitars have a really unique sound with some even black / dark metal influences in some songs, which fits perfectly to the rest of the band's sound and the atmosphere. As I already mentioned above, Seth's aggressive vocals are incredibly good, although I was a bit surprised at first, because of how it changed since "The Great Mass". The production made by Logan Mader is just another highlight of this wonderful album.

In summary: the band did a great job and Titan is definitely one of the best albums of the year 2014 and I'll still listen to it in years.

(This review was originally written for my personal blog on June 2014).

With their ninth studio album (and their third since their reunion in 2017), Greek symphonic death metal masters Septicflesh have consecrated themselves as one of the most creative and talented bands in the whole symphonic metal spectrum by presenting a high quality album, both musically and lyrically. I remember more or less five years ago when I started to get more into extreme and heavier music, this band was a big influence on my taste. Because of that, a new Septicflesh album will always cause me a lot of excitement and expectation.

On Titan, Septicflesh exploit their heaviest and most aggressive side, and at the same time they expose their most symphonic aspects. All of that with their characteristic and mystical touch that is always present on their music. We have a band that was able to deliver some of the best orchestral arrangements and was also capable of melting those compositions with the rest of the instruments.

Moving into the non-symphonic parts of the album, Fotis Benardo has done an excellent job with such an energetic, precise and powerful approach on the drums, something that could be described as something bestial. The sound of the snare and double bass bass drums is also different from the previous album. I'm not sure why this happened but I don't think it's a bad thing, but the overall production of the album is flawless anyway.

The guitars have a really strong and even "blackish" sound during some songs. A clear example of that is during the eighth track, where they also make use of unconventional instruments that give a complete dark atmosphere to the song.

The vocals, on the other hand are equally great, Spiros Antoniou also does astonishing work both on the vocals and behind the bass.

Regarding Spiros' job, I have to say that at first I was a little bit "disappointed" about the cover artwork, since I felt it was too simple, or I least I thought so, but after I heard from Spiros himself the meaning behind it, and all the effort that was put on it, I was speechless.

In very general terms, I would say that Titan is pretty solid, intense, and immense as well. One of the best releases of the year in my opinion and also one that for sure I'll be listening to for a long time.

Septicflesh have earned their spot among the giants of the Greek metal scene, such as Rotting Christ, Varathron and Necromantia, with albums like "Mystic Places of Dawn", "Revolution DNA" and "Sumerian Daemons". After the band's hiatus was over they came back with a brand new style; that of a symphonic death metal act. After a streak of two great death metal albums, Septicflesh released Titan last June, reminding us once again why they are considered to be one of the driving forces in death metal worldwide.

Musically, Titan is far better than anything the band has done in the 21st century. And I say that because it is hard to compare this album to the band's earlier works, like "Mystic Places of Dawn" or "Esoptron", not only because of the differences in the musical expression but also because of the differences in the band's sound. Then, they were a black/death metal band with raw fast riffs and more harsh vocalizations. Now, their sound is cleaner (the orchestra helps a lot with that) and more versatile.

The minimal motifs of the orchestra are strikingly good, not too high in the mix and not too polished. They retain the feel of a classical recording, while the instruments that stand out are the violins and the brass with the tribal percussion serving as a manic companion to the other instruments. Once again, the band has collaborated with the FILMharmonic Orchestra of Prague (that's how its written in the liner notes) and, for the first time, with The Children Choir of Prague. This time every song features orchestral parts contrary to their previous album where the use of orchestra was not mandatory. The children choir is also a nice addition to their 'classical' arsenal. The choir sounds amazing especially in "Prototype".

Whereas "Communion" was mostly a guitar-driven album and "The Great Mass" an orchestra-driven work, the band here is much more balanced. They know what they want to do with their sound, where they want to go and how to achieve it. Thus the guitars are audible, sometimes intertwining with the orchestral parts, yet they are never overshadowed by them. Their distorted, crispy and heavy tone, builds the tension that is released by Fotis' drumming. Unfortunately there aren't as many guitar leads as in "Communion" and Sotiris is generally not that much present in Titan.

The bass holds a great portion of the sound in Titan. It sounds almost hostile at times. The basslines can be funky at some points, but for most of the time it follows the guitars instead of standing on its own feet.Spiros' vocals are distinctive and once again his performance is great. Sotiris ,while not as much present here as in the previous albums, lends his voice to some of the most touching moments of the album. Fotis' drumming is really, an ear candy. He rolls on the percussion and delivers an mind-bending cymbalwork, while the bass drums and snares create intense patterns that will get your head banging along with the beats. Once again he uses his technique, known as 'Hellblast' and proves that he is one of the top drummers in the world.

The production of Titan, does many favors to the album. It makes it sound mature, natural, organic and massive. Every instrument is carefully placed in the mix, by Logan Mader who hasn't worked with the band before, a fact that is quite surprising judging from the final result. Maybe the orchestra is a bit 'buried' under the guitars sometimes, but that doesn't occur very often. The rhythm section is robust and at times, mostly in the ultra-fast parts, rigid.

The lyrics are good but, compared to the daringness of the themes in "The Great Mass", the band seems to take a step backwards. Not that I do not enjoy the analysis of the ancient Greek mythology and its conjunction with the human nature, but I would rather read again about the suicidal God of "Apocalypse", the madman that trapped himself into his own creation ("Mad Architect") or the very personal experience of Sotiris; lucid dreaming ("The Undead Keep Dreaming"). All in all the themes here are thought provoking but not as much as I'd like them to be. And I'm still waiting for them to release a concept album! They don't seem willing to do it though.

With Titan, Septicflesh ensure that, one more fantastic album has been made and that their legacy will be even richer from now on. The atmosphere is taut and intense and from the fading violins in the beginning of "War in Heaven", to the outro of "The First Immortal" you will be enhanced to this album. With the departure of Fotis, Septicflesh are taking a big risk. Hopefully their tenth studio album will bring something new to the table, maybe a concept album that will even surpass the 40-minute album length, that the band is stuck with in their latest releases. However Titan is a victory for the Greek veterans and you will certainly enjoy it.

Favorite tracks: "Prototype", "Dogma", "The First Immortal"

92/100.

I am tempted to leave this review blank. Words cannot express how good this album is. But I will try.

Say what you will about Dimmu Borgir, but as far as nailing the symphonic metal genre down, you have to admit that few do it so well. But Septic Flesh, with Titan and the also excellent The Great Mass, are poised to supplant the throne.

When I put an album in my library, I spend the first few listens rating the songs so that I know which ones I will be fitting onto my portables. I have a lot of music, and never enough space to hold it all. With Titan I quickly found myself awarding five stars to every single track. There is absolutely no filler here. The mark of a truly great album for me is that it manages to let every song stand on its own merits while creating a greater sum of the parts at the same time. Titan succeeds at this in spades.

I could easily find myself hitting random and jamming to Order of Dracul or the even more epic Prometheus. But I will be tempted each time to play the record from start to finish to recapture the cohesiveness of it all. There is a theme that permeates each track. There are some recurring passages in the orchestral arrangements, some subtle and others purposefully in your face (horn blasts anyone?). The tone is consistently dark and depressing throughout. Yet it is not in the way that leaves you feeling melancholy afterward. Rather, I find myself feeling inspired to face the darkness head on.

Albums like this sometimes fall victim to lack of differentiation. You will not be bored here. Despite the consistency, every track sounds different. I find myself humming different string arrangements and actually remembering to which track they belong. The vocals are some of the strongest death metal style you will ever here. Every growl is filled with malice and intense longing. No raspy, devil-may care shrieking. There is a sense that each snarl was painstakingly placed at just the right moment with just the right volume and tone to fit the orchestration. It is another instrument. When the title track hits the first “TITAN!” you will be on your feet. There are also some beautifully eerie female choir vocals mixed with monk-like chanting that further add to the mood.

The guitars are gloomy and intense. There are some faster moments, but there is a lot of doom influence on this album. Not in the sense of repetitive plodding, but in the pacing and choice of distortion. The whole band has truly honed their various crafts. The drums range from slow, echoing power, to blastbeats and rapid fills of utter perfection. I can't say enough about how crushing this album is. It is constantly topping itself. This may be the house that Emperor built, but Septic Flesh have burned it to the ground, salted the earth, and built a death metal skyscraper on the foundation. The orchestration is equally fit for circle pits and a classical theater: death metal that is classy without sounding the least bit sold out.

Buy this album right now. It is somewhat of a pain to find due to the band being out of Greece and not well known. You'll likely end up paying $20+ for a digipak. But it is worth it. You even get a second disk with the standalone orchestral arrangements. This may very well be the metal album of the year, and if not it is at least in the top 5. Everyone should give this a listen, but particularly fans of Borgir, Emperor, Nokturnal Mortum, Behemoth's the Satanist, and to a lesser extent Vader's Tibi Et Igni.

I’m going to get right to the point: Septicflesh (or Septic Flesh, or whatever) should’ve stayed dead. Splitting up after the wonderful “Sumerian Daemons” would have been a fitting conclusion to a delightful discography—the end of a vibrant, brazen platter of exceptional music coated in esoteric influences that greatly captured the Greeks’ unique style of atmospheric death metal. Since reforming they’ve released haphazard, cluttered pieces of symphonic death metal that not only get more fattening with each release yet consistently confuse the pompous with the gallant—turds in tuxedos. “Titan” is the next logical step in the progression of this sound as it needlessly adds more and more to the already-capsized assimilation of bland death metal riffs and French horns and shit used to define these showy, vapid songs through which not an iota of quality emerges.

I assume the concept of adding orchestral and symphonic influences is based on the presumption that incorporating the instrumental movements of an orchestra or symphony will greatly enrich a certain musical background—death metal in the case of Septicflesh. Sadly, lazy and often tepid musical foundations have become the rule rather than the exception with all these bands using symphonies and extra musicians to perform on their albums. These arrangements only add a microscopic flavor to the record, and while they are poignant and proper, the fact remains that they can’t save “Titan” from the lackluster musical backbone that dooms it from the opening minutes of the utterly forgettable “War in Heaven.” The added measures are fundamentally useless; they add little to the group’s atmosphere and fail to season the blood of “Titan,” which is easily the laziest and most forgettable display of instrumentation Septicflesh has ever created.

A fine way to test the stability of music heavily supplemented by symphonic arrangements is to forget about the trumpets and the tubas and the additional percussion and whatever else entirely, and instead focus on the band in its natural setting. With this in mind, “Titan” is completely vacant. Septicflesh, not including the additives, just sleepwalks through this whole thing, settling for uninspiring structures and guitar parts that can’t even catch a snag. The escalating riff on “Dogma” and the chugging sequence on the title track are two examples among an album stuffed with the most generic and clichéd death metal riffs around, while the songs themselves are loaded with choirs and additional percussion and blast beats and goofy orchestrations (especially the stupid pseudo-noir vibe on “Confessions of a Serial Killer”) while Septicflesh continues to shoehorn in as much as possible because IT HAS AN ORCHESTRA AND THAT MEANS IT NEEDS TO BE BIGGER THAN GOD HIMSELF AND EVEN MORE, JUST BECAUSE.

“Burn,” the album’s second song, features a chorus sung by Sotiris Vayenas, Septicflesh’s longtime guitarist and clean vocalist, whose role as a second vocal option has diminished noticeably. The chorus I mentioned? He literally mumbles it, like he’s bored or doesn’t care; it represents the album magnificently. “Titan” gets its dagger in the heart through mundane songwriting and lethargic performances that have absolutely nothing to say or show on their own and instead lean on the huge symphony to carry the weight. The abstract melodies, dynamic song structures, and emphasis on cabalistic atmospheric elements that opened innumerable creative avenues for the Septicflesh of a bygone era have been flushed away for redundant death metal traits any group on the face of the planet can replicate, just thinly veiled by symphonic arrangements that, when removed, expose “Titan” to be just like its brothers: a turd in a tuxedo. And into the trash it goes.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

SepticFlesh formed in 1990 in Athens, but split up in 2003 only to regroup in 2007, turning out to be one of the giant Greek metal bands alongside Rotting Christ and Firewind. Its usage of orchestral sounds and a Gothic tone is very familiar with the metal community with that in mind. Their renowned streak continues in 2014 with their ninth full-length in the roster, simply known as "Titan".

The musicianship in this record is great, starting with the vocals. Aside from the usual deathly growls that sound wicked and fierce, they also consist of bizarre, off-key singing to up the record's atmosphere. They definitely accomplish that end, leaving a strange but hauntingly cryptic feel to the music. On top of that, the guitars wield a range between black metal-like chords and thunderous chugs that really deliver, and the drums sound very potent, fast or slow. On its own, the band already has a lot to offer, but that's only the tip of the iceberg.

As if that sort of musicianship wasn't enough, the orchestras and choirs are also a wonder to listen to both in the way they sound and how they add to the music as a whole. For the former, there's such a grand, theatrical ambiance going about them, with great volume and power to the point where listening to them feels like being in the midst of a large scale battle in an epic film. For the latter, this said atmosphere breathes more life into the album without cramming it down your throat, being distributed in a way that pulls you into its darkness with very smart placement and poise.

To further elaborate on this, while all of the songs are great, there are a few specific ones that demonstrate "Titan's" great dynamic and orchestration at its fullest. For starters, the slow-paced chorus in "Prototype" is not only accompanied by violins and horns, but there is also a children's choir alternating with the harsh vocals to create this heavily cryptic mood. It comes to be a prime example of how this album manages to establish more environment and brutality to the mix and it sounds downright powerful.

That isn't the only highlight this record sets on the table, however. "Prometheus" drives through the audience's ears with a storm cloud pace with lots of thunderous notes, dynamism between quiet and loud, and more of that great instrumental texturing. "Order of Dracul" is another song that shows the symphonic elements of this album at some of their best, and "Confessions of a Serial Killer" opens with great build-up, partially thanks to the therein, making it sound more haunting. All of this and more make "Titan" an extremely potent and memorable listen.

The production only adds more to the listening experience. Former Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader, who also mixed music for Divine Heresy, Gojira, and Devil You Know, did a fantastic job giving the album a richer and heavier sound, allowing the instrumental performances to stand out in their own rights without sacrificing any resonance. The music itself sounds great, but the production ups the ante even further.

Overall, "Titan" is a wonderful album that seamlessly ties together epic scales with sheer brutality. The musicianship of both the band, the orchestra, and the choirs is great, the songs are beautifully composed, and the atmosphere is huge and compelling. Anyone in search of dark, orchestral metal may not have to look any further than this record to fill their cravings. Certain tracks do stand taller than others in terms of memorability and impact, but that's in no way stopping "Titan" from being a total powerhouse of symphonic death metal.


Originally posted on: http://metaljerky.blogspot.com/

Now around a month, month and a half, ago, I reviewed one of the album's singles entitled "Order of Dracul" and to put it rather simply, I thought it was boring, uninspired, badly mixed and chaotically all over the place. I also hoped that it was merely a bad single and that the album would be much better. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case and as it turns out the single (and the others released later) was a precursor to the album quality as a whole. Which honest to God is a complete lazy mess.

"Titan" proves itself to be something that feels as if its trying to be big and ambitious and yet completely fails to reach any marks that it tries to convince the listeners its trying to get to. The overall composition of the vast majority of these songs is so utterly chaotic and messy that they make absolutely no sense, jumping from one idea to the next, constantly shifting tempo and tone, awkwardly going into these sloppy sounding classical sections with little purpose and overall having no real direction, making each song feel more like a sloppy mishmash of ideas that weren't properly mixed together to create a cohesive song. This as a result makes each song completely unrecognizable as they, as I said, don't have a clear direction and don't have a clear identity. This is a problem made worse by the fact that the performances don't sound all that inspired. That said, one positive is the orchestral arrangements which sound incredibly powerful and quite beautiful at times. This would be better if it weren't for the rest of the sound getting in their way all the time.

Another problem that this album suffers from greatly is its production and mixing which sounds like garbage. The guitars are paper thin and constantly being overpowered by the drums, which themselves sound oddly synthetic. The production manages to exacerbate this problem by making every instrument sound disconnected rather than properly mixed together into one sound. This problem was also found on "The Great Mass" but to a much lesser extent. The vocals aren't any better honestly. Seth's vocals are alright, no better or worse than before, but the clean vocals are still around (unfortunately) and are just as annoying and whiny as before.

In short, "Titan" is an album that doesn't know where to go or what to do. It's like the band had a lot of ideas for it, but didn't want to scrap any of them so they just took em and mixed them together in the sloppiest way imaginable. The result is that the album shoots itself in the foot and makes every song sound and feel poorly composed, badly mixed, overly ambitious and all over the place. Septicflesh have done plenty of good work in the past, but this is honestly just a complete mess. Better luck next time, guys.

Second chances are a rare thing, and in extreme metal they are doubly so. The music's inherent aggression leaves many coughing up dust in their attempts to keep up with the newest thing. Septic Flesh (or 'Septicflesh' as they prefer to stylize themselves) were one such act that met with a bold reinvention in 2008 with Communion, a monstrous album that's since become a perennial favourite of mine. Although I never found 2011's The Great Mass to be quite as gripping, it proved that Septic Flesh were sticking with this fusion of atmospheric death metal and full-blown symphonic orchestrations. In context, Titan feels like a sequel to The Great Mass, not continuing where the past record left off so much as it is retracing previously conquered territory. It should come as no surprise that Septic Flesh's latest album has not impressed me nearly as much as the past two efforts from the band's renaissance. The uneven standard of songwriting and shortcoming to live up to the style's awesome potential weigh against it, but in spite of this and a fairly lukewarm initial reception, the album has certainly seen fit to grow on me.

The mere concept of symphonic death metal seems an affront to some; after all, how could a genre most often associated with the finer details of bodily mutilation and sexual deviance possibly co-exist with the most traditionally highfalutin musical aesthetic out there? Look a little closer, and the two seem possibly made for one another. The perceived noise and savagery of death metal proper offers a fascinating contrast to most orchestrations, and Septic Flesh are (to date) one of a small few that have recognized its potential. In a recent interview I did with the band's resident composer Christos Antoniou, he declared Titan had been written with these orchestral touches in mind even moreso than the two albums that preceded it. Although the band's cinematic-quality symphonic arrangements once again come with care and attention to detail, I feel Septic Flesh have taken a far more guitar-driven, band-oriented approach with this one.

Especially when compared to many of their counterparts, the members of Septic Flesh seem to eschew egotism and a desire to flaunt one's skills in the limelight. Like a noisy extension of their backing orchestra, their performances are fixed on the composition and atmosphere; guitar solos are conspicuously absent from the music, a state which may leave some death metal veterans puzzled. Their metal would likely feel bland on their own, but with the orchestrations it's only to the band's credit they've put aside individual motivations and let the holistic arrangement take precedent. In spite of this surprising restraint, a performance shines brightly in particular; Fotis Bernardo's drumwork on Titan is incredible, and honestly some of the best percussion I've heard on a metal album. His technique is dynamic and refined yet thunderous beyond anything else the band has to offer- I'd offer comparisons to Mario Duplantier's work in Gojira, but the orchestral context of Fotis' performance gives it a unique sound of its own.

As I may have mentioned before, Septic Flesh's fundamental template is second to none. Not only is Antoniou's skill with orchestration excellent enough to stand on its own; Septic Flesh also known how to scale back the death metal elements to make room for it. That brilliant foundation is part of the reason why the uneven songwriting on Titan is as much a frustration to me as it is a disappointment. "Prototype" and "Promotheus" stand out as excellent tracks with dynamic to spare, but more often than not, it feels like something is lacking. More likely than not, it's the 'metal' side of their sound that underwhelms me at this point. "Burn" struggles with the use of some awkward quasi-melodic vocals, and for an apparent 'single', "Order of Dracul" doesn't feel particularly compelling. The guitar riffs are occasionally brilliant, but it's rare that one would actually interest me on its own without context. Septic Flesh's best ideas are all drawn from the orchestral pool this time around, and compared to The Great Mass, it seems like Titan has put a greater weight on the band over the symphony.

The tragedy of Septic Flesh is not that they make bad, or even mediocre music. It's that they usually settle for making merely 'good' music using the fundaments of a style that by all means should be fucking incredible. Symphonic influences come a dime a dozen in extreme metal, but it's altogether rare that a band will have the ambition, resource and musical background to make true orchestral metal fusion a reality. Communion was living proof of that potential, and while Titan still rests among the better death metal albums released this year, I cannot but feel a little disappointed in light of its context. Make of it what you will.

Originally written for Heathen Harvest Periodical

Ah, symphonic death metal, also known as "the genre nobody does." Symphonic black metal has been played to death, resurrected, then played to death again, but how many symphonic death metal bands do you see? There's a few, such as Eternal Tears of Sorrow's recent albums which are a nice merge of an orchestra and MDM, as well as Fleshgod Apocalypse who ruin their albums with brickwalling and never ending drum pummeling. Septicflesh took notice of this painful absence and reunited to deliver two excellent symphonic death albums that did symphonic death the way symphonic death should be done.

I loved The Great Mass; it's my favorite album in their large discography and one of my favorite albums of recent years. This is not The Great Mass. I really can't think of any better way to put it. This is a very different album than its predecessor. While I fell in love with their catchy, borderline MDM melodies juxtaposed against their trademark eerie, ritualistic, horror-esque atmosphere, this album sacrifices the melodies and hones fully on making you feel as oppressed and uncomfortable as possible. From the deathly symphonies to the droning death metal riffs, they clearly want you to feel uneasy. In a way, this reminds me a lot of Sigh - in fact, I'd say this is like a death metal version of Hangman's Hymn (minus the thrash).

So what's the problem? Those droning death metal riffs don't do what they're meant to. Sometimes they work, but far too often they plod along, doing little but making you check the clock. The amazing guitar harmonies that made this band successful in the past (especially on the last two albums) are missing, and all you really have is the same old "probably meant to evoke claustrophobia but instead just leaves you bored" chug chug.

It's not like this album is trash. They clearly put a lot of work in orchestrating the symphonies of the album, and the symphonies ARE successful in what they're meant to be. They're simultaneously oppressive and beautiful, the essence of which could be likened unto a fallen angel or some other glorious but frightening creature. Take the bridge of "Burn" for example: utterly gorgeous, mesmerizing, and it forms a hellish contrast with the unsettling yet memorable chorus. "Confessions of a Serial Killer" and "The First Immortal" fit alongside "Burn" as successful (torture) chamber compositions. Unfortunately, I feel like something must be wrong if the most noteworthy part of a death metal album is the symphonies.

I guess my ultimate problem with the album is that the entire thing feels samey. The emphasis on atmosphere and generic death metal riffs means I couldn't really tell one song from another. One gets the feeling they were attempting to return to the Sumerian Daemons days where a grand orchestra is responsible for the atmosphere instead, but these old dogs don't have it in them to evoke the same feeling they did in ye olden days. And, well, contrary to popular opinion, I actually loved the clean vocals in the last two albums, and the absence of them here is sorely disappointing. Sotiris' vocal style complimented Spiros' growl perfectly and helped add to the horror soundtrack thing they have going on. From riffs to vocals, everything here has been stripped back so all you really have left is an orchestra and a run of the mill death metal album. That's not what I look for in Septicflesh, sorry.

This album is like being being kidnapped and confronted by a serial killer whose weapon of choice is a rubber ducky. This guy is totally serious about murdering you; you clearly see the corpses of his past victims laying lifelessly behind him. You know he's serious, but... c'mon, this guy's weapon of choice is a fucking RUBBER DUCKY. How are you meant to take this guy seriously?

I'm a sucker for symphonic death and black metal arrangements when produced and performed accordingly, so it's been a real trip over these past few Septicflesh albums as they continued to forge ahead and transform the largely synthesized operatics of their old material into genuine orchestrated escape. Granted, I still cling dearly to 90s records like In the Nightside Eclipse, Ophidian Wheel, Passage Lepaca Kliffoth and so forth, where there just wasn't the budget and exposure for the labels to front out the cash for the 'real deal', but having a genuine host of musicians does carry the benefit of a more vivacious stereo sound, and richer intricacy to all the individual strings, horns, woodwinds and percussion. Although a divisive effort in some corners, The Great Mass achieved for me the peak of marrying those exotic Middle Eastern aesthetics redolent of To Mega Therion or Theli with simple, dense, effective riff construction and broad, resonant guttural vocals which catapulted me into new visions of antiquity.

This is bombastic, sweeping music, often of the Wagnerian school, or perhaps the more brazen of the Mediterranean composers, no doubt a massive inspiration for Christos Antoniou, the band's resident composer. There is plenty of attention to detail, though the rhythm guitar components are strikingly simplistic as they shift from the pummeling chord progressions that dominated The Great Mass to tremolo picked passages that seek to cycle the Greeks full circle to the original death metal that influenced them in the mid 90s (featured prominently in tunes like "The Order of Dracul"). These are of course mixed within a modern, melodic context...Septicflesh is not a band that has shied away from the technological imperatives of the recording industry, and that's going to provoke endless enmity from the old school stalwarts who want Mental Funeral, Dawn of Possession and/or The Mortal Throne of Nazarene over and over and over and over again unto endless redundancy, but while I wouldn't outright preclude the possibility of approaching the symphonic death from a more 'filthy' vector, I just don't imagine Septicflesh and Season of Mist are going to shell out the big $ for an album that sounds like it was recorded in Spiros' garage. Not at this point in time.

What it all boils down to, is that the last three full-length albums moved me, some songs more than others, but in general they brought such new life into a band that had really been starting to slack off near the end of the 90s. Upon first hearing the Titan samples, I was apprehensive that Septicflesh had unraveled into the jumbled, chaotic mess that their neighbors Fleshgod Apocalypse have been trying to sort through ever since decided they'd become the fastest symphonic extreme metal act on the seven continents. But hearing those same sequences in the context of the full 45 minute experience, they gel together and make a lot more sense. That's not to imply there aren't misfires here, because a number of symphonic sequences and riffing patterns border on the lamentably generic, but there is no question for me of the love and effort the Greeks placed into assembling these songs, which are more or less a more 'harried' and complex followup for The Great Mass, with a greater note count from both the orchestra and the guitars, in a comparable framework. The symphonics evoke everything from belligerent mythic warfare suites to cheesy haunted house organs, but the guitar writing is just so much more focused and important to the 'fore' of the production than the aforementioned Italians who just saturate, saturate, saturate the compositions into sheer suffocation.

Special credit goes to Fotis Benardo, who on the surface performs his double bass rhythms and blasts with the same mechanic fortitude we'd expect out of Polish death titans Vader and Behemoth, but seems to have a knack for exploring grooves and fills that immediately draw my ears to the snap of his skills in lieu of the swelling choirs and atmospheres riding above them all. I think it's so difficult for a drummer to stand out on this sort of disc, and he does it. Elsewhere, the guitars deserve praise for imbuing some spikier little melodies (akin to early Septicflesh) in among the sliding octave chords and chugs that the band has continued to develop, while Seth's growls achieve that same impermeable gruffness they had on past works (a good thing, because while his bass tone is audible, it doesn't feel terribly important to the work as a whole). As for the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, they deliver precisely what you'd expect here, a level of bombast that would quite easily sweep the entire death metal mechanism beneath the rug if it weren't so carefully pieced together in production. The riffs are decent, but not so blindingly interesting that they can compare with the rising and falling tides of strings and operatic choirs.

If I had a major complaint here, it's that for much of the playtime, Septicflesh are merely treading on ground that they had already mastered with the previous three albums. There are probably technical details, processes in the writing and recording prowess that have changed, but having an orchestra at your disposal gives you almost infinite capacity with which to experiment. To explore. Just think of the wide range of ethnic and aesthetic versatility in film scores? The Greeks sadly 'go all out Godzilla' through almost the entire track list, which might have seemed novel and acceptable years ago but is starting to dull the blade. I'd love if they would further embrace their imaginations, because frankly even an older record like Ophidian Wheel seems more inspired than this. You hear a few hints of change, like the woozy and weird intro to "Ground Zero" with the punctuated clean guitars and ghostly wails; but in summation, it's all more of the same that we've gleaned across all the post millennium Septicflesh releases, only a little more labyrinthine and involved. The tunes here, while solid and often excited, have not stuck to me the way a "Pyramid God" did, or Hollenthon's "Y Draig Goch". Titan is a pretty good album, worth my money, but I don't want to hear it again in, say, 2017. 'We've done this, let's move on.' Here's hoping they've shaken this evolutionary phase out of their systems and will ensure that the future once again belongs to the brave.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com