You probably would have had to be living in a cave somewhere in deepest, darkest Siberia for the last three years to have not come across the name Septicflesh. Indeed, they made a return to the Extreme Metal scene with all the subtlety of a nail bomb and a degree of class that is almost unrivalled.
2008’s ‘Communion’ was an absolute masterpiece in terms of imagination, composition and musicianship; and now, listening to their latest opus, ‘The Great Mass’, I can’t help but laugh in awe, wondering how a band could possibly combine Extreme Metal and an orchestra with such proficiency.
Well, as I probably mentioned when I reviewed ‘Communion’, it’s quite helpful having a guitarist who is also an orchestral composer; someone who has the ability and ingenuity to combine two very powerful, yet disparate genres of music with such success.
Some may well have noticed the brighter cover art and more expressive new logo donning ‘The Great Mass’. I try not to be influenced by such things, though can’t help but feel that they reflect the musical state of the band too. The compositions have definitely taken a step towards the more melodic side of the spectrum and are perhaps not quite as intense as their predecessors, even if, in some cases the pace is noticeably faster.
‘The Vampire of Nazareth’ opens the album with a delicate female voice intertwined with the string section of the orchestra. Drummer, Fotis lays down a soft march upon which the strings gain a sound of urgency and a heavy series of stop-start guitar chugs surface with Seth’s demonic bark at the forefront. It’s powerful and punchy, even if the guitars do carry a hint of Hardcore in places. With that said, it works excellently with the strings, providing a steady dominant rhythm on which the orchestra can unleash its wonders upon us.
‘A Great Mass of Death’ has a much more direct sound, being altogether more Death Metal in substance. The opening riffs have a darker energy and the short, swift blasts only emphasise this. It lurches around briefly before Seth and the orchestra make an entrance, Fotis, snare blasting so fast I wouldn’t be surprised if he was gravity blasting! The harmonious voice of Sotiris alongside a horn is just fantastic, but when a couple of female voices join him, the sound produced is astoundingly beautiful. Naturally Seth comes in and ruins it all...well the average person would probably think so, but when you’ve got a ‘thing’ for growling, it only adds to the aural wonders.
A serene violin - or a string instrument, at the very least - introduces ‘Oceans of Grey’, which incidentally, would be anything but grey if it had been composed in paint form. It has gentle, lulling tones which bring reprieve from the calamitous melee which came before it...for almost twenty seconds! The guitars are certainly dramatic, but hardly intense as the pace struts along comfortably and differently for a brief period. Obviously Fotis has to come along and hammer everything along again, but once it all dies down, serenity returns and the guitars remember to play nicely with their string relatives in the orchestra.
‘Apocalypse’ does and doesn’t do what its name suggests. It’s both a moody number, especially in the verses but also melodiously upbeat. The strings soar wonderfully over their compatriots as Seth roars and Sotiris even gets the odd word in!
‘The Great Mass’ may have a plethora of merits, but I know I’ll never love it as much as ‘Communion’. Maybe it’s pointless to compare the two, but it’s inevitable isn’t it? Musically it isn’t as dark or savage but a band of this calibre would never repeat themselves. It’s just as well composed and performed, and some of the most satisfying elements are the little touches which you begin to notice after a good few listens.
http://www.myspace.com/septicfleshband
http://www.season-of-mist.com
