In death metal there are many kinds such as death-thrash of Death, viking death of
Amon Amarth, melodic-prog death of
Opeth and atmosperic death of Septic
Flesh. We could say without any hesitation that Septic
Flesh are a school in death metal on their own and that because I can not remember any old band having played like them. Who could imagine that three years after their magnificent creation
Communion the band would release another masterpiece and maybe one level hihger than the previous one.
The Great Mass came like thousands tons of metal to our ears with a begining and an ending, including the excellent contribution of the philarmonic orchestra of Prague.
If I had the chance I could describe all the songs of the album one by one. The first track "
The Vampire from Nazareth" is the beginning I refered before, a beatifull dark song which leads anyone into the deepest paths of the album. "A great mass of death", this one I think that describes totally the character of the album and in this mass the seal of the magical voice of Androniki, the siren from
Chaostar gives a different tone. Something that it sounds more in this album than in
Communion is the participation of Sotiris Vayenas on vocals and this makes the songs even better. You can hear him in "Oceans of grey" and "The undead keep dreaming".
Two songs full of rhythmical guitars which creat a perfect symmetry, difficult to describe it if you have not heard the songs and the melancholic parts entice our souls.
It seems that all the members have done a great work, everyone on his part.
Seth is heard more brutal than in the last albums and he reminds me of his vocals in their first full-length
Mystic Places of Dawn. Fotis Bernardo is presented like a maniac behind the drums, he can play everything in any time, whether you want him slow or fast. In the second case check "
Rising", the only heavy-death song of the album with unforgettable leading guitars. Finally Christos is the musician who does not only play the guitar parts with Sotiris, but also he is the main man who organizes all the samples and the orchestration of the album.
Despite the absence of solos, something that does not matter anyone of the listeners, I don not think that something is missing from the album, so I can say that
The Great Mass is the physical evolution of
Communion, with more orchestral parts in the songs such in "
Apocalypse". This one could be described as a multi formed song because of its many alternations on guitar parts and is it only me who imagines scenes of the
Apocalypse by hearing it? The ending is "Therianthropy" one of the best if not the best song which appeals and provokes too anyone to sing the overtured lyrics and a song which completes idealy this path of death called
The Great Mass.
I do not know what you believe, but I say that this album is the best death metal album in the last two years and may you call me exaggerated, but this is just my point of view. This line-up does great things and as we are used to saying in Greece "the team which does not change, wins!". Septic
Flesh have nothing to prove anymore, they are just the Lords of death and by their recordings we enjoy this music.
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