SEPTICFLESH - The Great Mass

I'm usually okay with admitting that the album I'm reviewing is the first I have heard of a band, but in the case of Greece's Septicflesh I'm actually quite disappointed that I had not even heard of this band until now. The Great Mass being their eighth full length release, it was recorded in 2010 and produced by Peter Tägtgren, who did vocals on Bloodbath's Nightmares Made Flesh album, amongst other things. With that recipe of awesome in mind, it's time to listen to the album.

I wasn't sure of their name at first, but all negative thoughts about Septicflesh dispersed as the orchestration in "The Vampire From Nazareth" faded in, building up to the first guitar chords of the album. For the first time listening to this band, my mind was pretty blown and I didn't quite expect something this heavy and epic. It is very orchestral and operatic at times, with some very excellent compositions behind the heaviness of the band itself. This first song also features a very haunting lead guitar part, which sounds like it is joined by one of the vocalists, which only serves to add to the awesome.

The second track, "A Great Mass of Death", continues to display this band's prowess, including some very fast blast beats and more stunning compositions. A number of different vocal styles are featured on this album, from the guttural vocals of Spiros, to the clean vocals of Sotiris and guest vocalists Androniki Skoula of Chaostar and Iliana Tsakiraki of Meden Agan, all of which have done an excellent job on this record. The different voices allow this album to remain fresh, as opposed to something with only a single vocalist and style - which can work poorly for some bands.

Each song is an epic of its own. There are many intricate melodies and lines running opposite and parallel to each other, which can sometimes only be found upon multiple listens. It can go from a moment of suspense to extreme brutality in an instant, and flawlessly as displayed in "Pyramid God", amongst other tracks. "Five-Pointed Star" contains one of the best orchestral breaks on the album, with deep horns and drums effectively breaking the song in two. The album just gets better as it progresses.

"Oceans of Grey" fades in with a slow trill over multiple instruments before blasting into heaviness and one of the fastest blast beats on the album. Fotis Benardo's (drums) performance on this record is one of the things that keeps me listening - that, and the orchestration, written by Septicflesh guitarist Christos - recorded by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Peter Tägtgren did an outstanding job producing this album. It sounds extremely heavy, and no instrument or voice really drowns out any other, which is a great feat for such 'busy' music. The production enhances as the volume is turned up, which is the best way to listen to such an album. I cannot recommend an album more than this one. It is quite possibly the best thing I have heard this year.

The Great Mass is out now through Season of Mist.

Album: The Great Mass

Release:  April 18th, 2011

Track List:

1. Vampire From Nazareth
2. A Great Mass of Death
3. Pyramid God
4. Five-pointed Star
5. Oceans of Grey
6. The Undead Keep Dreaming
7. Rising
8. Apocalypse
9. Mad Architect
10. Therianthropy